The move means the club will be unable to increase its wage budget in the near future and further sanctions from the conference may be put in place. It was been well documented that at least 5 of the players at the club have not been paid including 3 who have been sent out on loan to reduce the playing costs.

“I only know of problems with the players wages at the moment due to the players contacting me. The club has been under a player embargo for approximately 10 days, what goes into our decision? I suppose the bottom line is that we would not want a club to increase their wage bill when they cannot afford the one it has already got. The club have acted very responsibly by getting players out on loan with a view to permanent deals in January. That can only be seen as a positive move, but what we don’t want them to do is increase the wage bill at the moment.” – Derek Strudwick.

The current situation has brought a lot of questions up for the fans and it is unclear if anymore will surface in the coming weeks. Kettering Town are also under a similar embargo at the moment and in recent weeks it has seen them name as few as two substitutes. Fans are hoping the club will issue a statement to keep them fully informed but in these circumstances it may be better kept in house until the situation is more clear.

None the less the side host Cambridge United on Saturday and will hope to end a run which has seen them fail toscore in the last three outings. The latest of which a 3-0 loss at Grimsby Town on Saturday saw the Quakers fall at the first hurdle as the club looked to defend the FA Trophy which it won back in May at Wembley.

On Saturday Darlington managed to come away from the home game with a 0-0 draw against in form Forest Green Rovers despite Craig Liddle having limited options in his team selection.

It was far from a pretty game but the Quakers will be pleased to have gained a point without having a recognised striker in the squad. Defender Graeme Lee was used as a lone front man in a position which he has played for previous clubs. Despite enjoying decent spells throughout the game the home side were unable to create many clear goal scoring chances the best of which fell to youngster Dale Hopson during the first half but he was unable to control his shot which was blazed over the crossbar.

Rovers will come away disappointed to not have collected all three points as twice during the second half they beat goalkeeper Sam Russell only to be denied by the post. The result leaves both sides in midtable as they hope a good run of results over the festive period will keep them in the outside hunt of a playoff place.

While a few of the divisions teams were successful in the FA cup, notably Tamworth and Wrexham, as both earned themselves a third round place, there was still many who were in action in the league. The standout result though was York who demolished a Kettering side 7-0 as the away team were only able to travel with two subs. The side who in pre – season took over Rushden and Diamonds home of Nene Park are yet another club on the brink. With a transfer embarko in place on the club the side looks set to struggle to fulfil its fixtures. They are set to host Darlington tomorrow night but it is unclear whether the game will go ahead.

The victory at the weekend is the Quakers third in a row and lifts them into 11th in the table just 6 points off the playoffs. With the squad being reduced and off the field the club in turmoil the success is all the more remarkable. As well as results the side have also started to play a more attractive brand of football to watch then the long ball tactics which have been used so far this season.

Tamworth will feel hard done by to not have collected any points from their trip to the north east as both sides had multiple good scoring chances. Rundle had nearly given Darlo the lead with a volley which crashed off the crossbar during the first half, but he got his name on the score sheet early in the second period after a great through ball by Hopson. Teenager Hopson was to grab a goal himself deep into stoppage time for his second in as many games. Yet goalkeeper Sam Russell was key to the victory as he made numerous stops during the second half in which the home side had come under a lot of pressure.

While all the other teams in the league will play again tonight. Darlington must wait till tomorrow for their trip to Wales to face league leaders Wrexham in front of the TV cameras. Despite the recent turn in fortunes this will be the sides biggest test of the season so far and any result from the game would show how the far they have come in recent weeks.

Fixtures
Tuesday 29th November

Barrow v Alfreton Town
Cambridge Utd v Bath City
Ebbsfleet United v Kidderminster
Fleetwood Town v Kettering
Grimsby v Stockport
Hayes and Yeading v Newport County
Luton Town v AFC Telford
Mansfield Town v Gateshead
Southport v Forest Green
Tamworth v Braintree Town
York City v Lincoln City

Wednesday 30th November

Wrexham v Darlington

Often when teams face adversity they turn in the best performances and this is what happened for Darlo at the weekend. With numerous members of the squad having left the club since the sides last game two weeks ago the team featured a couple of younger along with out of favour players, one of whom was 19 year old Dale Hopson who stood out on his professional debut.

Hopson rounded off a man of the match display with a well taken goal in stoppage time to seal victory against an Ebbsfleet side who were unbeaten in their previous 6 outings. Playing just behind striker Liam Hatch, Hopson was able to effect the game as the Quakers created chance after chance and on another day could have scored 5 or 6. Hatch benefited from those chances as he was able to score twice as the big striker netted for the first time since the opening day of the season against Braintree.

