DARLINGTON’S promotion aspirations may have suffered their severest blow yet in midweek, but Dave Penney insists his squad have plenty to play for – starting today at Chesterfield.

Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat to Wycombe effectively extinguished play-off hopes as Quakers have used up their games in hand and are seven points off seventh place.

With 15 points to play for, only a remarkable run of results would see Darlington turn the season around.

So now Penney says his players most focus on the bigger picture – their next contract.

It is understood around 13 are out of contract in the summer, though with the club’s future under threat all of Penney’s squad will be weighing up their options.

Penney is aware that agents have touted his players around rival clubs and he said: “More than ever the players need to be playing well to get themselves a contract, either here or elsewhere.

“That’s what I’d be doing if I was still a player.

“They’ve got to play well for themselves, and if they do that they’re going to play well for Darlington.

“Other managers have told me that they’ve had agents on the phone telling them which players are available.

“I’ve got no problem with that as I’d been doing exactly the same if I was a player.”

Darlington remain in administration and Penney says he tries to keep the squad updated with the latest happenings regarding the club’s situation.

He said: “We’ve had weekly chats about the general state of play, about what’s going on regarding potential buyers and things like getting paid.

“We’ve just been trying to keep players in the loop and let them know as much as I know about the situation, which is not a great deal to be honest.

“It helps instead of having whispers and rumours flying around.”

Of Darlington’s five remaining games, four are against the current top eight.

Chesterfield occupy eighth position following a recent run of good form, while second- placed Bury visit The Northern Echo Darlington Arena on Easter Monday.

To follow are games with Rochdale (fifth), Brentford (first) and the final game of the season is at Chester City, who are battling against relegation.

Penney said: “The good thing about the five games we’ve got left is that all the opposition are playing for something, so there will be something riding on each game like there was on Tuesday for the Wycombe game.

“They’re are all going for automatic promotion, or the play-offs, and then Chester on the last day might be fighting to stay up.

“They’re not just end-of-season kick-abouts and I think that’s a good thing; it is for me as it means I shouldn’t have to motivate the players.

“Chesterfield have been on a great run and got themselves back in the frame for the play-offs.

“It looks to me like the top six places are taken, with Shrewsbury, Bradford and Chesterfield all trying to get that last play-off place.

“We want to show that we are as good as them. I thought we were as good, if not better, than Wycombe, even though we didn’t play particularly well.

“We’ve got nothing to prove because we know that if we play well we’re as good as anybody in the division.”

Wycombe won at Quakers on Tuesday thanks to a goal credited to Chris Zebroski – a header from a corner scored in injury time.

But Penney has been left frustrated by the manner of the strike which earned Wycombe their first away win of 2009.

“We should have got something out of the game,” said Penney, who will include members of the club’s youth team at Saltergate today.

“I’ve watched it on DVD and we shouldn’t have conceded that goal.

“We shouldn’t have conceded the corner in the first place, the ball should have been cleared sooner.

“After the corner was taken about five players jumped for it, Zebroski’s header was going wide but it hit Liam Hatch, then Rob Purdie tried to head it off the line but it hit the crossbar, hit Purdie’s shoulder and then went in.

“It was a freak goal really and the type of goal that goes against you when things aren’t going well.

“We did a lot of things wrong on Tuesday, so hopefully the players will have realised that and we’ll get back to normal on Saturday.”

■ In League Two yesterday, Glynn Hurst’s late winner meant Bury returned to second place with a 2-1 win at home against Shrewsbury, while Morecambe beat Bradford by the same scoreline.