DARLINGTON’S season ends on Saturday with a trip to Stockport County and the deadline for supporters to supplement Tommy Wright’s budget is fast approaching too.

A fundraising drive aimed at strengthening Wright’s hand when planning his squad for 2018-19 was launched in March by the Darlington FC Supporters Group (DFCSG) and has had a strong response.

With the scheme ending on Monday, over £65,000 has been raised so far.

A similar scheme 12 months ago saw more than 180 people combining to chip in £40,000 over the course of this season, mostly via weekly or monthly pledges.

One year on, and with Blackwell Meadows no longer requiring substantial development – a new seated stand was opened in March – the Supporters Group set their target at £80,000.

Fans are invited to pledge any amount they can, payments can be made weekly or monthly, with proceeds raised added to Wright’s budget for the 2018-19 season, and his plans are well underway.

Wright said: “I don’t think I can thanks the fans enough for raising that money, but at the same time I want to give them something back.

“We’ll be working really hard to juggle the squad around and to bring in a fresh face or two.”

Chris Stockdale, chairman of the DFCSG, said: “I want to say thank you to all the fans who have backed the scheme so far. 282 people have boosted the budget, over 100 more than last season and I’m delighted that we are on course to raise substantially more than last year.

“By contributing on a weekly or monthly basis it’s a very affordable way to support our club and in return this season we are giving access to a unique range of money can’t buy experiences.

“Feedback from supporters is that we now have a manager in place who they trust to invest their money wisely and if we can get close to our £80,000 target I expect Tommy will have a competitive budget going into next season.”

* To support Boost the Budget you can make a pledge online here