It appears Craig Liddle will remain in temporary charge for the foreseeable future but if performances continue like Saturday many will be happy to see him stay at the helm. Next Darlo host Tamworth at the weekend as they hope to make it 3 leagues wins on the bounce.

Just a few weeks ago Mark Cooper was sacked as manager as the club looked set to appoint someone promptly. Yet since this the club has run into further problems as chairman Raj Singh has publicly announced he is wanting out. It is well known that Singh is currently putting 80 thousand a month in just to keep the club afloat and it appears he has had enough.

The chairman has also announced the current squad would be asked to take pay cuts in order to reduce costs in a move which in the last couple of weeks has seen a number of the high wage earnings leave including strikers James Walshaw, John Campbell and utility man Greg Taylor. Along with this many other key players such as Sam Russell, Jamie Chandler and Liam Hatch’s futures seem likely to be away from the arena.

With Craig Liddle temporarily in charge of the first and youth teams, the struggles of the club could see some of the youngsters thrown into the firing line and given the chance as the side travel to Ebbsfleet on Saturday.

Singh has also made clear one of the reasons that he is looking like walking away from the club is down to the lack of progress being made between him and the council. It is well known that the club has been looking to create other revenues outside of football to help the club but talks have seemingly failed. Alongside this issues over the stadium land continue to linger with Singh unable to see any viable solution.

Numerous times before the club has seemed on the verge of folding but this time could be the most serious threat as talk on the forums already has turned to a potential phoenix club should the current one not survive. In truth no one knows what will we happen and while all fans want the club in its current state to still exist only time will tell. This is Darlington Football Club anything could happen.

5. Darlington 6 v 1 Eastbourne Borough

Coming on the back of a four nil defeat at Luton Darlo quickly turned things around with their biggest win in years as Marc Bridge Wilkinson would go on to score a hat trick against the part timers who would eventually be relegated. At the time the win was much needed to keep any hopes of the playoffs alive and it turned out to be the most comfortable result of the season. It could be a long time before any Darlington fans again see their side 5-0 up at HT at the arena so this one will be remembered.

4. Darlington 3 v 2 Gateshead (FA Trophy semi first leg)

Both north east clubs were dreaming of Wembley and at HT in the first leg it looked like it would Gateshead. The away side led 2-0 at the break but a comeback that will be remembered by all that were their saw Darlo take control of the tie going into the return leg a week later. First after going past the keeper Bridge Wilkinson scrambled the ball home from a near impossible angle. Before striker Liam Hatch scored two goals late on to turn the tie on its head.

3. AFC Wimbledon 0 v 2 Darlington

This result was crucial for so many reasons and for Cooper it was a turning point. Just a week before Darlo had scored a 97th minute equaliser at Mansfield and that result along with the Wimbledon one helped turn early season disappointment into one which will ultimately be looked back on as a success. At the time Darlo had not won away in the league while top of the table AFC Wimbledon had not lost at home. Two players who both would have huge impacts on the season got the goals as Chris Senior and then Bridge Wilkinson helped Darlo to a win in one of the clubs best performances of the season.

2. Gateshead 0 v 0 Darlington (FA Trophy semi second leg)

While the games listed above were all great performances on this day only one thing mattered, the result. Darlo needed a draw to reach Wembley after their 3 – 2 win in the first leg with 2000 fans making the short trip north. While the game itself will largely be forgotten the end of the game will be remembered for the tension, the nerves and ultimately the joy at the full time whistle. Largely untroubled defensively throughout the game Darlington shut out their opponents to send the travelling fans wild. At the end of the game scenes were witnessed which have not been seen for many years as hundreds rushed on to the pitch and everyone rejoiced in their own way. A moment which will not be forgotten.

1. Darlington 1 v 0 Mansfield AET (FA trophy final)

It will go down in history and no matter what people think of Mark Cooper as Darlington manager this is the day which everyone will remember. Nearly 10000 made the trip south to the home of football Wembley as Darlington won their first national cup in their history thanks to Chris Seniors header in the last minute of extra time. For many such as myself who did not witness the title winning seasons of the early 90’s the day marked the first real moment of success after years of following the club. The day will be remembered by everyone differently, the journeys to and from the ground, the atmosphere in the green man pub before the game but what no one will forget is the goal itself along with captain Ian Miller lifting the trophy at the top of those famous Wembley steps.

Cooper was made to pay the price for the sides poor start to this season which seems likely to have condemned the north east club to at least one more year outside the football league despite starting the campaign as one of the fancied clubs in the division. The club now look towards appointing a new manager with many already in the picture and chairman Raj Singh says he will be looking to make an appointment before the sides next home league game a week on Saturday.

