DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK return to the Darlington Arena on Saturday as they welcome Plymouth Albion to the North-East.

Garry Law’s side will be hoping to continue their fine run of home form heading into the final game of the opening month of the National One season.

Mowden come into the game on the back of two wins from their opening four matches. Away defeats to Chinnor and Blackheath have been punctuated by wins over Sale and Cinderford, with the latter coming courtesy of an 80th-minute Josh Ree try in round three.

Last weekend's loss to Blackheath saw Mowden well in the game at the hour mark, before a late flurry of tries for the home side denied DMP any league points.

Mowden’s sole try that day came from winger Henry Hadfield, who admits his side have had a mixed start to the season.

Hadfield said: "To have two wins from four isn’t bad, especially given how new the squad is. I think our standards are much higher than we’ve showcased so far and although we’ve seen glimpses of our potential as a group, we haven’t given a full 80-minute clinical performance yet.”

The Mowden squad has seen a significant overhaul over the summer, following the retirement of key players Chris McTurk and Dave Fisher.

An influx of young players have joined the squad, with the average age of this year’s squad being the youngest since Mowden’s promotion to National One in 2015.

Speaking about the impact of the new players, Hadfield added: “It’s an environment that you get out what you put in, the new lads have bought into that culture on and off the pitch which creates a good atmosphere.”

The 27 year-old winger had missed a couple of games after an injury sustained in the opening game of the campaign. Hadfield returned to the starting line-up last weekend, and marked his return with a brilliant individual try.

Asked about his feelings on returning to the squad, he said: “Very happy. It’s always frustrating being injured, luckily I only missed the one game. Credit to our physio, she will do all she can to get you back out on the pitch as soon as possible.”

Mowden make two changes for the visit of Plymouth, with Carl Guest and Marcus Tiffen both returning to the starting line-up for the first time this season.

The backline remains unchanged, and Hadfield is looking forward to being back on home turf.

He said: "It’s always special running out at the Arena, there is a buzz about the squad on game day. With us having some wrongs to right, it makes for an exciting afternoon of rugby.”

DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK: Walker, Hadfield, Yates, Frankland, Mackenzie, Ree, Pascoe; Barron, Guest, Kyle-Clay, Usher, Craggs, Tiffen, Jones, Hodgson.

Replacements: Smith, Dormer, Maggs, Davison, Law.

* Tickets are available on the day priced at £12 for adults, £8 for club members and FREE for under 16s.