By Martin Walker

Mark Cooper has admitted he's had to wrap his players in cotton wool to prevent any further injuries.

Darlington play their third of three home pre-season friendlies tonight when Carlisle come to the Northern Echo Arena.

But the last two games, against Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, while proving good work-outs for his players, have taken their toll.

Injuries to Chris Senior (dead leg) and Tommy Wright (thigh strain) have added to his injury list, with goalkeeper Kelvin Jack (hamstring strain) and midfielders Gary Smith and Gareth Waite both out.

And while Senior and Wright both have a chance of featuring against the Cumbrians tonight, Cooper admits he's had to temper training this week.

"We're having to give players more time than we'd really like to at the moment," he said.

"We're very mindful that we don't want any more injuries. We've had to temper training a little bit to make sure the efforts really go into the games and we're using them as the hard training sessions.

"We don't want to throw some of the young lads in too early. They've got to go in at the right time. We've got Corey Barnes back tomorrow."

Cooper has also revealed there could be another couple of trialists featuring tonight.

"We get trialists in all the time and we have a look at them," he said.

"Joe Cornforth is still training with us and we'll see how it goes, he's done alright.

"We might have another couple playing tomorrow. Jamie Clarke, the former Rochdale and Grimsby defender, may be in the squad."