IT is fair to say that a breath of fresh air has blown through Darlington Football Club.

From being a club which alienated the local community, many bridges have been built around the Williamson Motors Stadium.

Fans are made to feel welcome and so are sponsors. A professional approach has replaced the dark days of the recent past when television audiences were proudly told that the customer was always wrong.

The club's chief executive, Andy Battison, has been instrumental in bringing about a simple change of philosophy: the customer really matters.

Working alongside manager David Hodgson, he has placed community initiatives at the top of the agenda and nothing has been too much trouble.

We are sorry to see Mr Battison leave the club, although it was never expected to be a long-term association. He has helped steer the club back in the right direction and deserves our thanks for an important job well done.

It is essential, however, that the progress is maintained, with chairman Stewart Davies now in charge of the day-to-day running of the club.

We wish Mr Davies well and hope that he gets the support worthy of the constructive approach taken by the Sterling Consortium since it took over from George Reynolds.

For all the recent improvements which have been made on and off the field at Darlington Football Club, the long-term survival of the Quakers still depends on fans getting behind the club in increasing numbers.