Darlington manager Gary Bennett wants another Cardiff-style performance from his players against Hull City today.

Quakers produced their best football of the season in the 2-0 win over the Welsh side last week and Bennett wants more of the same in the reunion with former Quakers boss Brian Little and Hull.

"It will be another battle," said Bennett. "Just like we did against Cardiff, we've got to match Hull early in the game and then try to impose ourselves with our style of football, although I don't think Hull will be as direct as Cardiff were.

"We must be mentally strong again, just as we've been so often recently. I want us to finish the season as strongly as possible."

Bennett has been encouraged by a run of just two defeats in 13 matches. "There has been a lot to build on over the last few weeks," he said.

"We have overcome a lot of hurdles, and if we can put all the plus points together for next season, then I don't think we'll be far away.

"Games like these against Hull, Cardiff and Brighton are good yardsticks as to how far we've come. We did well against Cardiff and we weren't disgraced against Brighton, even though we lost."

Bennett is delighted that Alex Jeannin has committed himself to the club for three years. "He has handled the English game very well," he said.

"He is strong, reads the game well, plus he has settled in with the rest of the lads. If he keeps progressing the way he is then we might have problems keeping him next season."

Bennett will also ask Newcastle about the availability of on-loan wing back Olivier Bernard at the end of the season.

Wing back Steve Harper, who is relishing the game against his previous club, is amazed at the transformation at Feethams over the last two months.

"When I first arrived there was doom and gloom everywhere. They'd picked up just eight points in three months and everybody was depressed.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy after that sort of run, even though we were fourth or fifth off bottom, but I think the Cheltenham game was a turning point.

"Everyone feared the worst after the game at Barnet, when we lost 3-0, but since then everybody has become more and more confident. A lot of it is down to belief.

"Some of the players were going on to the field expecting to lose, but after a few good results we're all going out expecting to win now."

Quakers lost their first game in seven on Monday at Brighton, and Harper said: "Until Brighton scored, we were the more comfortable side.

"Even though they got a couple of goals inside a minute, they never really threatened us after that.

"It wasn't a good result, but it wasn't a bad performance either.

"It would have been easy to crumble in the second half on a day like that, when Brighton were celebrating.''

l Brentford's Welsh captain Paul Evans also has his own special reason for savouring tomorrow's Millennium Stadium LDV Vans Trophy Final against Port Vale as he will be playing in the land of his fathers at Cardiff.

Read more about the Quakers here.