THE chairman of Darlington Football Club has met a group of local businessmen and fans wishing to take over the troubled club.

Raj Singh last night broke his silence following several days of uncertainty surrounding the future of the non-league club, but dashed hopes that he would put any more money into the side to see it through to the end of the season.

With rumours that the Blue Square Bet Premier League outfit might be heading towards another spell in administration, Mr Singh refused to answer questions about what the club’s immediate fate might be.

Instead, he revealed he had met the Darlington Football Club Rescue Group (DFCRG) consortium yesterday to discuss ideas about how they could take over from him.

Mr Singh said: “I’m not prepared to put any more money in. That’s been my plan for the past few weeks.

“The consortium is hopeful of taking over. They are talking about doing so straightaway.

They don’t need to make me an offer because anyone who wants to take over can do.

They can come in and pick it up.

“I don’t want the club to fold. They wanted to get together and they are hopeful of taking over. I’ve been saying for two months, I will step aside. Whether it’s going to happen, only time will tell.”

Mr Singh said he had “an inkling” of what would happen this week, but would not reveal whether that would be administration, liquidation or a saviour coming in.

He said the club was debtfree, with all non-playing staff wages paid and bills up to date and he expected the players’ wages would be covered by gate receipts from the New Year’s Day derby match with Gateshead and an additional payment from Fulham, triggered by an appearancerelated clause in former goalkeeper David Stockdale’s transfer.

Mr Singh said he expected the consortium would need £300,000 to £400,000 to run the club until the summer, but was unsure of the financial muscle it possessed.

He believed that, to survive for longer, the club needed to gain promotion back to the Football League – something that would in itself be worth £700,000 – and must own The Northern Echo Arena “lock, stock and barrel” or come up with an alternative plan for a new ground.

Meanwhile, DFCRG said there had been “a full and frank exchange of views” during the two-hour meeting.

“Mr Singh took on board DFCRG’s aspirations and said that he would consider them before making any further announcement,”

the group said in a statement.

Spokesman Mark Meynell, who led a consortium that tried to buy the club in 2004, said further announcements would be made by Mr Singh.

However, on the future of the club, he said: “I am optimistic about football in Darlington, but in what shape or form, we don’t know yet.

There is no doubt that the club has to be self-sustaining.

Our business model does not rely on the donations of one rich man.”

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