THERE will be some supporters of Darlington Football Club who are not particularly happy at Raj Singh’s return to the North-East football scene.

Mr Singh, who completed his takeover of Hartlepool United on Saturday, was the chairman of Darlington when the club was placed into administration in the 2011-12 season.

By the start of the following campaign, Mr Singh had departed and Darlington were demoted to the Northern League.

Six years on, and the Quakers are still trying to claw their way back to the Conference.

In an exclusive interview in today’s Northern Echo, Mr Singh admits that things “went wrong” during his time at Darlington and claims he wants to “rectify some unfinished business” following his successful takeover at Hartlepool.

We believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and with Hartlepool having been on the brink of bankruptcy prior to Mr Singh’s arrival, we welcome his decision to bail out one of the North-East’s most historic and popular clubs.

Had he not teamed up with TV presenter Jeff Stelling, Hartlepool might well have found themselves playing in the Northern League.

Mr Singh has called on Hartlepool supporters to give him a “fair crack of the whip”, and he deserves a chance to prove he has learned from his mistakes at Darlington.

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating though. Having been involved in one of the region’s darkest sporting hours, we sincerely hope he will lead Hartlepool to a bright and prosperous future.