THE deadline for potential saviours for Darlington Football Club has been extended by two weeks – despite the first offers being made.

Former Quakers’ vice-chairman Raj Singh has tabled a bid for the club and demanded a decision be made about the club’s future as soon as possible.

Three weeks ago, Dave Clark, from administrator Brackenbury Clark and Co, set a deadline of yesterday for interested groups to submit bids for the club.

However, he has extended the deadline to 5pm on May 5, the first day of business after the final game of the season.

A statement from the club said: “Given that no offer has as yet been accepted, the administrator has made the decision to formally extend the deadline.

“This decision has been made because the administrator is continuing to hold discussions with interested parties which have not come to any definitive conclusion, although there are a number of parties who are willing to pursue their interest further.

“As such, the additional time has been provided to allow these discussions to continue in the expectation of firstly giving these discussions the opportunity to translate into formal offers for the club and secondly to give time for any other potential bidders to come forward.”

The club will fulfill the rest of its fixtures. It will continue to be run in administration even if no offer is accepted by May 5.

Mr Singh was the first person to publicly declare his interest in the club. Yesterday, he and his consortium met for more than two hours with administrators before they made their offer.

He said the offer included a bid for the ground. Talks involved the council in an attempt to resolve any land issues.

Mr Singh wanted progress to be made on the club within the week, but said he had not made an ultimatum.

He said: “What I am concerned about at the moment is if we do not get a deal done quickly, it will leave us behind with talks for next season.

If we are to hit the ground running, we need to start planning.

“What I have said to administrators is if nothing gets done quickly, we will let it run its course. I need to get a positive response. The fans’ support has been a big factor for me keeping my interest and my determination to take the club on.”

It is not known if any other bids for the club had been made.

Former chairman George Houghton, who still owns the ground, placed the club into administration in February, sparking fans’ anger because the ten-point deduction ruined any chance of promotion. However, he said he had no alternative. He said he was trying to negotiate up to three other bids, but could not comment further while talks continued.