THE Northern Echo's sponsor-a-minute appeal for Darlington's crunch match with Rochdale stood at a total of £21,550 last night.

The appeal has proven a major success in the on-going efforts to secure the Quakers' immediate future.

Every minute of today's Third Division fixture against Rochdale at the Reynolds Arena has been sponsored by at least one company or organisation. They have paid £100 for each minute.

Individuals, or groups of individual, have also paid £50-a-minute to boost the appeal.

Quakers manager David Hodgson last night pleaded for fans to turn up in their thousands for today's game.

More than 14,200 supporters did the club proud last Sunday, filling the stadium for two celebrity fund-raising matches.

Hodgson said: "It is vitally important that we keep the momentum going."

The prospect of another big crowd was increased last night, when the club revealed more than 1,000 tickets had already been sold.

The encouraging early sales have raised hopes that a crowd of 6,500, the break-even attendance figure, will be achieved.

Darlington has debts of about £20m. A deadline of April 22 has been agreed by creditors for the club to come out of administration or face liquidation.

The Northern Echo's appeal is designed to help address the club's day-to-day solvency. Darlington Building Society, the Quakers' primary sponsor, has set up an interest-earning trust fund to channel money raised to administrators.

Jan Sturgeon, of Herriot Court, Darlington, has sponsored the 74th minute in memory of her father Derrick Moore. Mr Moore, 71, was a season ticket holder and life-long supporter.

Doug Embleton, a member of Darlington Supporters' Trust, similarly sponsored a minute in memory of his father Joe, who died in 1995 at the age of 82.

Another football fan who would have liked to see the Quakers survive was Mark Godfrey, from Darlington, who lost his battle against bowel cancer in August 2001.

His father, Dennis, has sponsored the game's 33rd minute, the age of his son when he died.

Mr Godfrey's sponsorship encouraged Brian Boggon, 46, of The Headlands, Darlington to do the same for his loved ones. He sponsored a minute of the match in honour of his late father, Harry, and mother, Dora.