THE SIDE may be packed with young faces but high flyers Darlington Mowden Park are riding high on confidence ahead of Saturday’s game with Luctonians, according to flanker Ross Doneghan.

Mowden Park sit three points behind SSE National League Two North leaders Macclesfield thanks to last weekend’s 31-5 victory over Otley.

At 25, Doneghan, who played 57 minutes of the game before being replaced by Ross White, was one of the older heads in the team.

But the summer recruit insists age is not having a bearing on their performances.

And instead he predicts they can get even better, starting with the visit of mid-table Luctonians.

“We’re playing really well at the moment, and we’re enjoying things,” said Doneghan.

“The refreshing thing about the team is that it is quite a young side. Last week against Otley, I think I was the third oldest on the pitch.

“The average age of the squad is around 21 or 22 so there is a lot of potential for us to get even better.

“Olly Hodgson is a good example, he scored a couple of tries last week and has done really well this season, especially for a young guy. He has really stepped up and shown he has a lot of potential.

“We have Luctonians on Saturday, so we have to make sure we are prepared for that.

They have a strong team who are a very capable side. It’s all about just going back to the drawing board and preparing well.”

Just two games remain before the league takes a break for Christmas, with this week’s home game followed by another at The Northern Echo Arena against Hull RUFC the following weekend.

After experiencing strong away support last week, Doneghan cannot wait to get back in front of Mowden’s home fans at the Arena.

“It’s a great place to play and there is always great support there,” he added. “They were out in numbers last week even though it was freezing cold so we have to thank them for that.

“I’m sure they’ll be doing the same this weekend and hopefully we can get a result.”