Darlington have made a bid to sign Sunderland midfielder Neil Wainwright.

But the move looks doomed to failure, as the Black Cats appear to have priced him out of the Quakers' reach.

Wainwright was at Feethams for a three-month loan spell from the Stadium of Light last season, scoring four times in 16 matches including one on his debut against Peterborough.

He returned to Sunderland but was still unable to break into the first team, and recently returned from a three-month loan at Halifax.

The Quakers see him as an ideal signing to boost their battle against relegation, but the size of the fee being asked by Sunderland boss Peter Reid is a huge stumbling block.

Chairman George Reynolds said: "We've made an enquiry, but the fee Sunderland want is too much."

Darlington's problem is that they won't be able to borrow Wainwright from Sunderland, as they have already used their two permitted loan players - Kevin Kyle and Thomas Butler - from the Premiership club.

Wainwright isn't the only player thatQuakers are pursuing. "We're looking at four players in total," said Reynolds.

Two of the targets are believed to be forwards, one of whom could be former striker Martin Carruthers, but Southend could be looking for a six figure fee.

They are still thought to be interested in midfielder Gary Brabin, but the Quakers will face stiff competition for his signature.

Meanwhile, Reynolds revealed that he was offering words of encouragement to management pair Gary Bennett and Mick Tait during Darlington's 1-0 win over Cheltenham on Tuesday night.

He said: "I told them that we were playing our best football for a long time.

"But then the fourth official told me to get out, because I shouldn't really have been in there!"

Bennett didn't mind Reynolds making an unscheduled appearance: "The chairman was just like all the supporters on Tuesday, anxious that the team would do well."

l Quakers manager Bennett has suffered a blow with the news that defender Paul Heckingbottom could be ruled out for at least a week.

Heckingbottom limped off with a recurrence of his groin injury just before half-time, and will have to rest ahead of a busy schedule.