DEADLY DUO WILL HAVE ‘EM QUAKING
Ainge pairs up with Styche
SIMON AINGE thinks he can form a partnership with new Darlington teammate Reece Styche that will give National League North defences sleepless nights.
The 29-year-old has joined Tommy Wright’s Quakers on a two-year deal after leaving Harrogate Town.
Former England C man Ainge built his reputation in Non-League as a defender before he was converted to a striker midway through the 2016-17 season.
He finished that season with 25 goals and was in form at the start of 2017-18 with 14 strikes before suffering a groin injury.
Ainge is looking to get back in the goals under Wright – and by teaming up with Styche.
“There’s a lot to be said for when a manager really wants you,” Ainge told The NLP. “Tommy
rang me about three weeks ago. He said he’d do all he could to get me in so I thought, ‘Yeah, why not – I want to play for him’. “It’s a big club, Darlington, and I think we’ll be at the right end of the table. I’m going there to try and help the club get promoted and it would be good if I can be a part of something like that. “Tommy hasn’t been pushy and the way he’s been throughout has really made me want to play there. “I’m also looking forward to teaming up with Reece Styche – I don’t think there will be many defenders in that league who will enjoy playing against us. “I think we will work well together. Hopefully we can chip in with 20 plus goals and we can be there or thereabouts.” Ainge finished the season on loan at National League side Wrexham, but admits the injury lay-off had him playing catch up. “I was out for about five months with that injury,” Ainge said. “I was perhaps a bit naïve. I thought I’d get back from injury and carry on from where I left off. When I was running I felt, ‘Oh yeah, I’m feeling fit’, but I was nowhere near it.
“When I was playing games I was still scoring a few goals, but I wasn’t contributing like I should have been. I just wasn’t as fit and, because I was scoring, I was probably kidding myself that I was fit and firing.
“Then going to Wrexham was a good thing for me because I got fit when I was there. It was a level up, the intensity of training was good and we did a lot of gym work that helped me. I lost a lot of weight and I got a lot fitter. “I did an interview the other day and in print it maybe came across wrong, that I was really ungrateful and I hated my time at Wrexham – but that really wasn’t the case at all. “It’s a brilliant club, a Football League club, with a really good set of lads and I was frustrated not to get the minutes I wanted to get. I really believe if I had I would have contributed.”