DARLINGTON boss David Hodgson insists a play-off place will await his side in May - providing they mirror their recent League Two fortunes.

Tuesday night's defeat at promotion rivals Peterborough United was only Quakers' second defeat in 13 league games.

With 13 games remaining, Hodgson believes a similar run would almost certainly guarantee a top-seven finish.

In the wake of the midweek 2-1 defeat at London Road, Quakers slipped out of the play-off zone for the third time this season.

They now lie three points short of the top seven in ninth place after Lincoln (eighth) and Cheltenham (seventh) enjoyed wins in midweek.

Of their previous 13 games, Quakers have won six. But Hodgson believes they must improve on that record if they are to achieve their play-off dream.

"There are 13 games to go and we need to win eight of those," said Hodgson.

"Win more than eight and we will probably find ourselves in the top three.

"We've only lost twice in our last 13 games and if we achieve a similar run between now and the end of the season we'll be where we want to be in May.

"If we set that kind of target then it's unlikely that there will be many other teams who do better."

Hodgson remains in an upbeat mood, despite seeing his side lose for only the second time in 2006 at Peterborough.

Quakers had led through debutant Andy Cooke before a goal in each half from defender Mark Arber brought to an end a six-match unbeaten run.

"We accept that we lost the game but on the whole we thought we did very well," said Hodgson. "If you play well and you get beat there is nothing you can do about it.

"I would have been disappointed had we played badly and lost, but there wasn't an area of the pitch where I thought we were poor on Tuesday.

"We have more to gain from that performance than we have to lose.

"There are plenty of positives to take into Saturday's game."

The Shrews arrive in the North-East in good spirits and on the back of a well-earned draw at Carlisle during the week. Gary Peters' side, who are 13th in the table, have now taken four points from their last two games, having beaten Peterborough at home seven days ago.

Hodgson said: "We know we've got enough in our locker to turn them over.

"They've had a couple of good results lately and we certainly won't be underestimating them."

Quakers are unbeaten at home since September and Hodgson added: "We've built ourselves a nice little run at home now and it's important that it continues against Shrewsbury."

Hodgson will be seeking revenge for the 3-1 defeat his side suffered in the corresponding fixture back in December. That result took Quakers down to 15th in League Two - their lowest position of the season.

Much has changed since then, and for the good. While Hodgson has yet to have the luxury of naming a settled line-up, he believes he is close to finding the perfect formula.

"We've made a lot of changes this season, but if I had my way there wouldn't be any at all," said Hodgson.

"It's difficult when you have to deal with injuries, but on the whole I think we've coped quite well.

"We have a settled defence, which has been a massive help, and we haven't had many changes to make in the midfield area.

"Cookey and Kyle (Lafferty) will need a bit more time, but they linked up quite well at Peterborough."

Hodgson may have to make one enforced change from the side that lost at London Road. Simon Johnson is standing by if winger Neil Wainwright fails to recover from a back injury in time.

Cooke will make his home debut after joining the club on a month-long loan from Bradford City on Tuesday.

Just hours after meeting his new team-mates, he took just 26 minutes to open his Quakers account against Peterborough.

"It's a big plus for the boy that he's scored and I'm sure he'll want to do the same again on Saturday," said Hodgson.

"He backs in, he's strong and he's a very difficult player to play against."

Cooke will partner Lafferty in attack, while Akpo Sodje and Guy Bates compete for places on the bench.

The Shrews have been boosted by the availability of Ben Herd, who has won his appeal against his red card at Carlisle.

Former Quakers defender Richard Hope starts for Shrewsbury, although Stuart Whitehead, who made 25 appearances for Darlington during the 2002/03 season, has an ankle injury.

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