FOOTBALL fans are continuing to dig deep in their efforts to save Darlington FC.

The club faces extinction after being placed into adminstration by former chairman Raj Singh, and the administrator now handling affairs has described the situation as dire.

It is feared the gates to The Northern Echo Arena could be locked within a couple of a weeks, bringing an end to an association with the town stretching back 128 years.

Last week, supporters raised £8,000 online for the club’s players, many of whom had not been paid. The fund had been set up by the Darlo Uncovered website to get £150 to pay for a pre-match meal, but reached four figures within hours.

By last night, they had raised an additional £690.

The Darlington FC Supporters’ Club started its own fundraising drive last Saturday when it raised more than £1,000 at the Blue Square Bet Premier League game in Barrow, Cumbria.

Supporters continued their efforts last night at the Durham Challenge Cup match between Newton Aycliffe and Shildon, at Aycliffe’s Moore Lane Park.

The group is already preparing for a number of future collections and will be at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday for Middlesbrough’s Championship clash with Burnley.

Secretary Karen Glencross said: “The support and generosity of people at a time like this really is heart-warming and it’s fantastic that we can enjoy the support of both our non-league neighbours as well as the bigger clubs.

“At the moment, we’re just raising as much money as we possibly can, which will go into supporting the future of football in Darlington in whatever form that may be.

“The cash raised will be held by the supporters’ club in the short-term, and will be used appropriately to help the football club in any way we can.”

Aycliffe chairman Gary Farley said: “It’s often said that the football family gathers round in times like this and it goes without saying, nobody would want to see the demise of Darlington FC.

“Quakers have helped us in the past with two big pre-season friendlies that enabled us to raise much-needed funds, so this was the least we could do, and we wish the supporters, club the very best of luck in their fundraising efforts.”

A spokesman for Middlesbrough FC, which successfully saw off a threat to its own future 25 years ago, said they were more than happy to help out in Darlington’s hour of need.

Meanwhile, Darlington Football Club Rescue Group, led by local businessmen and fans, called on the administrator to ensure money-spinning games against Fleetwood Town and York City before the end of the month went ahead, to give them more time to go through the club’s accounts.

Jason Lees, Quakers’ general manager, said he needed to know today or tomorrow whether the Fleetwood match on January 21 was to be fulfilled, but, despite losing staff at the club, had volunteers in place to staff the game and prepare the pitch.

“The support is immense,” he said. “It will be a lot cheaper to put this match on than any other game. It could make us some money and keep us going."