MIDFIELDER Brian Healy yesterday became Tommy Taylor's first signing as Darlington manager.

And within hours of the former Torquay United man putting pen to paper on a one-month contract, he set his sights on earning a longer deal.

Healy, a Glaswegian based in Stockton, has not played League football since being told his services were no longer required by Gulls chief Roy McFarland during the summer.

And now the 32-year-old playmaker, who is likely to be on the bench for today's clash with Oxford United, is determined to make up for lost time by helping Quakers come out of their recent slump.

"I am glad I have been given a chance by Tommy here," said Healy. "I'm determined to try to make sure I stay here longer than a month.

"My first impressions of this club have been good.

"I know I'm coming in when Darlington are not doing particularly well, but I think it's just been a bit of bad luck more than anything.

"I don't know a lot of the players and even the couple of days I have been training here I have not had much of a chance to see them.

"At first I was training with the YTS lads and on Friday I went for a run with the first team but then I had to get off and sign the deal."

Healy has been on trial with Third Division rivals Hartlepool and high-flying Rochdale over the past month, and he admits he was close to signing for the Spotland club.

"Last Thursday I was expecting to be signing for Rochdale," said the former Morecambe and Spennymoor middle man.

"But their boss Steve Parkin rang me up and said he was not going to be able to complete the deal because he was taking over at Barnsley."

When Healy left Morecambe for Torquay in December 1998 for £25,000 he fulfilled a dream of playing professional fooball.

During his first 18 months he scored 11 goals in 55 appearances.

But Healy, once described by ex-Torquay boss Wes Saunders 'as the man who makes us tick', had a cruciate knee ligament injury and he has hardly kicked a ball since.

After signing for Quakers, he said: "It might be a good chance for me at Darlington, but I also see this as a chance to prove to myself that I can still do it.

"Suffering an injury like that was a massive blow to me and then for Roy McFarland to tell me he didn't want me, before he had even seen me kick a ball, was a nightmare.

"But at 32 I'm now eager to prove to myself and everybody else that I can still do it."

Darlington boss Taylor believes Healy can provide his side with a few more options, but insisted he will not throw him straight into the starting line-up.

"Brian will be on the bench," said Taylor, who is making his Feethams managerial bow this afternoon since taking over the reins from Gary Bennett.

"Brian can score goals from midfield, he can give us something different in there and he will get his foot in.

"With Craig Liddle out and Barry Conlon's suspension coming up, we need someone like that in the team."

After an impressive start to the season, Darlington have stuttered and they are searching for their first win in eight games.

Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Shrewsbury led to Taylor calling for his players to toughen up and he echoed those sentiments last night.

"All of the players will be given an opportunity to do that but if they don't then we will have to look at the situation.

Read more about the Quakers here.