May 2003 saw a momentous occasion in the history of Darlington Football Club - 120 years of football at Feethams came to an end with their final game at what some believe remains their spiritual home.

But seven days later came a game that, for current Darlington manager Dave Penney at least, was far more important: a promotion-deciding match with a place in the Football League at stake.

Then boss at Doncaster Rovers, he led his side into the Nationwide Conference play-off final at Stoke's Britannia Stadium and, after five years in the non-league wilderness, it was a crucial match Rovers were desperate to win.

With Doncaster featuring four future Quakers - Tim Ryan, Steve Foster, Ricky Ravenhill and Gregg Blundell - they recorded a memorable golden-goal victory that provided the momentum for a Division Three title win the following the season.

Today, Rovers sit comfortably in League One and can proudly look back on some memorable cup occasions, with Penney at the helm, since that day in May 2003.

The team they left behind as losers that day in Stoke were Dagenham and Redbridge. After such a heart-breaking defeat, they must have felt further away from the Football League than ever.

But after promotion last season, they are now finally able to call themselves a Football League club and today, four-and-a-half years since that crunch clash, go head-to-head with Penney, the man who masterminded their play-off agony.

He has not crossed paths with the Essex club since then and only veteran goalkeeper Tony Roberts remains from the Dagenham team that played in that play-off final.

But all four of the aforementioned former Rovers are in Quakers' squad today as they aim to put their patchy form behind them at the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium.

It is a ground at which Penney's best result in three visits with Doncaster was a 3-3 draw, but today he would love a repeat of the play-off final win, a game that he remembers fondly.

He said: "We played them a lot in the Conference but the outstanding memory is the play-off final.

"We went 2-0 up through Paul Green and Dave Morley and we were cruising. But Dagenham got two goals back to force extra time and it was golden goal.

"Francis Tierney scored it, Gregg Blundell set it up, and that was it, end of game, end of season!

"We had a better season the next year, when we won the title, but the play-off final is one big hit. We were flying at 2-0, suddenly it was 2-2, then bang, you're promoted.

"I wouldn't like to do it again. I'd prefer to go up automatically but you can't beat a play-off final for excitement."

Dagenham's ground may be unknown territory for many in League Two but several of Penney's squad have experienced the stadium's less-than-salubrious surroundings and the manager dismisses suggestions the former non-league club could aim to create an intimidating atmosphere.

The Londoners' unbeaten home record suggests that today's game is hardly a fixture Darlington would have chosen as they aim to get back on track having thrown away four points thanks to late goals conceded in consecutive home games.

But Quakers have still lost just once in League Two and sit in fifth place, though they would have been higher had they not conceded late equalisers against Peterborough and Rochdale.

Darlington appeared to sit back and defend their one-goal lead in those games which is something that baffles Penney, who hopes to eradicate the problem in east London today.

He said: "Dagenham might try to make it an FA Cup atmosphere, like when a non-league plays a league team, and they've got a good home record so far.

"But it won't be a problem because there's a few of us have been there with Doncaster and Rob Purdie will have been there with Hereford.

"The way I'm looking at it is that we have only lost one game in nine. We're a difficult team to beat, but when we go 1-0 up we should go on to try and get two or three so that we can feel comfortable in the stands and on the bench.

"For some reason, which I can't quite work out, we have sat back and defended.

"It's not my orders, I just think it's something, subconsciously, that they are doing as they know they are quite strong defensively.

"It's nothing to do with fitness levels. We've looked at that but after every equaliser against us we have looked stronger and been looking to win it. We should be doing that once we've got the first goal, not after an equaliser."