Purcell is the Quakers' top scorer with eight goals this season

Darlington's new manager Simon Davey says he will try to persuade in-form striker Tadhg Purcell to stay at the club next season.

Dublin-born Purcell, 25, has scored eight goals since joining in January, making him the club's leading scorer.

"We'll try to keep hold of him," Davey told BBC Tees. "But Tadhg has got to impress us now, and we need him scoring between now and the end of the season."

Purcell's former clubs include Kilkenny City and Shamrock Rovers.

Davey, who took over taken over as manager last Thursday, following Steve Staunton's departure from the Arena, Davey has guided Darlington to a win and a defeat in his first two games.

The Quakers remain 19 points adrift of safety with just eight games to play.

However the former Barnsley boss remains upbeat, and is convinced his players will maintain a positive outlook regardless of the club's predicament.

"No one at this football club is going to give up hope until it's mathematically impossible," he said.

"Then we're going to continue to work our socks off to make sure we get as many points on the board as we possibly can, to go into next season full steam ahead.

"It's not give-up time, it's get on with it. We've got another home game on Saturday and hopefully we can get a win and see what happens then."

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