MARK Bower will be hoping to plot the downfall of one of his former clubs when Bradford Park Avenue visit Darlington on Saturday.

The Quakers are currently managerless after the departure of Martin Gray to to take over at National League North rivals York City.

An interim management team of Brian Atkinson and Sean Gregan quit just a week later.

The state of flux regarding the managerial situation makes the clash a difficult one to prepare for according to Bower, who played 13 games for Darlington when they were still a Football League club.

He said: “We don’t know what we’re going to face to be honest and that makes it a little bit more difficult for us but we have to concentrate and do our job.

“It can work both ways in that the freedom their players have of having no permanent manager could mean they just go out and express themselves.

"If they get a new man in before the game he would probably not pick the team but would be there to watch over his new players and that could lead to pressure. We won’t waste any time wondering what they’re going to do.

“We will go there knowing that it’ll be a tough game against a very good squad of players.”

The corresponding fixture last term was subjected to a postponement on a wet Tuesday night in March, a week later the Quakers beat Avenue 1-0.

Bower admitted: “We’ll have to get our selection right this Saturday because Darlington is always a tough place to go to. They get good crowds and they share their ground with the local rugby team so the surface is always difficult.

“We were disappointed to lose last time we went up there and there are a few lads in our team who will want to put that right this time.”