Injury blow for Darlington's opposition

Darlington’s opponents this weekend have suffered a blow with striker Jordan Nicholson ruled out for a significant period due to injury.

Jordan Nicholson, the former Quakers player, broke his leg in Peterborough Sports’ FA Cup replay win last night.

Sports defeated Redditch United 1-0 with Nicholson scoring, but he later exited the contest early.

Nicholson is the National League North’s joint-top scorer with six goals in eight games alongside Darlington's Mark Beck. Beck has also scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup, putting him on nine already.

Nicholson also suffered a broken leg last season when Sports were promoted, and manager Jimmy Dean said: “It’s terrible news for us, but mainly for Jordan who has been in outstanding form this season. To score as many goals as he has in a mid-table team is great going.

"I feel for Jordan as to suffer two broken legs in two seasons is horrible luck.

"We have set the team up to get play to Jordan’s strengths. He comes alive when we attack and is pivotal to what we try and do.

"But others will now have to step up and we have a ready-made replacement in Ky Marsh-Brown who showed what he can do last season.”

Nicholson was Darlington’s top scorer in 2018-19. He had been brought to Blackwell by Tommy Wright, and scored 11 goals in 43 games.

He went into the final game of the season level with Stephen Thompson on ten goals, but he struck on the last day against Leamington, a 1-1 draw which turned out to be Wright’s last game in charge before Alun Armstrong was appointed.

Sports will also be without centre-back Connor Johnson on Saturday at Blackwell against Darlington as he was sent off against Redditch.