WHAT should have been a normal day in the life of a professional footballer was sadly something else. Rather than head into Thursday's training session with the Darlington squad, Paul Arnison spent the day training alone, while looking for a new job.

It has not been the ideal way to start 2012 for the reliable full-back. Having gone through the whole of December without being paid, he is fearing the worst and is not expecting too much to arrive this month either.

This afternoon's trip to Barrow in the Conference could mark the end of Darlington's 128-year proud history. It could also bring an end to Arnison's 17 seasons in professional football, when a new chapter in his life will begin.

As things stand he is the club's longest-serving player. He is the only member of the squad to have been around since Darlington emerged from their last experience of administration in 2009.

Arnison is not convinced he will be around for much longer. He may hold out hope, but is having to seriously consider all the options he has available to him.

When confirmation came through that Darlington had fallen into administration for the third time in nine years on Tuesday, the future of all the remaining members of a threadbare squad was thrown into doubt.

The likes of Liam Hatch, Jamie Chandler and Sam Russell have strong chances of finding new employers quickly, but Arnison is among a group of senior pros at The Northern Echo Arena who could find it more difficult to move on.

The unwanted situation has forced him to drop the asking price for his family home and consider speeding up a long- term plan to emigrate to Australia. He is scouring vacancies in the job market.

"The job I have applied for with the Royal Mail in Hartlepool is still open to applicants," said Arnison, as he cast his eye over the job sections in the newspapers while chatting over a mug of coffee in Café Rappor Bar at Hartlepool's Marina.

"I don't really know what to do. I am applying for jobs because Saturday could be our last game and there may not be a club next week. That's how serious it is.

"I am older than the other lads, who might be looking to keep playing professionally. This could have been my last season anyway so I'm just looking at my options.

"I'm thinking about maybe playing part-time, Northern League, Evo-Stik League. I am 34 and a bit, I still think I could do a job as a footballer because I am fit, but who knows?

"I am looking for anything. I don't have any qualifications because I was daft and just concentrated on football over the last 17 years.

"If I can get a part-time or a full-time job then play football part-time that would do me. I just hope there will be a break."

Since emerging through the ranks at Newcastle United during the eras of Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson, Arnison has experienced disappointments. But he has tended to emerge stronger.

He has regularly been out of contract in the past but secured another deal to extend his playing days during his spells with Hartlepool, Carlisle, Bradford and Darlington.

He will be due a retirement payment from the Professional Footballers' Association, which takes into account his previous employers and his earnings, when he turns 35. Even then, though, the sum of money will not be enough to secure his family's future.

"It's quite scary," said Arnison, whose wife, Amanda, is a nurse practitioner and they have two young boys, Harry and Alfie. "I could have to make a decision after Saturday's game if things come up.

"We have a free week after that, who knows what will happen at the club?

"I will have to make a decision if a job does come up.

"I get an email off a job site when one that could interest me pops up. It's all new to me. I wouldn't know where to start, but my wife is helping me along. It's all surreal at the moment.

"I'm just trying to get on with it. It's something I have got to do in case the club does fold."

The club's history is the biggest loser behind all of the troubles, but Arnison's tale should not be lost on any of the fans either, with his story just an example of those being faced around the club.

"There are young lads who have had to use their Christmas money for petrol to get in," said Arnison. "They have no wages left.

"Kris Taylor has moved up from Birmingham, his wife doesn't work, he hasn't been paid for two months.

"It's just so hard. Money isn't coming in, so there will be lads struggling. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson has to drive up from Huddersfield every day. That's expensive - £35 a day. It soon runs out.

"I know The Northern Echo has put on a bus for us, so it saves us going over to Barrow in a mini-bus. Everything helps.

"People are rallying around to take over the club, whether it will happen in time I don't know. I really hope so."

The predicament at Darlington is a far cry from that in the upper echelons of the footballing ladder. Given the club's plight, it must be sickening to consider it would take just two weeks of Carlos Tevez's wages (amounting to £400,000) to keep Darlington afloat until the end of the season.

Arnison, who has never earned Premier League wages, witnessed the top-flight's riches in action during his time at Newcastle in the late 90s, which seems a million miles away from the situation he finds himself in now.

"I will always remember my time playing football. It's every young footballer's dream to have played professionally and I wouldn't have changed it for the world," said Arnison.

"But you are not set for life if you haven't reached the top. You have to think about life after football, what you want to do. I have been lucky enough to play football, but not lucky enough to earn millions and thousands so I can retire. You still have to go and work and provide for the family.

"I have had great highs and a number of lows, the highs have outweighed the lows. Promotions, play-off finals, Wembley finals, I've played under some great managers, with some great players. I have had a good career and it is just a shame how it could all end, a bit sour by the looks of it. It hasn't ended yet but it doesn't look good."

Arnison is still in good shape physically. Even though he listened to caretaker manager Craig Liddle and didn't go into training on Thursday, he still went for a run along the promenade at Seaton Carew in his Quakers training gear to maintain fitness levels.

As soon as his half an hour of exercise finished it was back to the search for a new job.

As well as trawling the internet and reading the newspapers, he has been sending texts out to friends in the hope of a job cropping up at home or even in Australia.

He said: "Lidds told us he can't expect us all to go in if we are not being paid. He knows the players are looking for jobs and other clubs. I thought I would go for a run on my own and try to clear my head.

"I have to keep looking. At the end of the day I have to provide for my family. If I can't do that with Darlington, then I will have to look elsewhere. It's scary, daunting, all of those things. I just hope there's a happy ending for everyone."

Despite the concerns he has, he is maintaining his smile - or at least trying to. "It is worrying, but at the top of it you have to keep going," he said.

"You never know, somebody might ring and say they are after a right-back. You have to keep going, hoping. I could be that person.

"I have to keep ticking over and stay fit. It is worrying. I have two kids and a mortgage to pay for.

"They come first. I will have to get a job in the real world one day, this could well be when I do."