DARLINGTON manager Alun Armstrong is hoping that his players can handle the pressure of their play-off battle when Bradford Park Avenue come to Blackwell Meadows this afternoon.

Despite dropping two points on Friday at Blyth with a goalless draw and extending their winless run to five matches, Quakers actually climbed a place to fifth because of Scarborough’s home defeat to Curzon Ashton.

Other clubs chasing a top-seven place, Gloucester and Chorley, also dropped points, so once again Quakers have an opportunity to strengthen their grip on a play-off place against Bradford, who are battling relegation.

Most of the other play-off clubs above and below seem to have a dose of the jitters - particularly fourth-placed Brackley who sacked their manager Roger Johnson on Saturday - and Armstrong said: “Everybody must be feeling the same, because we’re fifth in the table which is baffling.

“Normally, when you’re not winning, you drop down the table, but we’re clinging on there. Everyone is in the same boat.

“Nerves are funny things in football, so are emotions. People forget about that. It’s not about pressing a button and then players do things. You can’t control them unfortunately.

“I was watching our lads on Friday, they were full of rashness in the final third. They’re working their socks off, and if they attack with that intensity and more composure, then we’ll win the game. We need to bring that and more.

“People have said that this league is poor, but I think it’s the total opposite. Look at how often teams near the bottom beat teams at the top. If you’re not on your game, then you’ll get beat.”

Armstrong will be struggling to name 16 fit players this afternoon. Defender David Wheater pulled out of the Blyth game just before kick-off with a calf injury, and so he joins Kallum Griffiths, Ben Liddle and Jack Lambert on the treatment table.

On-loan striker Jacob Blyth can’t play against his parent club, but Jake Cooper returns after a one-match suspension.

“There seems to be a recurring theme, the injuries usually happen during the game,” said Armstrong, “David Wheater’s happened in the warm-up. Every game, we seem to have to change things. We plan for something, and then we have to change them. Nathan Newall came in on Saturday and he was full of confidence.

“We need to keep believing in these lads, they have worked their socks off to get us where we are.”

Quakers, meanwhile, have announced that they have received a severe warning from the FA for incidents at Farsley, when a fan ran onto the pitch and also spat at the Farsley goalkeeper.

A club statement said: “The FA has taken into account the actions that we took as a club straight after the game in asking for eyewitness accounts and footage of the two incidents, and then issuing a two-year ban to a spectator.

“It is clear that the FA is going to firmly stamp down on any further transgressions involving the misconduct of our supporters at our matches, and therefore we must continue to insist that all of our supporters, whether they are going to home or away matches, should be on their best behaviour and remember that they are representing the club. We will issue further bans if we feel the circumstances necessary.”

Quakers are still waiting the FA’s decision about the abuse of the female assistant at Scarborough, for which they have banned a fan.