THERE will be few starting XIs up and down the country as unrecognisable as the one Darlington manager Dave Penney will select to face Wrexham today.

Few clubs have been as active in the transfer market as Quakers during a summer of wheeling and dealing.

Twelve players have arrived, while 11 have been among those deemed surplus to requirements by Penney.

The Quakers boss has made no secret of his belief that the squad he inherited ten months ago fell way below his standards.

And he should know what is required at this level, having guided Doncaster Rovers to the League Two title in 2004.

Penney was not surprised Quakers failed to secure a play-off spot last season.

He said: "The squad wasn't good enough so we couldn't expect any better with what we had.

"The squad wasn't fit enough, it wasn't mobile enough, it didn't have enough quality and there were a few bad characters in it.

"Now we've rectified that and there's a real togetherness about the place and I'm really pleased with the players we've brought in.

"I'm happy with what we've achieved over the summer, although I would still like to bring in a couple more players."

Darlington's pre-season preparations have been far from ideal, with Penney having to contend with a string of injury setbacks, especially in defence.

However, with Tim Ryan, captain Steve Foster, Alan White and goalkeeper Andy Oakes fit again, the Quakers boss will have the luxury of calling on his first-choice back four this afternoon.

He said: "I was disappointed early in pre-season when all the back four and the keeper were struggling with injuries. It's nice to have everybody back and have some stability."

Of the players expected to start this afternoon, only Ricky Ravenhill and Gregg Blundell will be part of the starting XI who were at the club last season.

And, while there may be an element of not knowing what to expect from his new-look side, Penney believes there is enough experience to ensure the team can adapt quickly.

"A lot of them have been senior pros for a long time and have played at this level and above," said Penney.

"They know the standards required and they've mixed really well together off the pitch.

"The squad has been spending as much time together after training, eating together and going out for games of golf. They've bedded in very well in that respect and only time will tell.

"We haven't had as much time out on the pitch as I'd have liked due to injuries. Hopefully the training sessions will help and we can all gel together quickly."

Having handed Penney the funds to rebuild, chairman George Houghton will expect nothing less than a top-seven finish come May.

But, rather than promise fans big things this season - something former managers and officials have been guilty of in the past - Penney has set his squad a series of targets over the course of the next nine months.

"Twenty-four chairmen in this league are looking for promotion, as well as the directors, supporters and players, so we're no different to anybody else," said Penney, whose Doncaster Rovers side finished on 92 points when they clinched promotion from League Two three years ago.

"We want to have a good season, but first and foremost we get 52 points as soon as possible, and then get up to mid-70s, which would guarantee play-offs, or get high 80s and we will probably get automatic promotion.

"We're not going to put any pressure on ourselves and we're not going to go out and say we're going to get promotion because you're just there to be shot at.

"We just have to get on with our work quietly and pick up as many points as we can, and as quickly as we can."

Darlington will face a Wrexham side today with more than its fair share of North-East links.

Former Quakers pair Richard Hope and Ryan Valentine are expected to start, while the Red Dragons also boast four ex-Hartlepool players, in Chris Llewellyn, Eifion Williams, Anthony Williams and Michael Proctor. Williams returns to the Darlington Arena for the first time since scoring twice in Pools' 3-0 win back in March.

And Penney revealed Quakers turned down the chance to sign the Welsh striker - just 24 hours after his derby brace!

"He scored two against us and they were two very good goals to be fair," admitted Penney.

"But he only scored six all season and he was in and out of the Hartlepool side.

"People think that if someone scores two goals against you then you should go out and buy them.

"His agent was on the phone to us the next day after he scored those goals against us, but we didn't feel he was right for us at the time."