Of all stars, Gazza shines the brightest

Despite rumours that he had pulled out of the match at the last minute due to injury, the former England and Newcastle star looked happy and well as he played to raise money for Darlington FC.

The match was organised to help the beleaguered Quakers, who were placed in administration in February and docked ten points.

The deadline for bids for the club is tomorrow.

About 3,400 fans turned out to The Northern Echo Darlington Arena to watch the former Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Tottenham ace lead a team of North-East Allstars, including former Quakers’ stars Bernie Slaven and Marco Gabbiadini, ex-Boro players Craig Hignett and Colin Cooper, and Big Brother winner Anthony Hutton.

Gascoigne captained his team to a 5-3 victory against the Darlington 1999/2000 playoff team – the Quakers’ most successful squad in recent years.

The midfielder, who made his last professional appearance in 2004, seemed to have put his much-publicised personal problems behind him.

Spending about an hour on the pitch, he scored his team’s second goal with a decisive strike from the penalty spot.

The fallen star has undergone treatment for alcoholism, bulimia and obsessive compulsive disorder, and last year was sectioned under the Mental Health Act following an incident in Newcastle.

Speaking after the match, Gascoigne said he had enjoyed the game, but admitted he would spend “the rest of his life” trying to recover from his problems.

“I haven’t played for about three-and-a-half years now, but I turned out today because it’s a good cause,’’ he said.

“Darlington are a North- East team and it means a lot to me. Darlington is a big club, and they don’t deserve what has happened to them. They deserve better than that. It’s great to be here – and it is good for me as well.

“My problems are never going to be behind me. Every street corner has a pub on it; there are drugs on every street corner. Booze is everywhere.

“But at the moment, I don’t want to take the booze and I don’t want to be using again.

I’m going to be recovering for the rest of my life, but I am sober when I am happy.”

The match was the idea of recently-departed manager Dave Penney and assistant manager Martin Gray, who played for the opposing side.

The pair were given a warm reception from fans.

Gray looks set to join Penney at Oldham Athletic, where the former Quakers’ manager has been appointed as the team’s new boss.

Speaking after the match, Penney said he had enjoyed the opportunity to be in front of the Quakers’ fans one last time.

“Usually, managers get hounded out of football clubs and, once they’ve left, don’t go back. So it was nice to be able to come back and say goodbye.

I got a terrific reception today so that was very pleasing.

“I think the supporters appreciate what myself, Martin Gray and the coaching staff have done over the past twoand- a-half years.”

He said his only regret was not being able to lead the club to promotion.

“I came here to get into League One. I’ve eventually got there through a bit of a shortcut.

“We [Darlington] were unlucky in the play-offs last year – because of injuries and penalties – and this year we would have been in the playoffs if we’d not had ten points taken away. We would actually have been promoted – I’m 100 per cent certain of that.”

After the match, Gray said he hoped enough money had been raised to rescue the 126- year-old club.

“Today has been the equivalent of two or three home games, attendance-wise, so that has given us a lot of support,”

he said. “It is important this football club survives.

This game is everything.”

Gray also paid tribute to Gascoigne, saying the star was “on the road to recovery”.

“He has the biggest name in football in the country,” he said. “Everybody knows something about Paul Gascoigne.

For us to attract him is the biggest plug we could have got. He is the biggest former player in the country.

“He is on the road to recovery and it was time he put his boots on again."