FORMER Darlington director Dave Mills has joined Bishop Auckland.

Mills played an integral role for Quakers after they dropped into the Ebac Northern League in 2012, but surprisingly left the club in February citing health reasons.

He had been heavily involved and known for his enthusiasm and dedication to the role, but Bishops will now benefit from Mills experience after being appointed him as commercial director in a voluntary capacity.

Bishops chairman Nick Postma revealed: “One of our aims as directors is to continually increase our income so we can increase the players budget and, so I am delighted to announce that Dave Mills, former director of Darlington, has agreed to lead on our commercial activities on a voluntary basis.

“Dave took over as one of the main directors of Darlington when they were placed in the Northern League and was the main driver in Darlington rising through the ranks to get where they are today through his work building up their commercial / sponsorship activities from virtually nothing to sustaining a National League North side.

“We are looking to build a team to support Dave and his work so if anyone can spare some time in our commercial team then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.”

Mills, involved in the early stages of talks when Quakers’ first expressed an interest in moving to Blackwell Meadows, explained his reasons when he made his exit from Darlington nine months ago.

He said at the time: “It is with deep sadness that I need to inform you that I am stepping down from my role of volunteer Director of Darlington 1883 Ltd, with immediate effect.

“Some of you will know that I suffered a mini-stroke recently, this event was a wake-up call for me and was life changing and since that time I have drastically changed my lifestyle. Removing unnecessary stress by retiring from any employment was one of the changes I have made (alongside healthier eating, which maybe was noticeable to some!).

“Volunteering for DFC has, particularly over recent months, become much more demanding, both in time and pressure, than myself and my family ever envisaged or imagined it would be. It is all encompassing and has no limits on the demands on me.

“Protecting (and I must re-iterate and emphasise that this considered action is a preventative measure and by no means a reaction to any singular event) my health must be my priority and this is the only way for me to regain some normality and sense of balance in my life. There was never going to be a good time to make this decision.”