Source: Northern_Echo
Fans confident of quick return
THERE were no tears, just relief the season was finally over. Darlington bade farewell to the Football League but, unlike the farewell to Feethams, there was a sense they will return.[LNB] After a season in which the Quakers have been rooted to the foot of League Two from the off, such optimism would ordinarily seem misplaced.[LNB] Yet somehow, beneath the sadness and an acceptance of life in the Blue Square Premier, there are already early green shoots of recovery. There might not have been six weeks ago, when Steve Staunton had shown he lacked the personality and the character to be a lower league manager. But since April 1, when Staunton's successor was appointed, confidence among the fans has grown; bonds between team-mates have been made stronger, and that has been down to Simon Davey.[LNB] He might not have been able to address the club's woeful record at The Northern Echo Arena, where he was left still searching for a first home win of his short tenure after the 2-0 defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge.[LNB] That, though, even if the reversal was down to poor defending and shot-shy attacking play, did not matter too much to those in the stands. For now, there is a feeling chairman Raj Singh's third appointment will steer Darlington back to League Two.[LNB] Darlo, on loan to Blue Square Premier', was the message portrayed on an England flag outside the main reception of the ground by three youngsters.[LNB] At the ages of 11 and 12, Jamie Lay, Marc Colman and Luke Taylor supporting their hometown club since their fathers and grandfathers took them along a few years back weren't around for the Conference season of 20 years ago. Call it childhood innocence if you like but, they remain certain, just like Brian Little's heroes did in 1990, Darlington will be back in the Football League at the very first attempt. Course he can, I know they will be back, said Colman, sporting a Darlington away strip and a flag signed by the players.[LNB] The autograph of Alan White, who had hoped to be the hometown hero that helped to pull off survival after arriving on loan from Luton Town in January, presumably, was one of those. He too feels Davey can lead Darlington through a revival, but having started the season in the Blue Square Premier playing 21 games for the Hatters, he also thinks there is a need to treat the division carefully.[LNB] It's strange because the standard of football is not too much different to League Two, said White. Some of the stadiums aren't very good, but there's not a great deal of difference in talent.[LNB] Maybe the standard is a little lower, but it's very similar. Darlington will have to be on their game next season if they want to come straight back up. Luton proved that this year. They spent a lot of money to get back up, got a lot of experienced league players in and only came second before being knocked out in the play-offs. It's not a foregone conclusion that Darlington will be promoted.[LNB] Maybe not, but Davey is determined to give it his best shot. In the last few weeks he has regularly outlined an intention to replace the majority of the squad he inherited with new, improved personnel.[LNB] Bolstering his attacking ranks will be high in his thoughts, as will unearthing a reliable, solid group of defenders. With the exception of midfielder Gary Smith, every player in the team that lost to Dagenham could depart. Paul Arnison, John McReady and Michael Smith have all been offered new terms, but Davey intends to inform the rest from 10am today of his future plans. What is assured, however, is that the team which starts life in a new division in August will be unrecognisable to that which ended 18 points from safety in League Two.[LNB] After revitalising his playing staff, it will then be time to address the issue of producing an impressive record on home turf, where Darlington lost 17 times this season, winning just on three occasions. If he can do both, an immediate push for promotion could be on.[LNB] Or, as Saturday's commemorative matchday programme proudly predicted on the front cover, Farewell to the Football League ... for now.[LNB]
