STRUGGLING Darlington Football Club has been bought time thanks to last month's celebrity match, which raised more than £120,000, £1,100 cash generated by the 5,689 fans who turned out to watch Saturday's game and The Northern Echo appeal.

The club's fight for survival was given an important boost when David Kelly, managing director of Newsquest North-East, handed the Quakers a cheque for £22,850 before Saturday's match against Rochdale.

That was the amount raised in only one week after the newspaper appealed to people to sponsor a minute of the Rochdale game, which gave the Quakers a crucial victory. A roll of honour of sponsors is published on Page 2.

Another £1,000 was added when Stephen Moss, of the Turf Hotel, Richmond, made a bid for the boots Paul Gascoigne wore at the celebrity match at Reynolds Arena.

Administrators had warned that the club would close if enough money had not been raised to cover the running costs by the end of January.

Team manager David Hodgson said: "The Northern Echo's support has been invaluable and this is a magnificent amount of money to raise so quickly."

The Northern Echo's appeal is designed to help to address the club's day-to-day solvency. Darlington Building Society, the Quakers' primary sponsor, has set up an interest-earning trust fund to channel money raised to administrators.

The club's short-term future may be secure, but its long-term survival remains in doubt. Darlington has debts of about £20m. A deadline of April 22 has been agreed by creditors for the club to come out of administration or face liquidation.

Mark Meynell is leading a group of local businessmen who have joined forces with Darlington Supporters' Trust to draw up proposals to buy the club and the Reynolds Arena.

The group plans to launch a bid for the Quakers by the February 13 deadline.