Hatch opts to stay and signs an 18-month deal

01 January 2011 11:24
Liam Hatch has dramatically changed his mind about leaving Darlington and signed an 18-month deal at The Northern Echo Arena.[LNB] The 28-year-old was due to play the final game of his six-month loan today after his club, Peterborough United, accepted undisclosed offers from both Grimsby Town and Quakers.[LNB] Hatch entered talks this week with the Mariners who had offered a two-and-a-half-year contract.[LNB] But the striker-turned-defender has explained he wanted to move permanently to Darlington, despite the shorter contract on offer, having enjoyed his two spells on loan with the club.[LNB] "I'm absolutely delighted to be staying," he said. "I had a choice but I really wanted to stay up here, I've loved playing my football with Darlington and working with the gaffer.[LNB] "It means I can get my head around things now. When you're on loan you know it'll come to a point when you're going back.[LNB] "A few weeks ago I just didn't know where I was going to be playing my football.[LNB] "Thankfully the club have managed to sort a deal out with Peterborough and I can concentrate on just playing my football for Darlington."[LNB] With the uncertainty over his future put to bed, Hatch will play for Quakers today at fifth-placed Fleetwood Town and manager Mark Cooper is delighted.[LNB] "It's fantastic news for the club and for Liam personally," he said.[LNB] "The deal seemed to be dead at first and he looked set to join another club, but I spoke to him on Thursday and asked him if there was anything we could do to change his mind.[LNB] "He said he desperately wanted to stay at Darlington as he feels settled in the area and with the club, so we started talking to his agent and the chairman spoke to his agent.[LNB] "It was a late night on Thursday night but after five or six hours of negotiating the end result is he's staying.[LNB] "Liam has taken a pay cut and that just shows how much he wants to play for Darlington, which pleases me immensely.[LNB] "The 18-month deal also means he has some security and we've tied a quality player down so it takes away some of the unsettling that goes on with chopping and changing.[LNB] "Hopefully Liam will be the first of three or four quality signings for us."[LNB] Since October Hatch has formed a central defensive partnership with Danny Hone, but the latter plays the last game of his six-month temporary switch today and will return to Lincoln City.[LNB] His exit emphasises Cooper's need to strengthen the squad, and he has made no secret of his desire to do just that as he bids to lift Darlington from 11th place in the second half of the season.[LNB] Hatch hopes permanent contract will be followed by more new players, and he said: "We've got the nucleus of a good team.[LNB] "If we hadn't dropped some silly points we'd be right up there some of our results have proved we're capable of competing with the top sides.[LNB] "The gaffer is trying to get some more new players in and hopefully he will and we can start mounting a charge to get among the play-offs."[LNB] Having suffered a series of postponements, today's game, the first of two in three days with Barrow visiting the Arena on Monday will be Darlington's first in the league since November 20, when they lost at Wrexham.[LNB] In contrast, Fleetwood played two league games at their Highbury home during December and Cooper concedes Quakers' lack of games could be a factor today.[LNB] But he points out that there should be no lack of desire, saying: "You might think they'd be a bit rusty, but you'd also like to think they were looking forward to having a game of football. [LNB] "Fleetwood played the other day so some might tell you that they're better prepared than us, but football can be a strange game.[LNB] "The players might not be as sharp, but the break shouldn't have an impact in terms of desire and commitment. They should be flying.[LNB] "Richard Dryden went to their game against Southport on Tuesday - I went to Cambridge v Mansfield - and they've got some really good players. They've invested really well and they've spent a bit of money.[LNB] "They've got a project where the aim is to get into the Football League and they're building their stadium slowly but surely."[LNB] Former Darlington defender Sean Gregan will be in the Fleetwood team today, a player Cooper attempted to sign on loan from Oldham in October.[LNB] Cooper added: "Gregan would've been a good signing but he still lives over that way and Fleetwood have got an awful lot of money."[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo