AS deadline day dawns for Darlington Football Club, it remains impossible to predict with confidence what kind of future the Quakers have.

It is encouraging that there is at least one "workable" proposal being lined up, with other bidders awaiting their moment in the background.

We do not support one bid over any other. Like all decent supporters of Darlington Football Club, we simply want what is best for the Quakers.

We applaud lifelong fan and Quakers' associate director Mark Meynell, who has led a local team which has worked hard to produce a business plan aimed at putting the club at the heart of the community.

It remains to be seen whether his consortium has the financial clout to be successful but he deserves credit for his efforts no matter what happens.

We also applaud manager David Hodgson, who has done so much to keep the club on an even keel during administration. Without his efforts in organising an all-stars event which raised around £150,000, the club would not have survived this long. He has our full support.

What has been demonstrated unequivocally in recent weeks is that the local community will get behind the club, providing it creates a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere.

We have made it clear from the moment that Darlington FC was taken into administration, that we believe the club can only move forward if former chairman George Reynolds is no longer involved.

Nevertheless, the future hinges on whether he is prepared to compromise on the amount of money he receives in any deal. What is certain is that it will be nowhere near the £20m he says he is owed.

The irony is that Mr Reynolds saved the club from bankruptcy five years ago. And now he is being asked to save it again - by agreeing to walk away.