DARLINGTON will be looking for revenge when they go to the Flamingo Land Stadium to face Scarborough Athletic this afternoon.

Quakers lost 3-2 at home to the Seadogs on Boxing Day, but they remained top of the table by a point from Brackley. However, the league situation changed as a result of yesterday's matches in National League North, with Darlington having to wait until to get their 2023 campaign up and running.

Alun Armstrong's side have won their last six away games in National League North and the FA Trophy, and the Darlington boss wants his players to maintain that record in front of a sell-out crowd in North Yorkshire.

Their last away league win was a rampant 6-2 victory on Gloucester’s 3G pitch, but Armstrong doesn’t expect things to be anything like as easy this afternoon against a Scarborough Athletic side that have lost just once in 11 home games in the league this season.

“We’ve got a great away record, but Scarborough is a difficult place to go to,” he said.

“Their pitch isn’t as fluent as some of the better pitches, it’s a little bit sticky, just like the one we played on at Hyde in the FA Cup. It’s been used quite a bit, but it’s the same for both teams.

“Maybe Scarborough are used to the pitch more than us, but we’ve got to move the ball around, and when we do that, then we’ll cause them problems.

“We need the fans to support us and create an atmosphere. Hopefully, we’ll come back with three points.”

Armstrong was reasonably happy with his side's attacking display against Scarborough on Boxing Day, however he wants a better much defensive display after the Quakers’ defence leaked some sloppy goals in the 3-2 defeat a week ago.

“It doesn’t matter what you do at the other end, if you can’t defend better than we did on Boxing Day, then you’re not going to win matches," said Armstrong. "You can’t give goals away to anyone.

“We were leading 1-0, but then we gave them a goal, and that allowed them to get their tails up.

"I thought we totally dominated the first half, but then the mistake at the back let them into the game.

“Our lads dug in excellent in the second half, got on top again, but their third goal was a proper schoolboy error. You can’t concede three goals at home and expect to win a game of football.

“There are always going to be blips, we’re not going to win every game. We’ve got to pick ourselves up, go down to Scarborough and do what they’ve done to us and get the result down there.”

Darlington goalkeeper Tommy Taylor will be up against one of his previous clubs, and he said: “We back ourselves to beat anybody in this league.

"To lose on Boxing Day and concede goals in the way we have, means we just have to go to their place and put that right now.

“It’s the first time I’ve been back to Scarborough since I left the club, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Quakers will probably be unchanged as former Middlesbrough defender David Wheater isn’t fully-fit yet, while there were no injuries reported for Armstrong to have to contend with after the Boxing Day game.