Darlington will be hoping they can put a summer of upheaval behind them when they open the new league campaign with a trip to Rochdale tomorrow.

The club's preparations for the new season, already hit by the loss of key players such as Marco Gabbiadini, Neil Heaney and Peter Duffield, were damaged still further by the resignations last week of manager David Hodgson and his assistant Ian Butterworth.

Many Quakers fans have been dismayed by events at the club, fearing that a repeat of last season's promotion challenge is unlikely to happen. Flamboyant chairman George Reynolds, hailed as the club's saviour when he took over at the end of the season before last, has been a target for criticism.

But new manager Gary Bennett has made an encouraging start. Darlington scored 19 goals in two games, albeit against weak opposition, as they lifted the Minster Carpets Cup at Scarborough last weekend.

But Rochdale will be a different proposition when the real thing gets underway tomorrow and Quakers fans will be hoping their new signings can gel quickly with old favourites such as Craig Liddle.

Bennett had still to settle on his best team earlier in the week, but newcomers Stuart Elliott, Tom Kaak, Mark Angel and Richard Hodgson will surely come into the reckoning.

Keeper Andy Collett is fit to take his place in the starting line-up, while defender Paul Heckingbottom played a full match against Scarborough and suffered no reaction to the groin injury which troubled him towards the end of last season.

The manager is still looking to strengthen the squad, and two French trialists, Lenit Zezu and Christophe Raymond, performed well in a 4-2 friendly win at South Shields on Wednesday. Zezu scored twice within a minute and set up another.