DARLINGTON’S switch in formation on Monday came following a bout of trial and error explained manager Dave Penney.

With Liam Hatch and Danny Carlton left out for the second successive game as their eligibility remains an issue, Penney handed a rare start to teenager Curtis Main.

And Penney was pleased with the youngster who had been on the bench as Quakers started with a more defensively- minded 4-5-1 formation at Chesterfield on Saturday.

For Monday’s 2-2 draw with Bury Penney teamed Main with Pawel Abbott in a 4-4-2 formation and explained: “We’ve perhaps learned through our mistakes that you can play 4-5-1 and play well away from home, but you can’t always do it at home.

“Sometimes you invite pressure by playing like that, and we want to be on the front foot in home games. If you’re going to play 4-5-1 at home you’ve got to be able to pass it but that’s not easy on our pitch.

“Having said that, we did pass it quite well on Monday.”

Main played a pivotal role, creating Abbott’s equaliser in arguably the teenager’s best performance so far.

“He’s growing up but you’ve got to bear in mind he’s only 16 still so is learning all the time,” said Penney.

“He has trained with us all season and is getting to grips with football at this level.

“He’s had a few setbacks which is natural because for a kid, whether that be injuries or being disappointed with performances.

“It’s great for him to play off Pav and they had a decent partnership.

“Curtis played Pav in and you’ve got to bear in mind that most players would’ve smashed that across the box.

But Curtis lifted his head and played the ball on purpose.”