TERRY GALBRAITH has opted to leave Darlington after a seven-and-a-half year spell with the club.

Galbraith joined Quakers in November 2012 and quickly established himself as one of the club’s most popular players.

He was an influential figure as Darlington won three promotions to move from the Northern League to National League North, with his efforts seeing him cement a place at the heart of the side before he was eventually handed the captain’s armband.

He leaves having made 303 appearances, scoring 56 goals, with perhaps his most influential moment coming via the equaliser he claimed against Spennymoor Town in the Northern League promotion season.

“After a long hard think and many sleepless nights, I’ve made a decision to leave Darlington,” said Galbraith. “Obviously, it’s been a very tough choice, but I feel it’s the correct one to make right now.

“It’s been an amazing eight years that have produced many memories I will never ever forget, especially captaining a great set of lads for the last couple of seasons.

“A massive thank you to the fans for the constant support from day one and the amazing efforts every year to keep the club moving forward. I wish everyone all the very best in the future.”

Meanwhile, Alun Armstrong has paid tribute to the devotion of the Darlington fans after a ‘Boost the budget’ fundraising drive raised £131,000.

The money will help swell the playing budget for next season, and Armstrong was quick to praise the continued loyalty of the Quakers faithful.

“It’s phenomenal what they’ve done,” said the Darlington boss. “We didn’t expect that, no way on earth could we have expected that much.

“We were expecting a shortfall this year because of the situation, and we wouldn’t have begrudged that, so to have blown it away the way they have is just unbelievable.

“It seems as though they’re enjoying what we’re doing at the moment, and that’s given me a bit more pressure because they want to see a lot more. I do too, and I know we’ve got a decent squad there.

“I know I’ve got to make additions, and that’s probably put me in a decent position to be able to knock on the door and say, ‘Listen, we might have to go a bit stronger’. They’ve given me plenty of firepower there.”