Striker Colin Alcide will be out of action for up to six weeks piling on the injury woe for York City manager Neil Thompson.

HOT PROPERTY: City's teenage midfield sensation Christian Fox is attracting interest from a string of Premiership clubs

It was hoped Alcide would only be out for just a couple of weeks after injuring his back in the 1-0 home defeat against Mansfield ten days ago.

But a specialist has now poured cold water on the 27-year-old £80,000 acquisition from Hull City making a swift return.

"It is a rest situation which is disappointing but we just have to get on with it," said Thompson, as he prepared his team for tonight's encounter with high-flying Darlington at Feethams.

"We are awaiting the specialist's report but it is obviously going to be a lot longer than we first thought."

Thompson's hopes that midfield playmaker Scott Jordan would be available for tonight's trip - City's first match of the 21st century away from Bootham Crescent - have also been dashed.

Jordan, who also injured his back in the match against Mansfield, has yet to return to training.

"I am hoping it is not too long before he is back but time will tell," said Thompson, already without the services of the 'spine' of his side in skipper Chris Fairclough and midfield battler Kevin Hulme, who is pencilled in for a return to reserve action on January 26 at Scarborough, and Alcide.

But better news for the City chief is influential midfield cog Steve Agnew will be available tonight after serving a one match suspension.

Thompson confirmed Agnew is the only addition to the squad that drew 2-2 with Torquay United and indicated the former Sunderland and Leicester ace would be handed a starting role at the expense of Lee Bullock.

But much will depend on Thompson's own fitness after he took a kick on the calf on Saturday.

Should he fail to recover, Wayne Hall will return to left-back, Christian Fox to the left-side of midfield with Agnew slotting in alongside Bullock at the heart of the City midfield.

Thompson admitted City were striving to wipe out the mistakes - at both ends of the pitch - which cost them dear on Saturday.

"The young ones who came in on Saturday did ever so well, they had a go and showed a real hunger and are desperate to play which is good to see.

"But for one mistake we would have won the game but we also had two open goals first half which we missed.

"They are vital too and I look at chances missed as mistakes as well. If they go in it would have been 3-0 and Torquay would not have come back from that.

"They are harsh lessons to learn but we hope they are lessons people are taking on board and let's take the positives from Saturday because there were quite a few of them."

It promises to be a stiff test for City - Darlington are unbeaten in 15 games at Feethams this season and only four teams have managed to secure a point.

But after Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield, Quakers boss David Hodgson was on scouting duties last night looking to bring in some central defenders on loan and had until noon today to bring someone in.

Former City defensive linchpin Steve Tutill is definitely out with a fractured cheekbone while fellow centre-back Neil Aspin is also out injured.

However, midfielder Martin Gray is expected to return to the side after serving a one match ban against the Silkmen and another former Minstermen, Gary Himsworth, will feature after recovering from a broken rib.

Himsworth will join a trio of ex-City players in the Quakers' squad; top scorer Marco Gabbiadini, 'keeper Mark Samways and Glenn Naylor, who is expected to be on the bench.

Tonight's match was subject to a 1pm pitch inspection.

Darlington v City

Match Points

In 44 past league trips to Feethams, City have won 11 and drawn ten scoring 48 goals to 73.

They have only lost once in the last seven trips and an Ian Blackstone goal earned maximum points in the last League meeting in September 1992. Following this victory City topped division three having won eight of their opening nine fixtures. The defeat dropped the Quakers to the bottom.

City's biggest wins on this ground were 3-0 in 1950/1 (John Linaker, Gordon Brown and Sid Storey) and 4-1 in 1955/6 (Billy Fenton 2, Billy Hughes and Arthur Bottom).

Their heaviest defeat was 4-0 in 1933/4.

Apart from the current crop of players others to have appeared for both clubs include Barry Lyons, Dennis Wann, Jimmy Seal, John Stone, Kevan Smith, Chris Evans, Mick Astbury and John Borthwick.

Teams

Darlington

From: Samways, Reed, Liddle, Hegginbottom, Oliver, Himsworth, Atkinson, Heaney, Gray, Gabbiadini, Hjorth, Duffield, Collett, Naylor, Brumwell, Bennett, Kilty.

York

From: Mimms, Hocking, Thompson, Sertori, Jones, Fox, Bullock, Agnew, J Williams, Conlon, Turley, Hall, Howarth, Reed, Dawson, Skinner

Ref: Graham Laws (Whitley Bay)

Kick-off: 7.30pm

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.