- Darlington beat Worksop Town 5-1 at home and drew 1-1 away.
- Max Howells can be an impact player for Darlington, having struck in the head-to-head romp.
Season opener at Blackwell Meadows will be wide and wild
It is still early days in 2026/27 National League North, but this opening weekend clash will probably go a long way to setting the tone for Darlington and Worksop Town FC's seasons.
Darlington's pre-season form has been a mixed bag with wins over Dunston UTS (2-0) and Garforth (4-1) mixed with defeats to Mickleover (1-0), Rotherham (2-0) and Carlisle (4-2).
The clean sheet in the win at Dunston UTS suggests they can get their shape right and the two goals in the Garforth win were enough to make us think they can pick up a couple on Saturday.
Steve Watson has a good system in place for his players, who play in a back three with attacking wing-backs.
The Dairies will go forward via their wings and have a flair for the fast finish when they get their numbers forward in the final third.
Craig Parry's men have been direct and tidy in their pre-season outings, which have featured plenty of width and quick switches to spring the runners.
Worksop have beaten Hallam (4-2), Ilkeston (3-1), Garforth (4-0), Mickleover (1-0) and Sheffield United XI (3-1), plus narrow losses in a busy build-up to the season.
So, they look good to go and the late win over the Blades' kids suggests the front line has been kept sharp.
Jordan Burrow is the spearhead and he is a handful, as his goal in the 1-1 draw with Darlington showed.
The Staggies have had their moments in pre-season and Lewis Whitham has been one of the most useful out of the two wide men.
Darlington are the rightful 21/20 home favourites, but there's enough of a case to suggest Worksop will get a result.
The visitors are 2/1 to win and the draw is 53/20, although we lean towards the hosts to squeeze through.
Both teams to score is just shaded to yes at 11/20, but our preferred angle is the under 2.5 goals option at 23/20 because it allows for a tight, tactical affair to be the most likely script.
The weather should be dry and pleasant, so it should be a lively opener rather than a slog, and we fancy the home team's flair to come out on top against a side that will make them work for everything via width and counter-attacking play.
