Story by Kevin Luff - 24th November 2006

Darlington welcome high flying MK Dons tomorrow to the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena. Both sides are in form and the encounter should prove interesting. Quakers have recorded four back to back wins and turned in a superb performance against Lincoln City last weekend at Sincil Bank.

Lincoln were lying in second place in Coca-Cola League Two but despite MK Dons sitting a few notches below the Imps this will be another tough encounter for Dave Penney's men. This is certainly the view of Penney who anticipates this being Darlington's toughest test yet.

"MK Dons are a big strong side and going to Lincoln they showed me what they can do. That was the best they've played since I've been here," said Darlington boss Dave Penney. "They closed them down from the front and made a few chances. MK Dons are a different kettle of fish. They move from front to back very early so we will have to be aware of that. This will probably be the toughest so far. They've got a good away record but like I've said before it is great for me as a manager."

Darlington will make changes for the game on Saturday. Injuries have forced Penney into the loan market and he has bought Mark Albrighton and Anthony Griffith to the club. Defender Albrighton is all but certain to start in the heart of defence alongside Patrick Collins. Julian Joachim and Barry Conlon both played in midweek for the reserves in a behind closed doors against Sunderland and will not be far from the manager's thoughts. Quakers however appear likely to keep the changes as limited as possible.

MK Dons also have concerns going into the game. Sean O'Hanlon, Aaron Wilbraham and Lee Harper were the main worries. O'Hanlon missed the FA Cup replay against Farsley Celtic on Tuesday with a head injury while Wilbraham has missed the last two games with an ankle problem. Manager Martin Allen has rated the pair as 50-50 for Saturday's visit to the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena. The extent of Lee Harper's knee injury is currently unclear although scans have shown the damage is not as extensive as first thought. Gary Smith is still out with medial knee ligament damage.

This is the second game of a series of tough fixtures against teams up near the top of the League Two table. Confidence should be high in the Quakers camp following recent results and Penney admits he would disappointed if he had to find himself raising the players for the upcoming fixture against MK Dons.

"I'd rather be playing these teams that bottom teams. You shouldn't have to raise your players, they should be up for it. They have seen where Lincoln were and where MK Dons are so I shouldn't have to raise them," said the Darlington boss. "The Johnstone's Paint Trophy I might have to raise them but certainly not this one. I would be disappointed if I had to, they should be up for it already."

Darlington's match against MK Dons kicks off at 3pm tomorrow afternoon.