Teenager debut impresses Penney

Penney has had to raid the youth team, with Darlington in administration

Darlington manager Dave Penney was impressed by midfielder Corey Barnes after his display in the 1-0 home win against Notts County on Tuesday.

The 16-year-old enjoyed a bright debut after being pressed into action following the League Two club's administration issues.

"It suited Corey to play in that game," Penney told BBC Tees.

"He's tiny and lightweight but a good footballer, he knows the game and he was excellent. I had no worries."

Among the young players who also figured were teenage striker Curtis Main, who scored his first Darlington goal against Grimsby during February, and Josh Gray, who came on as a second-half substitute.

And Penney is cautious to ensure that they, and the more experienced professionals, do not suffer burn-out ahead of the visit of Macclesfield to the Arena on Saturday.

"Everybody stepped up today, and there weren't many players out there who were regular first team players," he said.

"We're looking for a similar performance, and these boys are going to be tired so we need to get them recovered right.

"Let's see if we can get a few of the other players fit to help those who were going down with cramp, we'll see if we can get a couple back for the weekend."