RESURGENT Darlington Football Club is still stuck in administration and may not be freed from the financial shackles it imposes for up to two months, it has emerged.

The club's share in the Football League has not yet been transferred to Darlington FC Ltd, the company formed at the end of May by new owner the Sterling Consortium, to run the Quakers.

Darlington collapsed into administration last December and only escaped closure after Sterling, the financier that loaned £4m to ex-chairman George Reynolds, stepped in at the 11th hour.

But insolvency practitioners Wilson Field are still in place and say a number of loose ends must be tied up before they apply to the courts to end the administration.

They need to meet the requirements of the Football League and the Football Association, and are also dealing with the complaints from unhappy creditors.

Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Insolvency Practitioners Association and the Association of Chartered Certified Acxcontants are all looking into the administrators' conduct.

However, they insisted that they were battling to resolve the issues in time for the League to approve the share transfer at its next committee meeting.

Regulations mean that Darlington can only have a squad of 20 players while in administration.

Joint administrator David Field told The Northern Echo: "There are a few loose ends we have got to tie up that haven't yet been resolved.

"The main issue is that the Football League hasn't yet transferred the share to the new company, although it should be imminent."

The administrators are also the subject of a DTI inquiry, instigated by creditors who walked away with less than a penny for every pound they were owed by the old company.

Some creditors have pledged to continue to fight for answers to their questions about allegations that the administrators have links to Sterling.

Mr Field said: " I have no intention of applying for release while people are still unhappy with how we have done things.

"There is no specific date to come out of administration. We will make an application when everything has been resolved, and I'm hoping that will be in the next couple of months."

Supporters have witnessed a number of fan-friendly initiatives in recent weeks, while the club has made a promising start to the League Two campaign on the field.