Region urged to support Quakers

Club officials are hoping fans will descend on The Northern Echo Darlington Arena in their thousands, boosting coffers and sending out a message of unity.

Although fans’ groups have already helped to find £50,000 to buy the club time until the end of the month, more money is desperately needed to keep it running until its long-term future can be secured.

Article continues below

Doug Embleton, a spokesman for the Darlington Football Club Rescue Group, said the group had been “overwhelmed by the worldwide response to recent events”.

However, he said: “At the end of the day, this is all about the town’s football club and today is the time for our town to show its support of our town’s football club.

“It is fantastic that fans from all over the country are buying tickets and offering support, but today is for Darlington.”

Mr Embleton said that the rescue group thanked Craig Liddle for his “heroic efforts and the dignity he had shown during the tumultuous events”.

As he worked to pull together a team for today’s game, the caretaker manager also called on fans to come out in force to show their support.

He said: “This is probably as good a chance as you’ll get for everybody, the North-East as a whole, to unite and support a club that has been in crisis for the last few months.

“The more people that come through the gate will give us a little bit more time and give potential investors more time to get themselves sorted.”

By mid-afternoon yesterday, the club had sold about 700 tickets, while about 200 had been bought at The Northern Echo offices in Darlington.

General manager Jason Lees said: “I believe with season ticket-holders and executive boxes that is about 3,000 people all-in. Hopefully we can double that by kick-off.”

Mr Lees received so many offers of help from fans that he had had to turn people away yesterday.

He said: “It has got to the stage where I have had to say to people ‘thank you for your support, but the best way you can help the club now is buy a ticket for the game’. We have got everything we need, although maybe I am dreaming, but three points against Fleetwood would be nice.”

Offers of support have come from all corners of the region.

The club’s mower is desperately in need of a service, but because of the financial crisis, the work has not been carried out. Hearing the news yesterday, Hartlepool FC offered to lend its mower.

Members of the public have been just as generous.

Glen and Mary Bowes, from the supporters’ club, together with fan Craig Smith, were running a ticket and memorabilia stall in the Cornmill Centre yesterday.

Mr Smith said: “A woman from Hartlepool came up, said she knew the history between the two clubs and did not even like football, but still emptied her purse.”

Fans Chris Noble and Sean Hadland were rattling a collection bucket at the doors to the shopping centre.

Mr Noble said: “We are getting people from different clubs – Leeds fans, Boro fans – coming up to give us money, and we are getting lots of goodwill messages.”

Support also came in from Sky Sports presenter and Hartlepool fan Jeff Stelling.

He said: “I wish them well – every lower-league club should lend support to rivals in distress.”

Among the crowd today will be 20 students from St Aidan’s Church of England Academy, in Darlington.

The school held a draw to decide which students would watch the game after it bought 20 tickets to support the club.

Principal Alison Appleyard said: “We are thrilled to be able to help support the club in its hour of need.

“Supporting our local community in this way is important to us as part of our Christian ethos.”

Alastair Logan, a teaching assistant at the academy, was employed by the club as team physio until the financial situation worsened at the end of last year.

However, he will return as a volunteer today to treat the players.