Albion defender Dan Burn has recalled his time in Darlington ahead of Non-League Day.

The centre-half spent two years at the club as a 17-year-old playing in non-league for Darlington and he talked about what it did for his career.

He said: “The people at Darlington were huge for me in terms of what they did for my career at the time.

“The youth team manager, Craig Liddle, is someone that really stands out, and I still speak to him today.

“He gave me the belief that I could play football properly full time, and not fall out of the game. I am very thankful to someone like that, because having that sort of belief can change your life.

“He developed me loads, as I arrived at the club as an average footballer and he pushed me on to be better and reach the next level.

“I also have to be thankful to Mark Cooper, who was the first-team manager at the time, as he gave me a good run in the team.

“That was a brave decision by him considering my ability and age at the time.”

Burn added: “I missed out on the final (FA Trophy in 2011) because I needed to have a knee operation, which was very disappointing, “It was the biggest match I had played in by a long way, and we needed a draw to get to the final.

“It was my last game in what was only 14 or 15 games appearances for the club, but I really enjoyed my time there.”

Burn also discussed the difference between under-age and non-league football.

He said: “It makes you grow up quickly. A lot of younger lads at Premier League clubs will play under-18 or under-23 football for too long and, when they leave for the lower league or non-league clubs, they get a shock because it’s not the same by any stretch of the imagination.

“The game is played at a much quicker pace, it’s very physical and those are all things that I needed to play at a higher level.

“It particularly helped me when I went out on loan at Yeovil, because I had experience of playing against men, instead of just players my own age. I’d advise any young kid to do that and get that experience.”

Non-League Day supports Prostate Cancer UK and at today’s games there will be chance to make a donation.