Darlington welcomed their first summer signings yesterday with the promise of more soon to come.

Manager Martin Gray says he is continually speaking to targets and hopes to reveal more additions to the squad by the end of next week.

Quakers' pre-season training gets underway on July 7 with Gray intending to make the bulk of his signings before then with six players already joining, as revealed in The Northern Echo yesterday.

Dan Smith, Darren Richardson, Danny Mellanby, Adam Nicholls, Shaun Reay and Jamie Clarke have all agreed to join with Gray saying that detecting players' hunger to join Darlington is a factor in his recruitment drive.

Smith, a left-sided centre-back, began his career at Sunderland before having a spell with Aberdeen and was last season at Chester-le-Street.

Gray said: "I've spoken to a few people about Dan and he seems to have got the bit between his teeth and this is a great opportunity for him. He had a very good upbringing at Sunderland.

"It wasn't about money for him, it was about becoming part of what we're doing and that's important. When I've spoken to players, it's their character that I want to see, I want to know if they really want to be part of what we're doing here.

"Danny Mellanby says he's got unfinished business at Darlington and wants to come back. He was desperate to come on board and have a go.

"He's been a prolific scorer in the Northern League and I've also brought Shaun Reay back.

"He went to Blyth and scored against Bournemouth in that FA Cup run they had and played Blackburn Rovers - he probably made Harry Dunn half a million quid!

"So it's exciting to get him back and well get a good pre-season into him."

Striker Clarke, 38, is well known at Northern League level having scored goals for a number of clubs, including Guisborough, Marske, Spennymoor and Durham.

Gray added: "Jamie was at Whitby after Christmas and scored a lot of goals and kept them up in the Evo-Stik League. So that's two experienced players in him and Danny.

"Darren Richardson has come from Bishop Auckland and is highly recommended. Phil Brumwell, who's at Shildon now, talks highly of him and so does Harry Dunn.

"Adam Nicholson is a really good winger, he had a good game in the Vase final for West Auckland.

"These lads we've signed, none of them are big earners, they've signed because they want to come to Darlington, they want to be part of something."