BEFORE the dust has settled on the latest round between George Reynolds and David Hodgson, it would possibly be more constructive if those forgotten in this dispute had their voices heard - the fans of Darlington FC.

It is they who have endured a tortuous season of seeing their club go through thin and thinner, who have seen the team they hoped would move on from the near-success of last season to again be challenging near the top of the Third Division plunge dramatically down the league.

And, most importantly, it is those fans who are now praying that Darlington FC's season doesn't turn into the nightmare it is threatening to become.

The one thing that has merely added to the problems is that their arch-rivals Hartlepool United find themselves in an almost identical situation to the one Quakers were in last season.

Tuesday night's defeat against York City has plunged Darlington back into the relegation mire and this is one battle that certainly won't be won and lost on the airwaves.

The time has come to move on from the past - David Hodgson will not be returning to Darlington, George Reynolds knows that and the fans know it.

The immediate future lies in the hands of Gary Bennett and Mick Tait who must try to resurrect a team bereft of ideas and, more importantly, confidence.

While Reynolds and Hodgson argue about bonuses and players' wages, their neighbours Hartlepool have no "stars" picking up hefty bonuses and were, in fact, paying some of their players more three of four years ago.

The club have earmarked a trio of young signings this week as "ones for the future" which can only be good news for the Hartlepool fans.

The club's owners IOR Ltd, part of a Norwegian oil empire, also speak about building for the future, - something Darlington under Reynolds are also planning.

The tortured Quakers fans must take some heart that, after previous regimes, they are no longer banging on the door of bankruptcy and their huge new stadium is going up.

But for Darlington, the future appears a luxury and at present the players they are bringing in are being thrown straight in at the deep end.

The loss of derby hero Andy Collett, who joins Brian Atkinson, Martin Gray, among others on the sidelines, means that many of Quakers' most experienced pros are missing at a time when they are most needed. Darlington's season won't be judged by soundbites on the radio, it will be judged by games won and points gained.

They have 13 matches to ensure their safety and a close look at the run-in reveals not one of those games can be considered a three-point banker.

The games include three six-pointers against Exeter, Torquay and Halifax and a run of four tough home games out of five matches at the end of March and beginning of April .

Bennett and Tait need experienced heads because every point will have to be fought for and every game will be the proverbial "cup final". On the plus side they still have their destiny in their own hands - for the time being at least - and if they can pick up points in games against the teams around them then they can still save themselves.

They also have the added bonus of the "Chesterfield" situation to fall back on.

Chesterfield's plight is complex to say the least after a Football League investigation into their finances found alleged cases of breaking transfer regulations, irregular payments to players and the under-reporting of gate receipts.

The club continues to deny the accusations but they are serious enough to ensure that the basement division's runaway leaders could be denied a promotion place, deducted points or even relegated if found guilty.

That fate befell Swindon when they were sent down a division in 1990 after another investigation into alleged financial irregularities, with the original punishment of two divisions being halved on appeal

But Darlington cannot rely on Chesterfield and the Reynolds and Hodgson sideshow must not deflect from their number one priority - safety