After beating Kidderminster to go sixth in the table just over a fortnight ago, Quakers drew 0-0 with Curzon Ashton and then lost 1-0 to Buxton, and with a free Saturday following those two matches, they have now dropped to 10th in the standings five points below the play off positions but with games in hand.
“When we came in last season and the club was in a relegation fight, we set a target of winning half of our remaining games, which we did,” said Mitchell.
“We’ve got to win half of them now, but we’re in a more positive situation. If we can do that, then we’ll get in the play offs.”
Quakers drew 0-0 at Marine back in September, and since then their fortunes have differed, with Quakers pushing for the play offs, and Marine battling against relegation.
Mitchell said: “It was a tough game down there, and we’re expecting a tough game today. They’re new to the league and fighting at the bottom end of the league, but every team is fighting in this league. It’s a tough league. The bottom of the league is like the top of the league, there are only a couple of points covering them.
“We’ve done our homework on them, we know what to expect and they’re recruited a couple of players in the last few weeks, which has strengthened them.”
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Quakers have failed to score in their last two games, but Mitchell feels they will regain their scoring form today.
And Darlington yesterday strengthened their ranks with the signing of young Middlesbrough striker Hazeem Bakre on loan until the end of the season.
The 19-year-old has scored six goals in nine Premier League Two appearances for Boro so far this term.
“The hardest thing in football is to score goals, we’ll be doing the best we can to put things right,” he said.
“We’ve worked on some patterns, but the positive thing is, we work hard not to concede goals.
“We’ve slipped out of the play offs by not playing since the Buxton game, but we want to really push back now. The object is to have a really good run in.”
Defender Kallum Griffiths will be missing because of his two yellows against Curzon Ashton, but striker Cedric Main returns to the side after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Quakers have signed Caden Kelly for the rest of the season on loan from Sunderland, but have agreed to let him go to Stockport on trial until next Wednesday and so will miss the game.
Jarrett Rivers has also recovered from illness, and Ali Al-Shabeeb is back in the squad after missing several games for personal reasons.
Marine are second from bottom of the table, but have improved in recent weeks. This will be their fourth straight away game, having drawn at Farsley, won at Leamington, but then lost at Oxford City on Tuesday night.