Cooper will always be remembered by the club as the manager who brought possibly the greatest day in their history after May’s FA Trophy final success at Wembley, but the writing has been somewhat on the wall since early on in the campaign. Seemingly the final saw for Singh was the defeat at Braintree Town on Saturday but it will not just have been the results but the performances which will have convinced the chairman that change was necessary.

The side have been unable to beat many of the smaller sides in the division such as Hayes and Yeading, Southport, Alfreton Town and only two weeks ago lost to lowly Bath City. It also appears that Cooper had lost the dressing room after many post match interviews led to the criticism of some of the experienced players. Just two weeks ago Singh publicly backed Cooper but after Saturdays performance he decided enough was enough.

For now at least youth team coach Craig Liddle will take control of the side for the fa cup qualifying round on Saturday at home to Hinckley Town and hopefully the fans will be able to get behind the team as we look to salvage the season. As for Cooper I think many fans will have a similar opinion that the time was right as the teams situation seemed to get worse by the week. Yet I am sure I speak for all to thank Mark and Richard for their time at the club and giving all a day out in May which no one who was their will ever forget. The Best day in Darlington Fc’s history. Thank you

The victory for the Quakers was crucial after the humiliating 2-0 defeat on Saturday at Bath City and it meant a lot more than just the 3 points which have seen the side move up to 14th in the table. In what had proved to be a dramatic game defender Greg Taylor became the match winner with a 25 yard strike on his wrong foot with just 5 minutes to go. Darlo had started brightly and captain for the night Jamie Chandler tapped in his first of two goals after just 70 seconds, but inside the quarter of a hour mark the side trailed 2-1.

James Walshaw also got on the score sheet for the third time this season as he converted a Adam Rundle cross to level the game before half time. Defensive midfielder Chandler then scored his second of the game as Darlo again levelled midway through the second half before Taylor scored his second crucial goal of the season for the club.

Manager Cooper was clearly emotional after the game at the end of what has been his toughest couple of weeks since taken over a year and a half ago. “I said to the players after the game that I felt like crying. It’s been terrible and difficult to put your finger on what’s been going wrong.”

With the victory Darlington now have the opportunity to get their season back on track with two home games in the next week. They face Barrow on tuesday but first is Kidderminster on Saturday which will be no easy task. The players the side have are more than capable of putting a run together which could see them still have a successful season, if this happens tuesdays nights win at Stockport will be seen as the game that turned it all around.

Recent weeks have seen Mark Cooper’s position at the club come under fire as Darlington continue to struggle. Two weeks ago today Darlo lost 3-0 at home to Southport without showing any signs of a fight, this performance was seen by many fans as the last straw. A victory at home to Newport postponed calls for his sacking but they have returned this week after a loss at Bath City who before Saturday had not won and had not kept a clean sheet.

Despite this chairman of the club Raj Singh on Sunday night came out and backed his manager. “I’ve had a really good productive chat with Mark this afternoon and we’re both convinced he can turn things around” He went on to comment that stability is what the clubs needs and this may be true following the clubs quick demise in the last five years which has seen managers come and go as the club fell out of the football league.

Also another case for keeping Cooper at the helm is the way he was able to turn around the side last season which had also started slowly as he steered the Quakers to FA Trophy success. Also many will point the finger at the players many of who were involved in the success of last season and have simply not performed this time around.

Tonight will be a tough test away to Stockport County who have not yet settled into life in non league since relegation in May. Darlington’s team will again have at least two changes tonight as defender Graeme Lee will serve a one match suspension and Paul Arnison is missing out through injury. No matter what people’s opinions are of Cooper the fans will all need to get behind the side tonight and over the next two home games as the club tries to move forward together as one.

BLACK N WHITE ARMY!

In the wake of Dean Saunders departing the racecourse ground striker Andy Morrell will take temporary for at least this afternoons trip to Grimsby. Saunders has left the Welsh side for Championship struggles Doncaster Rovers who currently sit bottom of the table without a win. He leaves Wrexham second in the conference premier only behind leaders Luton on goal difference.

In recent weeks many of the fancied sides in the division have moved towards the top of the table and two of them meet in the stand out game of the day as York City host Luton Town. York have picked up in recent games and lie just outside the playoffs but today will be far from easy against a unbeaten Luton side who lead the division on goal difference. Big spending Fleetwood Town have a chance to keep up the pressure on the other top sides today as they host AFC Telford, while Gateshead hope to continue their good start to the season as they travel to London to face Hayes and Yeading.

For us, Darlington travel to Cambridge United who are on a good run of form and currently sit 10th in the division. Having not won in 4 games Darlo could do with the three points this afternoon but today will tough and with a run of easier fixtures to come most fans would be happy with a point.