Darlington assistant manager Mick Tait is promising the squad a tough pre-season when the players return again in July.

Quakers finished the season badly with six straight defeats, and Tait feels that the players need to be physically and mentally tougher for the start of the new campaign on August 11.

"We must have a hard pre-season," he said.

"It came across to me over the last few weeks of the season that the opposition were stronger than us, both physically and mentally.

"We must change that for next season. It's all right having a team full of players who can play football, but if we're up against a bigger, stronger and more disciplined team, then we won't be able to play football, as happened against Blackpool.

"We were under pressure, both physically and mentally, and unless we do something about that, then we won't be going anywhere.

"Gary (Bennett) and I are devastated with the last six matches.

"To lose them all after the hard work to achieve safety is hard to take.

"To get to 49 points with 40 games played was more than we hoped for, and then we were hoping to finish in a good mid-table position. So maybe everybody switched off psychologically.

"We knew what was wrong in the team and we managed to get it right for a good period of time. That is what we'll be after next season - the players must be physically and mentally tough."

Meanwhile, manager Gary Bennett will start work on his retained list today.

Several players are out of contract soon, the most notable being five goal striker John Williams. Jesper Hjorth, Paul Beavers, Jordan Tait, Jean-Michel Cau and Abraham Keita are also at the end of their deals.

Quakers have yet to decide on their pre-season build up. Last year, Quakers played in tournaments in the Isle of Man and Scarborough, but they are considering a tour of Ireland in late July. They are also trying to arrange a couple of friendlies at Feethams.

Top scorer Glenn Naylor, meanwhile, tore knee ligaments in Saturday's home defeat by Blackpool, but should be fit for the start of the new season, as should defender Craig Liddle, who goes into hospital soon for a cartilage operation.

l Chesterfield Football Club were lastnight facing the prospect of administrators arriving at Saltergate to take over the running of the club despite a 28-day extension to its life expectancy.

A hearing at Leeds High Court deferred the winding up order presented before them amid claims of a six-figure loan taken out by former chairman Darren Brown against the club's Saltergate ground to pay immediate debts.

And if administrators are brought in, former supremo Brown may decide to make a big move for his old club.