Craig Liddle has conceded he may have played his last game for Darlington.

The injury-plagued defender has played over 300 games for the club but appearances have been limited this season as he's battled from one problem to the next, and his chances of continuing his career will be clearer after visiting a specialist next week.

He played through the pain barrier last season in order to help out in Darlington's relegation fight but years of battling a host of complaints may have finally caught up with him and at a fans forum last night, hosted by Radio Cleveland at the Williamson Motors Stadium, he announced the news.

The fans favourite said: "I'm going to see a specialist a week on Wednesday and to be honest I'm fearing the worst.

"I've got all sorts of problems, I'm OK when I play matches because the adrenaline starts pumping and it gets you through.

"But afterwards I'm picking up the pieces and I've got my family to think about.

"I've got young kids and I don't want to end up in a wheelchair in two or three years time."

Apart from eight weeks out with a broken ankle in 2001, until this season Liddle has been almost an ever-present since signing for Quakers in 1998.

This campaign, however, the 33-year-old has struggled with a knee injury that required treatment at Lileshall, a shoulder complaint, a double hernia and he's recently suffered from back problems.

Meanwhile, a decade after leaving Darlington following play-off heartache, Matty Appleby made a triumphant return on Saturday and team-mate Alun Armstrong believes the new signing can help Quakers to promotion glory.

Appleby impressed in midfield during the vital 2-1 win over top-of-the-table Yeovil Town, which took Darlington back into the play-off zone.

Armstrong, who now has 11 goals in 28 appearances since joining in September, says Appleby's arrival should signal the beginning of more consistent form.

Armstrong heaped praise on the 32-year-old, saying: "Matty had a fantastic debut. He gave us a bit of stability in midfield.

"He's another who has played at a much higher level so he's got a lot of experience and is coming in at a good time, as we're heading towards the end of the season, giving everybody a boost."

Appleby was in central midfield alongside Mark Convery and fellow new signing, Jonjo Dickman.

The new look engine room impressed Armstrong who said: "Everyone knows what a good player Matty is. You could see how solid we were in the middle of the park, and that includes Jonjo and Mark, who were both getting forward.

"Matty got forward a few times and that's because he's got the pace and energy to do that."

Although Armstrong is Quakers' leading marksman he had waited over two months to end his scoring drought with Saturday's second half strike.

He said: "It was a great game, we showed what we're capable of.

"Everyone in the team worked extremely hard so we deserved the three points.

"If we continue to perform like that between now and the end of the season and we don't go up then there's something wrong!

"I know we keep saying it but we've got to play like that week in, week out. We keep letting ourselves and the fans down."

* With Clyde Wijnhard banned for the next three matches Darlington are to give Millwall striker Kevin Braniff a trial next week.

* There will be a Darlington fans' forum tonight (7.30) at the Green Tree pub, Brompton, Northallerton. Assistant manager Mark Proctor will answer questions.

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