DARLINGTON were told by Northampton Town last night that Marco Gabbiadini will not be returning to Feethams.

After prolonged negotiations with Northampton and Gabbiadini, who spent three goal-laden years at Darlington until the end of the 1999-2000 season, Tommy Taylor's hopes of luring the striker back were dashed.

Northampton were willing to allow Gabbiadini, their highest earner on at least £2,500 a week, to head north as they look to find £500,000 by the end of January to stave off the prospect of administration and possible closure.

But Town manager Kevin Broadhurst made it clear he was distinctly unimpressed with Darlington's approach to the talks and their reluctance to meet both the Cobblers' and 34-year-old Gabbiadini's demands.

Broadhurst said: "I've spoken to Tommy Taylor and I told him there's no deal.

"If anything comes out again it's a nonsense, and I hope I've now killed this once and for all."

Darlington chairman George Reynolds, reeling after his club's miserable run of seven games without a win, was still hopeful of luring back Gabbiadini as recently as Monday.

But Broadhurst added: "Marco doesn't particularly want to go and they haven't made him an offer that's even half credible really.

"There would have to be something in it for Marco to go but there's nothing there.

"There's nothing in it for us to let him go, either, so I don't know what it's all about.

"I've said to Tommy that if he comes up with a deal that we're happy with, we can talk. But at the moment there's nothing close.

"If they can't make us happy and they can't make Marco happy, that's the end of it."

The news is a bitter blow to Darlington, who have been desperately seeking a striker ever since Faustino Asprilla backed out of his proposed move to Feethams.

Reynolds has made it clear that money is available for a top-class lower division forward, and he has been heavily linked with Stockport County's Luke Beckett as well as Gabbiadini.

But the emotional pull of the club for whom he scored 47 goals in 82 league games was not sufficient to persuade Gabbiadini to move more than 200 miles North and drop a division.

Northampton began their search for £500,000 last month, and the club's board started off the fighting fund by raising £100,000.

But with the January 31 deadline looming large, they had brought in just an extra £11,000 by last night.

Read more about the Quakers here.