Penney won the League Two title with Doncaster in 2004

Darlington manager Dave Penney believes the depth of quality in this season's League Two championship has upped the bar for teams chasing promotion.

Penney gained promotion with Doncaster in 2004 but missed out last season with the Quakers and is adamant that a good start is vital to any promotion bid.

"It's a stronger league if you look at the likes of Bradford and Shrewsbury who've added well," he told BBC Tees.

"You need to get consistency going and put some points on the board."

Captain Steve Foster was part of the Doncaster side that won the then Division Three championship in 2003-04 and has been an integral part of the Darlington line-up since he re-joined his old boss at the Arena in May 2007.

And Penney was delighted to hear that the 33-year-old centre-back was rewarded for his impressive performances with the Football League Player of the Year award at the North East Football Awards on Monday night.

"We knew what we were getting with Steve Foster at this level and above, he's quality," he said.

"He's excellent as a leader and as a player, he was in the team of the year at our level as well and it's fully deserved."