Club won't say where the money has gone.

Byline: ANDREW WILKINSON 

[e-mail] ADMINISTATORS running Darlington FC today refused to reveal where the money raised in Sunday's all-star match has gone.

Paul Gascoigne starred in a game which raised tens of thousands of pounds - yet three days later administrators Brackenbury Clark and Co dismissed nine members of the football club's staff.

Former team manager Dave Penney and caretaker boss Martin Gray say they were assured by administrators that the money raised would be used to keep staff in work.

Yet yesterday Gray, goalkeeping coach Andy Collett, kit man Andrew Thompson who has been with the club 20 years, and other members of staff were told they were no longer required.

Last night Penney phoned the Gazette from his holiday abroad to express his dismay, while Gray said: "The administrators promised us they would use that money to keep people in employment.

"I'm disappointed, I'm angry and I'm embarrassed. People gave their time and money for this, and will feel let down." Neither Dave Clark and Ben Ramsay from the administrators would today answer any questions from the Gazette.

Mr Ramsey said we could ask him what we liked but he would not answer.

But we can reveal that shortly before Sunday's game he had told the club's Supporters Trust: "Any funds raised in accordance with the 'allstars' game will be utilised by the company to fund trading expenses incurred whilst in administration." Tony Taylor of the Trust said today: "I'm appalled.

Fans who attended the game believed the money would go to paying wages, when the funds will go for trading expenses which we assume to include administrators costs." The future of the club today looks bleak after the final offer for the club, land and stadium, made by Teesside businessman Raj Singh, was rejected by administrators.

It is unclear whether the club will be able to start next season, though it is possible that ex-chairman George Houghton, having instructed administrators to reject the bid from Mr Singh, will step back in to keep the club afloat.

It appears inevitable that the players, who have not been paid any thing like their full wages since the end of January, will seek other clubs.

Martin Gary, who will next week join new Oldham manager Dave Penney at Boundary Park reserved much of his disappointment for Andrew Thompson.

"The football club is Tommo's life and this morning he didn't have a job to go to.

"He has done a fantastic job for the club over so many years. He's completely dedicated to it, and it's about more than money to him. We thought the 'all-stars' game was to keep him in a job." However Gray did not blame the administrators for being unable to sell the club. He said: "They are doing their job, and I'm sure they will go on trying to secure the future." The Supporters Trust has contingency plans to keep football alive in Darlington should the club go under.

That scenario looks more likely today than it has done in the club's 126-year history..