Darlington are likely to vote in favour of the Football League's proposal of two up and two down with the Nationwide Conference.

The League's Management committee is to recommend to its clubs at next month's AGM that from the start of next season, the current one club arrangement should be increased to two. Quakers football director Luke Raine said: "We don't think it's a bad idea.

"It will provide more of an incentive for Conference clubs if they have two promotion places to go for, while clubs in the Third Division will have to play harder to stay up.

"It wouldn't be right to make the League elitist and a closed shop, otherwise clubs would have nowhere to go."

There has been promotion and relegation with the Conference for over a decade after the League scrapped the old system of re-election, with Quakers benefiting in 1990.

Quakers never actually dropped as low as second bottom in the season just ended, but any repeat next season is sure to test the nerves of the supporters again.

Meanwhile, manager Gary Bennett is hopeful that defender Paul Heckingbottom and midfielder Martin Gray will be ready for the start of the new season on August 11.

Both have had bad injuries, and Bennett said: "The pair of them are training right through the summer."

Former Darlington players Steve Gaughan and Robbie Painter have both been freed by Halifax Town, Painter came on as a sub last month against Quakers at the Shay, and was given a warmer reception by the away fans, than the home fans.

* Barry Hearn promised to take Leyton Orient to new heights when he took over at Brisbane Road six years ago.

But yesterday he was on a different kind of high as the London club contemplate their second play-off final in three seasons.

Matt Lockwood's 30-yard screamer finally saw off Hull last night to send two-thirds of the 9,000-plus crowd wild with delight.

And reflecting on the 2-0 victory that sealed a date with Blackpool in the Division Three play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, Hearn said: ''Drugs? Who needs them? Just come to Leyton Orient. I'm flying. That's certainly my stimulant."

Read more about the Quakers here.