THREE games into what has been an eventful comeback from a lengthy injury lay-off, a new contract tops Clark Keltie's hopes for the new year.

The 22-year-old's current deal expires at the end of the month and, despite a mixed return to the first-team fold, Keltie aims to stay at the club into 2006.

After picking up a red card in his first game back from injury and a booking in his second, he was one of Darlington's best players in Saturday's morale-boosting 3-0 win at Stockport County.

The Tynesider is Quakers' longest-serving player and is one of several whose short-term deals expire just after Christmas.

After making a full recovery from cruciate knee ligament damage, then an ankle injury at the beginning of the season, Keltie was in the kind of form at Stockport on Saturday which got him noticed when he first emerged three years ago.

He anchored a five-man midfield which allowed Jonjo Dickman and Phil Stamp to get forward and he said: "We all did our jobs very well. My job is to sit there in front of the back four to start attacks off and it's great to be back playing again.

"The gaffer has given me a chance, which I appreciate. He did not have to throw me back into the team.

"Hopefully I am paying him back now.

"He's given me two full games now and hopefully I have done my job well enough to get a contract at the end of the month.

"I am not fully match fit but adrenaline is getting me though to the end and it's just great to be back.

"It would have been understandable if Adrian Webster had come on for me because I had only played one full game before Saturday but the gaffer left me on and I appreciate that.

"I am just hoping he wants to give me new contract now. When you are out for so long it is difficult, so you appreciate being back playing.

"Now I want to stay in the team."

Saturday's much-needed victory brought to an end six games without a win while for Keltie, who missed the last four months of last season through injury, it was the first time he had featured in an away win for 13 months.

It was Quakers' first away win since August, when they beat Grimsby Town, who are this afternoon's visitors to the 96.6TFM Darlington Arena.

"It had been a long time since we won a game away so it was a great feeling, the lads were buzzing afterwards," said Keltie, who came close to capping his comeback with a goal when his right-footed drive late on flashed just past the post from distance.

"Hopefully we can drive on from now. We were all given a great lift and as the gaffer said to us afterwards, we deserved to win and you could see what it meant to the fans.

"We played some good football, our attacking was really good and we could have scored a couple more.

"It is quite tight in the division and a good run of four or five games would put us right back up there because we are not that far off the pace."

After making a good impression at Edgeley Park, Keltie is expected to keep his place against second-placed Grimsby.

In the hope of finding some consistency, Hodgson has already outlined his desire to make minimum changes today.

"The win at Stockport has lifted everyone but we will only know to what extent against Grimsby," said Hodgson.

"You would hope that it's done a lot to instil confidence, although that has not always been the case in the past."

Grimsby are 11 points ahead of 14th-placed Quakers, but Hodgson added: "This is a big game for us and if we win we are only eight points behind Grimsby.

"We need to build up some kind of momentum going into the Christmas period, which is a critical time.

"It's still so tight in the division and another couple of wins could see us back in the play-off places."

Hodgson will be forced to make at least one change this afternoon. Ryan Valentine serves a one-match ban after reaching five yellow cards.

Shelton Martis is fit after an ankle injury and will compete with Brian Close for the right-back spot.

On-loan striker Tresor Kandol is unlikely to recover from a shoulder injury in time to face the Mariners.

Rob Jones, who was on trial with Quakers last year, will start for Grimsby, along with ex-Darlington winger Tom Newey.

Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala is also back in the squad after recovering from a thigh strain.

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