DARLINGTON will this morning learn whether or not goalkeeper Sam Russell will be fit to face Hartlepool United at Victoria Park tonight.
Manager David Hodgson yesterday prepared for the worst possible outcome when he recalled Bertrand Bossu from Accrington Stanley. Bossu is on standby if Russell fails to recover from a calf injury in time.
The loss of the dependable Russell would come as a major blow for Hodgson ahead of this evening Carling Cup first round derby, and his recovery chances are looking slim.
Russell will face further fitness tests this morning after suffering the injury late in Quakers' 1-0 win at Grimsby on Saturday.
"We're not ruling Sam out and at the moment we're rating him 50-50," said physio Paul Gough. "Sam knows the importance of the game and he's desperate to play.
"If there is a slight chance he can play then he will, so we will just have to wait and see when we take another look at him on Tuesday."
Bossu was loaned out to Accrington last week and made his debut in Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Cambridge, in which the Frenchman was at fault for the first goal. The 24-year-old was allowed to join Accrington after accepting he would be second choice to Russell. However, the former Gillingham stopper could now get an unexpected chance to impress if Russell fails to recover in time.
"Bert is adamant that he wants to leave so he can play first-team football," said Hodgson. "But now he's on his way back just in case Sam isn't fit.
"He admitted that he was at fault for the first goal he conceded on Saturday, but the people at Accrington said he was excellent apart from that.
"I would have no worries calling on him if need be."
After seeing a much-improved performance from his side in Saturday's 1-0 win at Grimsby, Hodgson is relishing this evening's test against Martin Scott's Pool.
"I cannot wait," said Hodgson. "I haven't said anything publicly about it until now, but deep down I've been thinking about it for the last two or three days and I'm looking forward to it, especially after the win at Grimsby."
The side's last met in the old Third Division in March 2003 when skipper Craig Liddle rescued a point for Quakers in a 2-2 draw in the last ever derby at Feethams. In the corresponding fixture at Victoria Park, Quakers were thumped 4-1.
Hartlepool went on to claim promotion, while Quakers finished 14th in the old Third Division. Having watched Pool establish a firm grip in League One since, Hodgson can only ponder what might have been had Quakers' off-the-field problems not taken its toll on the playing side.
He said: "They (Pool) are the benchmark for us. They are where our club could have been now if it wasn't tampered with five or six years ago.
"We're trying to catch them up and after the game we'll have an idea how far away from them we are."
Hodgson returns to Victoria Park for the first time since Quakers' controversial play-off semi-final win in 2000. The Quakers boss was hit by a coin in the aftermath of the 2-0 first leg win, while Marco Gabbiadini was attacked by a home fan.
"It was a frightening experience at the time but all that is in the past now," said Hodgson. "Everything got a bit out of hand that night, but that just shows how much these games mean to the fans.
"This is the first Darlington/Hartlepool derby for most of the players but the lads who have been involved know how much the game means."
Of the current Quakers squad, only four players - Ryan Valentine, Neil Maddison, Clark Keltie and Matt Clarke - were involved in the last derby encounter.
Tonight, only Valentine and Clarke will be involved as Hodgson looks to make minimal changes to his side.
The Quakers boss made just one enforced change - Anthony Peacock for the injured Matty Appleby - at Grimsby, despite their poor display against Leyton Orient seven days earlier.
Midfielder Stephen Thomas is unlikely to feature against his hometown club after picking up a calf injury in training. Matty Appleby remains sidelined with a toe injury.
"People were assuming I was going to make changes after the fiasco against Leyton Orient," said Hodgson. "But, in three games we had conceded just one in goal open play, the other was a debatable penalty against Orient, so why should I change anything?
"I'm going to try and stick to the side for six matches to let them blend and get used to the system."
Read more about the Quakers here.
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