IN the nicest possible way, it is with great regret that my column lives on.

When I first agreed to share my thoughts in The Northern Echo - ten weeks ago - it was on the understanding that it would exist for as long as the club was in administration.

While my initial feeling is one of disappointment that we remain in such a precarious position, I remain 100 per cent certain that Darlington FC will survive. And while I cannot disclose any more details as yet, that may be something in which I personally have a say.

On the pitch we still have plenty to do, and by winning games and keeping morale up, we can show that this club is worth fighting for.

The lads were absolutely fantastic at Doncaster last week and I think that showed how much spirit there is at the club right now.

After the terrible performance against Cambridge a week earlier we showed tremendous character to bounce back and prove that we're good enough to compete with the best.

What disappointed me as much as the late equaliser was the behaviour of the Doncaster fans, who took it upon themselves to wind our supporters up by chanting "There's only one George Reynolds" when the ex-chairman decided to turn up.

Not so long ago, Doncaster were in a similar position as us so I thought they would have had a bit more tact, understanding our situation.

Carlisle continue to defy the odds and they recorded another great win at Scunthorpe during the week. Unfortunately, it cost Brian Laws, a good friend of mine, his job.

Nobody would touch Lawsy after an incident at Grimsby a few years back when he was manager - one of their players, Ivano Bonetti, left the ground with a fractured cheekbone - but I gave him a chance as a player. That allowed him to move on to Scunthorpe as a player, where he eventually got back into management. He had a good seven years there and I'm sure he'll get other opportunities to get back into the game.

Claude Le Roy became the new manager of Cambridge this week, which is an amazing appointment and I'm sure it will help raise the profile of the club.

At this level, it is important to put across the right image and with Le Roy's arrival - he has managed at the highest level with Cameroon and Senegal - I'm sure Cambridge are heading in the right direction.

We may not have any competitive derbies to look forward to this season but Wednesday night's reserve game with Hartlepool provided us with a reminder of how much they mean.

It was very competitive and wasn't the kind of reserve game you normally see these days. In most of the games I've taken in there hasn't usually been that kind of desire and commitment. Despite everything that happened on the pitch, it was good to see everybody shake hands afterwards.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to include Leandro Scartascini in reserve games. I've been pleased with what I've seen of him so far in training and hopefully we'll be able to get clearance for 'Leo' to get a few games in before the end of the season.

He's settled in very well with the rest of the lads and has moved in with Ryan Valentine, who is doing a great job at playing mum!

I've been able to speak to Leo in Spanish. But as for Ryan, his grasp of English is basic at the best of times so I think it will be a while before Leo finally picks up the lingo.

Read more about the Quakers here.