FORGET the mind games of Tuesday gone, Mark Cooper has told his Darlington players. Progress to Wembley all comes down to which team – his or Gateshead – turns up today, and next Saturday.

He should know.

In 2003, Cooper played for Tamworth in the FA Trophy final at Villa Park. Having already clinched the Conference South title, and promotion, the Lambs were favourites against Northern Premier League Burscough.

Cooper scored, but Tamworth lost. By his own admission, they did not perform on the day, and that is what the Quakers boss is warning against this afternoon.

So Tuesday’s league draw at the International Stadium “goes out of the window”.

The pair could have played 10 times of late, he said, without any occasion having a bearing on today’s semi-final first leg.

With Wembley at stake, this is a different proposition altogether, and Cooper – who at the bare minimum wants only for his team to be in the contest come next Saturday – believes success will befall the side which copes best with the pressure, and does things “properly and professionally”.

“I didn’t enjoy it in 2003,” said Cooper, who has John Campbell (broken hand) missing and Michael Smith, John McReady, Adam Quinn and Greg Taylor cup-tied. “We were favourites to win against a team from the league lower than us. But we didn’t turn up on the day, and that’s what it’s all about.

“The same goes for the semi-final against Gateshead. I don’t think having played them on Tuesday really matters because in a two-legged semi-final it’s about what happens on the two days. Tuesday goes out of the window. This is totally different because it’s a semi-final with a chance to get to Wembley, and whichever team copes with the pressure the best will get through.

“It’s about which team turns up, who does things properly and professionally over the two Saturdays.

“I think we could have played them 10 times and it wouldn’t have had any real significance or bearing on the semi-final.

“It’s about making sure that we don’t do anything silly and we are still in the tie with 10, 20 minutes to go on the 19th of March.

“I’m sure Ian will be saying the same to his players. It’s Utopia to think you’re going to be five or six-nil up and go and have an absolute stroll a week on Saturday, knowing you’re already in the final.

“But it’s never going to happen.

“We have to make sure we do things properly, as we always try to do. We’re professionals, and we’ve got to give ourselves the best chance possible.

“I think it’s going to be a tight game, we’re both good football teams. Gateshead play really good football, like their manager did as a player. He was a good player.

“My team at the minute are playing really good football as well. Both teams have got good players, players who can score goals and I think it adds up to a really exciting occasion.”

And one Cooper would like to see well backed by the Darlington fans.

“It’s very important we get good support on Saturday,” he said. “They’ve been brilliant in the last few weeks and really got behind the team and myself and the chairman (Raj Singh).

“They’ve made such a difference to the atmosphere in the stadium and that can only be a positive thing. They were really good on Tuesday night, they must have doubled Gateshead’s numbers.

“From being a player myself, if it’s a good atmosphere you want to play in it.”