Darlington are enjoying a fine season thus far, with the Quakers lying in seventh place in the League Two standings, ten points adrift of third placed Grimsby. The club's solid campaign has been built largely on the back of their impressive home form and three more points at their plush New Stadium against Mansfield this weekend would enhance their promotion credentials. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with influential winger Neil Wainwright, who is currently sidelined with an abductor strain but hopes to be back in action very soon.
Q:WHAT'S THE LATEST ON YOUR INJURY?
A:I've damaged a muscle in my stomach and I had hoped to be back playing by now but unfortunately the injury has taken longer to heal than expected. It's frustrating because I've already been out for three or four weeks, but I should be able to return to training within the next ten days or so.
Q:THINGS SEEM TO BE GOING WELL FOR THE TEAM THIS SEASON?
A:Yes, we're playing well, particularly at home. But now it's a question of picking up the points and staying in contention for promotion. The next month or so will be very important and we have to make sure we continue to hold our form.
Q:THE LEAGUE IS VERY TIGHT ISN'T IT?
A:This division is always close and you can go up three of four places, or down three or places, on the back of just a couple of results. We're only ten points off the top three and things can change very quickly, but automatic promotion is still in the back of our minds. We have to take things one game at a time and the points should take care of themselves.
Q:AND YOUR NEXT GAME IS AT HOME TO MANSFIELD THIS WEEKEND?
A:Yes, that's a game we will be looking to win but you can never take things for granted in this league. Our form is good at the moment though, we've only lost one of our last nine and that was away at Notts County when our goalkeeper had to go off and we were forced to put an outfield player in goal. If that hadn't happened I'm pretty confident we would have won.
Q:YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING BOTH ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT FLANKS THIS SEASON, WHAT IS YOUR PREFERED POSITION?
A:I suppose I've played most of my career on the right but to be honest I don't really mind and it's nice to be versatile. When Simon Johnson and I play in the same team we alternate wings quite a lot anyway and that makes us less predictable and harder for defenders to pick us up.
Q:WHO'S THE BEST TEAM YOU'VE COME UP AGAINST THIS SEASON?
A:I would have to say Wycombe. They pass the ball very well and have excellent energy levels – it's no surprise to see them at the top of the table. We drew with them at home but we're expecting a very tough match when we go down to their place.
Q:WHAT'S THE ATMOSPHERE BEEN LIKE AT THE NEW STADIUM THIS SEASON?
A:It's been good, although we could always do with a few more supporters at our home games. We're averaging around 4,000 for our home matches, which is pretty good compared to the rest of the division, but when you're playing in a 25,000 seater stadium it can look quite empty. Having said that, we've got one of the best home records in League One so we must be doing something right.
