Stuart McCall may have won 40 international caps and played in lots of European Cup ties, but he knows all about the pitfalls for a Premiership club facing lower division opponents in a League Cup clash.

The competition is littered with giant-killing acts.

That is why Bradford City's players need to heed the advice offered by their captain and assistant manager on the eve of their potentially tricky Worthington Cup second round match at Third Division Darlington tonight.

McCall, who joined City as a 16-year-old apprentice when they were a Fourth Division club, has stressed how important it is for City to approach the game in the right way.

He said: "We must start correctly, set our stall out early and come away with a good result.

"If we start sloppily and approach the game casually we could come a cropper. This cup tie is all about attitude.

"A good start is essential. If we can get an early goal we can make things easier for ourselves.

"In games like this you are up against a team who are out to prove a point, to see if they can match up to their Premiership opponents.

"If I was manager of a lower division team I would be telling my players to go out there and prove for a night you can live with the Premiership side. Darlington will certainly be fired up for this one.

"Fortunately we have players in our team who began their careers at lower levels and know what to expect.

"I began with Bradford City, Peter Atherton started at Wigan and Dean Windass was at Hull.

"We know what these games are like from the other side of the fence. It's how we approach it that matters.

"We can't go there and expect to turn it on. We have got to earn the right to play and match Darlington for determination and effort.

"Premiership teams don't always win games like this. It is all about application and attitude.

"People will be expecting us to go there and get a good result, but we are on a hiding to nothing.

"Remember, Darlington beat Nottingham Forest in the last round over two legs, but it would be nice to go there and score a couple of goals.

"We have lost our three away matches in the Premiership,and need to start putting our chances away."