THE new Darlington regime undertake their first game on home soil today with manager Steve Staunton hoping supporters will see the fruits of a week’s hard labour.

Staunton and assistant manager Kevin Richardson have spent their first full week at the helm attempting to whip Quakers’ squad into shape ahead of today’s match with Shrewsbury Town.

Striker Simon Thomas is likely to make his debut after joining yesterday on loan for three months from Crystal Palace.

He has impressed while training with Quakers this week and becomes Staunton’s third signing following Noel Whelan and Moses Barnett.

Staunton and Richardson were appointed almost two weeks ago and among their initial observations was that the squad’s fitness could be improved.

Although Staunton says supporters may not immediately see the impact of the new fitness programme, he expects to see results in the weeks and months to come.

“We looked at it and we knew we’d have to up the tempo in training,” said Staunton. “We’ve done that, the players have responded and there’s been a great buzz about the place all week.

“The players have enjoyed the hard work, we’ve bedded in a few ideas about what we want and they have taken it on board.

“With a little bit of luck we will see the fruits of the hard work on Saturday.

“The fitness is not going to change overnight but certainly over the next few weeks you’ll see that I’m certainly looking for a higher tempo to our game.

“We will start playing games the way we train and the only way you can play games at a high tempo is to train at that level every day.”

The lack of a midweek match offered the new management duo an uninterrupted week’s worth of training, but Staunton would prefer to have had a game.

Quakers are not due another evening fixture until late November, but the former Republic of Ireland boss said: “I would have liked some midweek games because you want to get stuck into the next game as quickly as possible.

“Unfortunately that’s not happened, but it’s allowed myself and Kevin to bed in a few ideas of our own this week and it will be the same next week.

“In that sense it’s worked out quite well. The lads have worked extremely hard and their attitude has been excellent.

“Football is hard work, some people must think you just stroll around the place. I remember at Leeds, with Gary McAllister, we once showed the lads a DVD of Manchester United, it was clips of them when they gave the ball away.

The Leeds players hadn’t realised until then how hard Man United players work to get the ball back.

“So anybody who plays football who thinks they don’t have to work hard is kidding themselves.”

Only in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win over Lincoln City have Quakers prevented the opposition scoring during their 15 league and cup matches.

So it is in Darlington’s defence that the new manager is hoping to see an immediate improvement.

He said: “The lads know we have to start keeping clean sheets. At any team in any division, clean sheets form a good basis and they allow you to go and play with a bit more freedom.

“The most important thing about Saturday is to get a positive result and we’ll get that by working hard for each other, both defensively and in an attacking sense.

“The boys have shown this week that they have enough attacking flair, they just need that platform to go on and utilise their ability.”

Against Shrewsbury, managed by former Carlisle boss Paul Simpson, Darlington are searching for their first League Two win at the 13th attempt.

Should they fail to collect three points they would equal the club’s second longest winless start to a season, set in 1993-94.

That run ended in spectacular style with Alan Murray’s second game as manager being a memorable 7-3 win over Colchester United.

Like Staunton today, it was Murray’s first home match in charge, so Quakers will hope that acts as a good omen against eighth-placed Shrews.

“When you’re in a rut it is very hard to get out of it, that’s the same at any club,”

added Staunton. “Winning is a great habit and losing is a bad habit. The only way out of it is working hard – the harder you work, the luckier you get, somehow.

“The lads know that and they will be working their socks off, like they have done this week.

“As long as we get the organisation right, from the back to the front, it will give the front men that bit more licence to go and express themselves and produce what they’re capable of.

“We’re looking for a positive result, a good performance and let’s get this season up and running.”