Ten years after leaving for Leicester City, Brian Little makes an emotional return to Darlington for the first time in a league game today.

Those fans who followed the club from relegation from the old Fourth Division into the Conference, and then through two successive promotions into the old Third Division, will never forget the huge contribution which the unflappable manager Little made to restoring the club's and the town's pride.

Kevan Smith, who played a major part on the field in those unforgettable years, was Little's captain then and is assistant manager to him now at Hull, and admits they are making a sentimental return journey today.

"There wouldn't have been a football team in Darlington if it wasn't for Brian ten years ago," said Smith.

"It was Brian who turned it all around. When he took over, he nearly kept us in the Fourth Division, and maybe if he had had a few more games he would have succeeded.

"He brought in several players as well as myself during that summer, Frank Gray, John Borthwick and Andy Toman among them.

"Some people thought I was mad to drop out of the Football League and go to a Conference club but a lot of us wanted to play for Brian.

"He got the best out of players. He encouraged us to go out on the field and concentrate on how we were playing, and not worry about the opposition.

"That was the same in every game we played, even when things were getting pretty tight near the end of the season. We had to get it right in the Conference season, and we did. Everybody wanted to beat us because we were the favourites and a full-time outfit, but Brian just kept on encouraging us and telling us to play our normal game.

"He can remember a lot about the Conference season, especially the games at Barnet and Welling. We were criticised a little that season because we won a few games by a single goal, but we did attack a lot of the time.

"Against Boston David Cork scored four! The Conference season was special in everybody's eyes.

"Ironically, Brian can't remember much about the Fourth Division. He did a television programme recently about the last game of the season against Rochdale, but he couldn't remember the goals, or the fact that there were 9,000 people inside Feethams that day.

"He was, and still is, very much a players' manager. He stood up for the players, and still does now. He has the knack of gaining everybody's respect. We wanted to do our very best for Brian at Darlington, and the Hull players are the same."

Little went on to manage Aston Villa, Stoke City and West Brom, but Smith said: "He has always had a soft spot for Darlington, because they rescued his managerial career after he lost the job at Wolves.

"Darlington was a stepping stone in his career at the time and he kept his cards very close to his chest about his future, and never told anyone - even the chairman asked me if I knew what was going on!

"He told me just before a speech at a civic reception for winning the Fourth Division that he was leaving for Leicester. He decided that he had taken the club as far as he could.

He thought Frank Gray would go with him so he recommended me for the job, but Frank decided to stay.''

But Maybe under that calm, level-headed exterior, Little's heart will be pounding this afternoon.

"I've always had a good relationship with the Darlington fans so it is going to be a good day for me,'' he said. "Obviously they will want to see their side win the game but I'm looking forward, for personal reasons, to going back there."

Darlington fans never really had a chance to say farewell to Little when he brought the Fourth Division trophy back in 1991. He and Smith deserve a warm welcome today.

l Ipswich manager George Burley has no special plans to contain Coventry's ace marksman John Hartson in today's match at Portman Road.

The Suffolk Champions League-chasers face a stiff test against Gordon Strachan's outfit, who have won three of their last four matches to take them to the brink of an amazing escape from relegation.

Hartson has been instrumental in the Sky Blues' revival, bagging three goals in their last two matches.

But Burley said: ''John Hartson has helped Coventry so far as goalscoring is concerned. On his day he can be a handful. Someone in a team scoring regularly is a big asset. We do not plan any special measures to combat him. We have good quality throughout the side.''

Read more about the Quakers here.