Darlington chairman Raj Singh has reassured supporters that the club’s solid financial position makes them able to “take the hit” of four consecutive match postponements.
Quakers haven’t played a game since the 5-0 thrashing at Torquay United 22 days ago.
Three subsequent home games have fallen victim to the weather, hitting gate receipts and other matchday earnings.
Despite their precarious league position, ten points adrift at the foot of the table and a worrying 14 points from safety, Singh has confirmed that the club are on a more sound financial footing than many of their League Two rivals.
He also reaffirmed that they have the resources to weather the recent barren spell.
While he empathised with fans who were frustrated by the absence of games over the festive period he was keen to play down worries about any potential impact on the club’s cashflow.
“We appreciate our supporters will be thoroughly disappointed with the lack of football, particularly during a time when, traditionally, attendances are normally higher than normal,” noted the chairman.
“But they can be assured we have enough in our locker to deal with the problem.
“Even though the rearranged fixtures are likely to be midweek, when we won’t get as many fans through the gates, it probably evens itself out over the season.
“We had a couple of postponed fixtures last season, so we planned for that and envisaged that there was every chance we’d have the same problem this season. At the end of the day we still have these games to come so the revenue, albeit slightly reduced, is still forthcoming.’’ He continued: “A lot of clubs need a steady cash-flow just to survive and I don’t think the problem is going to ease before the weekend so it is an obvious problem, but thankfully we’re secure so it isn’t a serious concern.’’ Singh will also support Steve Staunton’s attempts to strengthen the squad during the current transfer window.
Danny Hall and Paul Harsley returned to Chesterfield this week after their loan deals expired while David Davis went back to Wolves shortly before the end of the year.
With forward Simon Thomas going back to Crystal Palace and Villa recalling midfielder Jonathan Hogg, Staunton’s resources are becoming stretched ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bury.
The manager is keen to bolster his squad with some permanent signings rather than continue to rely on the loan system and the chairman will back his manager’s efforts to turn around Darlington’s dismal campaign.
Singh continued: “Our main priority right now is getting some new players in during the January transfer window and we’re supporting the manager with this to bring in some new faces so that we can get ourselves off the bottom of League Two.”
■ Darlington’s home game with Lincoln City, postponed on December 28, has been re-arranged for Tuesday February 9, 7.45pm kick-off. The Northampton match, postponed just before Christmas, is now scheduled for Tuesday, January 26 (7.45pm) at The Northern Echo Arena, while the trip to Rotherham, postponed on Boxing Day, is now set for Tuesday January 19.
The home game with Port Vale, postponed last week, is yet to be re-arranged.
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