Darlington manager Gary Bennett is backing his charges to make a better impression against Hartlepool today than when they last met.

Quakers lost 2-1 at Victoria Park on October 7, a below-par performance which saw them slip from fifth to eighth.

Assistant manager Mick Tait is relishing today's game against his old club.

Tait knows all about derby games, after appearing on both sides as a player then managing Pool before he departed in acri-monious circumstances in 1999.

Now he samples management in a derby game from the Darlington side of the fence.

"Nobody will be more committed to victory than me," he said. "The supporters will be expecting us to get stuck in and that's what we'll do.

"It is a game of passion. We have shown it in patches over the last few matches but we need to produce it in every game.

"Maybe we're heading that way, because we were very professional and committed at Carlisle last week.

"We were in control of the game, even though they had some pressure near the end. A lot of that game went according to the way we planned it."

Like Bennett, Tait is desperate for that improvement to continue.

"We've got to work very hard," he said. "We haven't set a target of points we need for safety, but we know roughly how many we need. You can never be sure, so we probably need to win five or six games out of the last 15. If we win this one we'll be more than happy."

After picking up just five wins in the League since losing to Pool, Quakers go into today's clash eighth from the bottom and needing the points to climb away from the relegation dogfight.

They are five points above bottom club Carlisle but have played fewer games than all the other teams in trouble.

"We didn't perform at Hartlepool and we didn't have our strongest team out," said Bennett.

"We know what's at stake this time. It's a massive game and the form book goes out of the window.

"We know what it means to the supporters and also to our position. The players who go out on the field must be prepared to battle, because there's a lot of pride at stake."

Quakers have improved over the last three games and Bennett puts that down to the introduction of six new players, one of whom, Kirk Jackson, scored on his debut last week.

"The new signings have played a big part in our improvement," he said.

"They've stabilised the team and added experience. We're trying now to field a settled team, something which we haven't been able to do because of injuries and suspensions. That's how to get good results."

Bennett will have to make at least one change today, with Paul Campbell favourite to replace the departed Stuart Elliott.

Darlington keeper Andy Collett has given the club a boost by signing a new two-year contract.

Collett has been one of the few successes for Quakers this season after recovering from an injury which plagued him for most of last season, and has missed just two League games.

The former Middlesbrough keeper is seeking revenge for the defeat at Victoria Park.

"It was a poor performance in October, so we feel we have a score to settle," he said. "It's not going to be a pretty game and it will be down to who wants it most.

"It's a massive game for both clubs but we need the points more than them at the moment."

l Quakers have re-arranged their game at Torquay for Tuesday, April 24