Story by Kevin Luff - 21st August 2006

Darlington are set to ring the changes for the first round of the Carling Cup tomorrow night. Quakers face Championship side Stoke City but Darlington manager David Hodgson is set to hand chances to a number of his fringe players including Simon Johnson and Carlos Logan. New signing Julian Joachim is also expected to make his first start in a Darlington shirt with Hodgson resting his forward line with an eye to the important league fixture with Walsall at the weekend.

Defender Joey Hutchinson is also expected to make way at the back whilst midfielder Clark Keltie continues to struggle with an ankle injury. Darlington have a number of players who are just coming back from serious injuries. Hutchinson and forward Barry Conlon both missed large parts of the last season and Hodgson is keen to see that they are taken care of with Quakers eyeing success in the league rather than the cup competitions.

"I would loved to have gone into the game with a fully fit starting eleven and try to keep the progression going but I have Barry (Conlon) who was out all last year and getting back to fitness and it is a chance to give him a little breather," said Hodgson today. "The same goes for Joey Hutchinson. It gives Martin Smith a chance to rest and let me do some different work with him and because of that I am going to leave Gaetano (Giallanza) out as well. Hopefully it will mean they are fit and well for the following game against Walsall."

In place of Conlon, Smith and Giallanza Hodgson is set to call upon a number of regulars from last season. Hodgson admits that a number of his fringe players who were regulars last year are starting to feel somewhat frustrated. Over the course of the season Hodgson has made it clear that everyone will have a part to play but he knows the Carling Cup fixture is a good chance to hand run outs at an early stage in the season.

"It will help them to a certain extent because they are getting frustrated. I am not playing a juggling act with the subs I pick I am doing it for different reasons. There are lads not getting on the bench who were regulars last year and believe me as a player that is not easy to deal with," said Hodgson on Quakers World earlier this afternoon who also revealed that Alun Armstrong will not be in line for the starting eleven on Tuesday night.

Opponents Stoke City also appear likely to rest several of their first team players as well although recent recruit Jeff Whitley appears set for a home debut. The midfielder joined the Potters on a six-month loan deal from Cardiff on Friday and made his debut as a late substitute during Stoke's 2-2 draw at Luton Town. Stoke boss Tony Pulis is also likely to give Anthony Pulis and Hannes Sigurdsson a run out in the match as well as he too looks to avoid injuries. One player who does not look set to have a run out is forward Sambegou Bangoura.

"We will make a few changes for the game and give a few of the fringe players a run, but we still want to win it," Pulis stated. "He (Bangoura) has still got a long way to go. He's had his holiday period, plus pre-season, and by the look of things had a good holiday on the beach."

Stoke have recorded only one win so far this season - a 2-0 home result against Derby County but have secured a notable point against promotion contenders Birmingham City. Stoke added to their points tally at the weekend with a 2-2 draw with Luton but Pulis was far from happy with the match referee who he felt played a part in the draw. The City boss felt his side were denied a clear penalty after Vincent Pericard was bundled over in the box, just moments before referee Gary Sutton awarded the home side a spot-kick when Michael Duberry tripped Dean Morgan.

"Our shout was a stone banker," Pulis said. "Vincent has turned their lad and he has pulled him back. Then to book Vincent five minutes later for apparently diving is a case of the referee trying to justify turning down a blatant penalty. But I think theirs was a definite penalty, I have no complaints about that. But if we'd had our penalty who's to say they would have gone up the other end and won their own."