Silkmen boss Keith Alexander was in buoyant mood ahead of Saturday's visit of Darlington and clearly hoping that the performance against West Ham in the week would prove to be a crucial turning point.

"The difference in the level of performance between that the lads put in at Accrington and at West Ham was a million miles apart. Understanding why that happened in the quandry and something only the players can really answer," explained Keith.

"The lads showed on Wednesday what they were capable of and I, and hopefully those fans who made the trip, was extremely proud of them. But they have to ask themselves why there was such a disparity in performance."

"We made a few changes and it was difficult decision to leave the likes of Martin Gritton out. But I thought given the opposition we needed some extra legs and I thought Franny did well. But it would be wrong to single out anyone as collective the team were outstanding in every department."

"I've said my piece about the referee. Suffice to say I felt we were on the wrong end of too many decisions including the sending off of Izak. He'll be missing on Saturday which makes it even harder to stomach but we have to get on with it."

"I said after Accrington that I would be looking to make changes, possibly bringing in some of the younger lads. But whilst Terry Dunfield is available again I think the team that did so well against West Ham deserves another chance."

"They have raised the bar in terms of performance and we need to bottle that and take it into our league games. More importantly put in a performance in front of our home fans."

"Darlington like to get the ball on the ground and knock it around using the width of the pitch. But they're still awaiting their first win so its down to us to force the pace and make the most of our home advantage."