Darlington will tomorrow be backed by their largest away following of this season for tomorrow’s much-anticipated trip to Salford City, when they aim to puncture their high profile opponents’ promotion charge.

Salford were bought last year by a quintet of ex-Manchester United players, collectively known as the Class of ’92, as well as Singapore businessman Peter Lim, with a quest to rise through the leagues and they have been in the national spotlight ever since.

A BBC series entitled Salford Dreams United, will follow Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers for a behind-the-scenes documentary on their ambitious plans, while their following on social media now numbers close to 30,000 – more than three times as many as Quakers.

But it’s Darlington, third in the table, three points behind Salford with five games in hand, who see more fans come through the turnstiles.

Estimations vary, but some observers expect Darlington to be backed by up to 1,000 fans tomorrow at a ground where the average gate this season has been 288.

“It makes you proud, the amount of support going down there. It just goes to show you the support that we have,” said Quakers boss Martin Gray.

“The supporters has a big impact on the players, they love playing in front of our big crowds when they make a lot of noise.

“Salford don’t usually get that many, they’ll all of a sudden have a big crowd, maybe over 1,000, so it could lift both sets of players.

“The good thing is, since we took over we’ve been used to playing in front of those kind of numbers. Our players thrive on it.

“I hope we can have the same level of support for our remaining home games. We’ve got eight cup finals and we need as strong support at home as we’re getting this weekend.”

*The Martin Gray Football Academy is inviting teenagers to trials for the Btec Extended Diploma in Sport, which is held in conjunction with Darlington College.

Taking place at 10am on the morning of Saturday, February 14 at Blackwell Meadows in Darlington, all school leavers are invited to register an interest in the course, which offers a pathway to the Darlington FC first team.

Adam Cocks, Matty Lovegreen, Matty Pennal and David Mitchell are among those that have studied for the Btec and made the breakthrough for Gray’s team in the past couple of seasons, while all have played for the Durham County team too.

Those interested in taking part in the trial must register their interest via email: enquiriesmgfa@hotmail.com