DARLINGTON waited a long time to savour that winning feeling, and now they want to do it all over again today.

Nine matches had passed without Tommy Wright’s team managing to come out on top, but they atoned in style on Boxing Day by beating York City 5-1.

It was a thoroughly deserved victory, the manner of which manager Tommy Wright says he had seen coming due to some of his team’s displays in recent weeks, despite results not going Darlington’s way.

It lifted The Quakers to 16th and put them in good heart ahead of another match at Blackwell Meadows, today’s visit of second-bottom Ashton United.

The manner of the midweek victory should bolster today’s attendance, and Wright hopes supporters will again show their backing.

“The lads are enjoying playing,” he said. “The fans were right behind the lads from the first whistle on Boxing Day, it was a big crowd, the fans were well up for it and I think it rubbed off on the lads.

“I’ve said this a million times, how highly I regard this set of supporters. They got me going as a player and what I need them to do is do the same for these players.

“It’s not about me, it’s about getting behind the players on the pitch. When the lads put in performances like that and put in the work ethic the fans will get behind them.”

Despite results, elements of The Quakers’ play has been encouraging, and they have now scored ten goals in three games.

Preventing them at the other end, however, has proven much tougher, leading to Liam Hughes making a surprise return to the starting XI against York even though he may require surgery on a shoulder injury.

Wright explained: “He’s got a consultation at the end of January, he’ll have a scan, and the outcome of that could be that he needs an op.

“We wanted to get his movement back and a relative amount of strength into his shoulder to hold people off. We knew he would win his headers and he would talk, and his ball-play is there for everyone to see.

“In the middle of a back three, where he’s not going to get exposed for his fitness, I think he’s perfect for that role.”

Jonny Burn made way for Hughes, and Wright added: “I’d been frustrated that Hughesy couldn’t play and so was he. I’ve got a great relationship with him, he knows he’s not perfect and that he needs to be fitter.

“He will kick on now, his head’s in a good place and against York he had not played for three weeks but it looked like he had never been away.”

While Quakers were trouncing York, Ashton ended their own wait for a win by beating Curzon Ashton 4-2 – they had previously lost six games in a row.

Darlington drew 2-2 when they travelled to Ashton-under-Lyne in August, Stephen Thompson and Harvey Saunders scoring, and will be optimistic of doing better today against team that has conceded 55 times in 22 league games.

Continuing in the same vein as Wednesday would help, and Wright added: “We didn’t do much different than we have in previous weeks. But we’ve been saying to ourselves within four walls that kind of result is coming.

“We had been due to give someone a hammering. We were clinical, every time York had a little opening we seemed to sucker-punch them and score another goal.

“Our front three gave us that outlet, they’re a menace and they compliment each other really well. We seemed to piece it all together well at the back and Liam Hughes had a big part to play.

“I thought we played well at Ashton and found ourselves 2-0 down, and that proves there are no easy games in this league. You can get shocks.

“The message is don’t rest on your laurels, and hopefully the lads will be champing at the bit for Saturday.”