Darlington manager Mark Cooper yesterday completed a double transfer deal with strikers James Gray and Nialle Rodney arriving at The Northern Echo Arena.

Gray, a product of Middlesbrough's academy and son of ex-Sunderland star Phil, has joined Quakers on a non-contract basis after having a short spell on trial at the club during the summer.

The 19-year-old, who had a brief trial at Hartlepool at the end of last season, goes straight into the squad for today's trip to Braintree along with Nialle Rodney, who joins Quakers from League Two side Bradford City.

Rodney has signed on an initial month-long loan deal and the 20-year-old will be handed his debut at Braintree today.

"I'm happy to have got both of them in. James has been with us for a few weeks now. He spent a bit of time training with the squad in the summer so we've decided to take him.

"He's scored a lot of goals in his time at Middlesbrough so hopefully he can do the same here.

"We're quite excited to have Nialle here too, He's 6ft 1, he's very quick and powerful and he'll go straight into the team that plays Braintree.

"Our strikers haven't been scoring recently so hopefully they two lads coming in will make them realise they aren't untouchable."

Worryingly, Cooper's side have the fourth lowest goals tally in the Blue Square Premier League having scored just 17 times in as many games.

In Tuesday night's defeat to Barrow at the Arena, over 40 balls went into the visitors' box but Quakers failed to capitalise.

Until now, Cooper has been patient with James Walshaw and Liam Hatch but his two main strikers have only four goals between them thus far.

He said: "If you have that many opportunities where balls are going into the opposition penalty area and you don't score a goal then it's very frustrating and that's what we've got to try and solve.

"I'm not worried about anywhere else on the pitch, but if you only score one goal a game and if your strikers are not scoring you're always going to come under pressure to concede a goal and that's what happened on Tueaday night.

"Ole Soderberg didn't have an awful lot to do against Barrow and if you look back to Kidderminster we had all the pressure and we had to rely on a scrappy goal.

"Our two main strikers have got four goals in 17 games between them. How long can you stick with them and hope they'll come good?

"I've got to find a formula where someone is going to score some goals for us. We've tried playing with two wingers but when you look at the number of crosses and throws that went, no one was there.

"You've got to do something about it and try to find a solution. We could bring players in but we have to make sure they are going to score goals."

With today's opponents Braintree having conceded 16 goals in their last four games Cooper will hope his side can find their scoring touch as Quakers look to bounce back from Tuesday's defeat.

Darlington haven't managed to win three league games on the trot since November 2008 but with Braintree, AFC Telford and Ebbsfleet next up, Cooper believes his side have a great opportunity to put a run together.

With captain Ian Miller still recovering from a hernia operation and Graeme Lee doubtful with a groin strain, Cooper will have a decision to make as to who partners Exodus Geohaghon at the back.

Michael Brough played the majority of Tuesday's defeat alongside Geohagnon after Jonatan Sanchez-Munoz was taken off early on.

But with Brough still working his way back to full fitness after a serious knee injury, Cooper feels two games in the space of a week is too much to ask of the 30-year-old.