DARLINGTON are hoping to get at least one of their former players back from Mowden Park as they attempt to stop the rot next season.

While Mowden will look to strengthen their squad in a serious attempt to reach National One, Darlington know they cannot afford to continue to let things slide.

During their brief revival in midseason they won at Middlesbrough, but the decline since then was evident as the Teessiders ensured their own survival in North One East with a 45-12 win at Blackwell Meadows on Saturday.

Of the former Darlington players currently at Mowden, young backs Cameron Mitchell and Sean McCartney can continue to raise their sights.

But the same might not apply to prop Dan Miller and No 8 James Knox, who has not played this season because of injury.

Boro eased into a 24-0 lead on Saturday but then eased off and Darlington scored twice in quick succession just before half-time. Fly half Mark Baldwin converted his own interception try and winger Matthew Sowerby also touched down to make it 24-12 at the break. It remained that way for a further 15 minutes before the more powerful Boro pack reasserted themselves. Dave Hinchley, once a Darlington player, stole a line-out on the home side’s throw and after a 20- metre drive a penalty was kicked to the corner and hooker Ben Horton finished off the catch-and-drive.

The visitors scored two more tries and Darlington have now lost each of their last seven games by margins of more than 30 points.The season ends at home to Northern tomorrow.

Mowden have two league games left, at Hull Ionians and at home to Preston Grasshoppers, but will finish third in National Two North after a try in the fourth minute of injury time consigned them to a shock 31-28 home defeat by Sheffield Tigers. The visitors appeared to be lifted by the venue with The Northern Echo Arena again attracting a crowd of 700 and the Tigers lived up to their name.

Visiting centre Jamie Broadley completed a hattrick with the last play of the game, knocking Mowden’s Chris McTurk out of second place in the division’s try-scoring chart.

McTurk seemed to have secured a win for Mowden when he scored his 22nd of the season from his usual chip and chase in injury time.

There looked to be time only for the restart, and even though a clearance kick was charged down deep inside the home 22 a visiting player knocked on and that seemed to be it.

However, there was just enough time for the scrum, an area where Mowden had struggled all game, and when Tigers won this one against the head Broadley burst over the line.

The visitors had made the better start and led 10-0 but Mowden were ahead by halftime. Fly half Grant Connon converted his own try and was successful from the touchline after prop Ralph Appleby finished a catch-and-drive.

The lead kept changing hands after the interval, when full back Henry Robinson raced 70 metres to score under the posts for Mowden.

McTurk’s try was converted by replacement Tom Hodgson, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Mowden have been handed a walkover by Westoe in the Durham Cup but lost the toss for home advantage and will visit Blaydon in the final on Tuesday, April 30.

The same two clubs contest the Second Teams Cup final at Blaydon tomorrow and when the third teams met at Darlington last Saturday Blaydon won 31-13.