DARWEN'S player manager Steve Wilkes is calling on his side to show more consistency as they seek to climb the North West Counties second division table.

After an impressive run of three straight wins Darwen lost 3-1 at home to Stone last weekend, a match Wilkes insists they should have won.

"It is no lie to say we should have been 4-0 up in that match and I have told the players we need to be more ruthless in front of goal," said Wilkes. "We have got to start sticking our chances away.

"I was fielding the same side for the fourth successive match but I will probably make a couple of changes for Saturday.

"There are one or two people who are not playing well at the moment, the type of players that we have relied on in the past."

The good news for Wilkes is that he has got a couple of injured players who are fit again and back in the frame, Mark Heys and Andy Walsh.

"Mark had a hamstring problem and Andy an Achilles' injury but they were both on the bench last week," he said. "It is great to have them both available again and I will have to think about starting them.

"But whoever plays, we have to start climbing the table. It is criminal that we are so low in the league because there is only Formby that we have played this season that I think has been better than us. Stone, who we should have beaten, are fourth."

Darwen will be looking to avenge a 2-1 defeat at Daisy Hill in the second match of the season but Wilkes knows they can be a funny side.

"They lost 9-1 to Bacup one midweek and then beat them 5-0 on the Saturday," he said. "But I am not too worried about them, what I want is to see us perform."