Well it looks like next seasons derby match is off then.

http://darlingtonfootballclub.co.uk/sta ... play-offs/

It is a shame, pity somebody overlooked the small print, feel for the supporters in situations like this.

You couldn't make it up, what a shambles they are. Every season it's a comedy of errors even when they get it right on the pitch.

It's the supporters who are running the club! With those levels of competence they could get a job on Pools board.

Martin Gray will be flinging faeces with more aggression than normal at the school children visiting the Zoo these Easter Holidays.

It was known some time ago.

They admit in that statement that they didn't realise the rules regarding grading had changed or in the words of it 'weren't picked up.' They have only been in the ground since the end of December so it can't have been known for that long, by that statement the manager was also unaware.

The rules have been pretty much solid since 2008, the only change was to a ruling about temporary seating counting towards it the total number (that Darlington don't have anyway).

A bit of a fuck up but let's be fair, they've came a long way in a very short space of time and are run by volunteers. Mistakes are going to happen but they have to be realistic and realise that. Some of their fans are asking for directors to quit over it. How about they help them out and start getting plans together to raise funds for a new stand.

In a nutshell

The flip side is they knew and wanted to keep the attendances up till the end of the season. It seems to only be fan pressure that made them mention something at this time.

The funding to create the kinds of stands needed will be very high, wonder how long it would take for them to raise it all, then plan and build it. 3 or 4 years maybe?

Can you tread water for that long knowing you have nothing to play for?

Truth in this. As I said it was known a long time ago.

In the long term them having period of stagnation might not be a bad thing, they've had a couple of near misses regarding financial implosion since reformation the Conference might be a step too far at this point.

Surely they have got to get the funds together to build proper stands though as if they keep spending the bare minimum to get the ground just up to the required grade it's going to be awful and not fit for purpose for a former league club. You get the feeling already they have rushed into the move slightly, and understandably in many ways but the attendances haven't improved that much since they moved back into town. Funnily enough I was out in Darlo having few beers with a friend who lives there last Saturday and you wouldn't have really known they were at home apart from maybe a dozen in the pub we were in from about half one.

How anyone can have anything but respect for what they've achieved is beyond me. They be gone from nowhere to knocking on the door of the conference in a few years. All of this has been done by supporters giving their time and money freely.

Take off the blinkers for a moment and look at what they created without help from outside and just say well done lads.

Well done lads.

Sexist!