defender Neil Aspin last night revealed he doesn't have a club lined up following his shock departure from Darlington.

Aspin, who was signed in the summer of 1999, was released on Thursday by "mutual agreement" following a meeting with club officials.

"I still want to be involved in football but I've got nothing in the pipeline," he said.

"I want to continue playing for as long as possible and continue coaching in some way.

"I really enjoyed my time at Darlington and I want to thank the fans for the support and encouragement they've given me since I went there.

"There's some great lads in the dressing room and I want to wish them luck for the rest of the season, as well as the youngsters who I was coaching."

But asked about the circumstances of his departure, he said: "I don't want to get drawn into any arguments over it."

Quakers public relations director Luke Raine has responded to fans who are concerned about the way the club is being run.

Some, whose worries increased after the departure of Aspin, are planning a peaceful protest before this afternoon's game against league leaders Chesterfield at Feethams.

"We understand fans' concerns and do not dismiss their opinions lightly," he said.

"But as a board we have set ourselves a plan of things we hope to achieve at the club. To carry out our plan we must stick to the agenda we have set ourselves and understand and accept we will not please all of the fans all of the time. I understand fans want instant success but this is not always possible.

"Our position was stated regarding the club when we took over from the previous regime. The aim was to take the club forward to a secure future, financially sound and installed in a new stadium.

"I know that some fans will disagree with this. I can only reiterate we have a long-term policy and we will resolve to see it through.

"We have been at the club for almost two seasons and admit to making errors of judgement.

"As director of PR my job is to deal with these errors and I have always tried to be honest and fair in my dealings with the majority of fans and also accept any constructive criticism made to me."

Meanwhile, manager Gary Bennett will use his players' last display against Chesterfield as motivation when the league leaders come to Feethams this afternoon.

Quakers last faced Chesterfield less than a month ago and produced one of their worst performances of the season in a 2-0 defeat.

But on the back of an improved run of results, confidence is coming back and Quakers go into the game in a better frame of mind, especially as they have played some better football recently.

Manager Gary Bennett said: "We want to set the record straight.

"The players know that they did not perform at Chesterfield on Boxing Day and I want them to bounce back.

"Their confidence has improved over the last three games and I think we will be able to pose Chesterfield more problems than we did at Christmas.

"We've changed our style of play since then. We were playing too many long balls, but now we play the ball more to feet.

"It's a big test for us but I'm expecting the players to raise their game and if we come through this, then I will start thinking that maybe we have turned the corner.

"The big difference to us is that I have been able to field a balanced side in the last three matches."

Bennett has several problems to consider before choosing his side for today's game.

Midfielder Brian Atkinson and striker John Williams have returned to training in the last couple of days, while he has to decide between Andy Collett and Frank Van Der Geest in goal.

With Aspin gone the door is open for Mark Kilty to establish himself in the centre of defence.

Chesterfield have more problems off the pitch than on it. They will probably be at full strength on the field, but three directors resigned this week, while the club has also to decide whether to move to a new ground.

l Darlington fans will now be able to follow the team anywhere in the world thanks to an Internet commentary service from The Northern Echo. At our website www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/sport/football/darlington fans will be able to follow the action from all home games.

The new feature kicks off this afternoon