Unbeaten, top of the table and only two goals conceded. It is fair to say things are going rather well for Darlington, especially so considering their team was built almost from scratch in pre-season.

With so many new faces arriving, 13 in total, it would have been reasonable to expect a difficult bedding in period as Dave Penney's new team began to take shape during the opening games.

But five weeks into the season and Darlington have not lost any of their first five league games, something they last did in 2000/01.

Ten goals have been scored - satisfyingly three apiece for the strikers Tommy Wright and Pawel Abbott - and, as illustrated by their four clean sheets, the newly-built defence has wasted little time in gelling.

Quakers were even unfortunate to lose in the Carling Cup at Championship side Barnsley.

Off the pitch things have also gone well, receiving a bye in the first round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and then being paired with Leeds United in the next round.

Last week's 2-0 win at promotion contenders Rotherham United fired a warning to the rest of League Two. It was a victory which exuded the confidence and determination vital in any successful team.

Although Dave Penney admits his job becomes easier when he is in charge of a winning team, he knows there is room for improvement.

His main focus of attention is Quakers' play in the final third, which is something he believes needs to be quicker, particularly on the counter-attack.

Wright and Abbott's partnership has begun promisingly with six goals between them, while right-winger Julian Joachim created both goals at Rotherham.

But Penney is not satisfied. He said: "There's still more to come from us, especially from an attacking point of view.

"It will take time and the more the players play alongside each other that will help. I can see improvement game by game, such as closing down defenders and breaking with pace.

"Tommy, Pawel and Julian have started all six games so far so we're slowly getting there but I'm not 100 per cent satisfied with it.

"We're gradually getting there and the more we play and the more we do in training the better we will get."

Wright, Abbot and Joachim will again all start today at home to Lincoln City, but Joachim could easily have been lining up for the opposition.

During the summer Quakers were prepared to listen to offers for the 32-year-old who, due to personal circumstances, wished to move to a club near his Lincolnshire home and was wanted by the Imps.

But Lincoln wanted him for free and Quakers wanted a fee so he remains at Darlington, where he has two years of his contract to run, and has reverted this season to the right flank.

In recent years, for Boston and Walsall, Joachim played as a striker but he rarely impressed in that position for Quakers and the switch to wing, where he often played for Leicester and Aston Villa, has proven beneficial to all.

"He's settled off the pitch and now he's enjoying being on the pitch," said Penney.

"He's mixing more with the players during training than he ever did last season and he is playing alongside better players than last season, so he is enjoying his football.

"The opportunity to leave was there but no club made a bid for him and we certainly were not going to let him go for free.

"But now that he has settled his off-the-field problems it has been like signing a new player."

Penney usually declines to reveal his team selection before a game but he hinted that he could make a change for today's match.

If he does, it would continue Penney's trend of making minor changes for every match this season because, although he prefers to keep a settled side, only five Darlington players have started all five league games.

Andy Oakes' suspension, plus injuries to Neil Austin and Ricky Ravenhill, necessitated changes, but only Kevin McBride and Chris Palmer have been dropped, while Ian Miller lost his place after Alan White did well in the match at Barnsley.

Having started the season so well, Penney joked that his job was "easy when the team wins!"

He added: "I've made a couple of changes but usually if the team is winning then I don't change it, so the hardest decision is choosing who to put on the bench.

"In general, I just stick with the same team if we're doing well, but sometimes you look ahead to who your opposition is and might have to change a player or two.

"Saturday is maybe one of those occasions and there is another game coming up too where we might have to make a change because of the personnel the other team has."