DARLINGTON will come out of administration this summer after former chairman George Houghton put together a package to rescue the club and immediately named Colin Todd as his manager.

Houghton made the decision to put the club into administration in February and their future looked bleak as a number of deadlines for interested parties to come forward passed.

But Houghton, who was originally prepared to walk away from the club, has now managed to put together the funds that will allow them to become solvent next season, provided that they can meet a number of conditions, most notably the transfer of their Football League share.

"I do not want the club to die," Houghton said.

"The club is still in administration and will be for the next couple of months but I am not going to let the club die. I still have a couple of options to consider how the future will unfold, but now we need to get on and prepare for next season.

"The global (financial) meltdown meant that until now it was impossible to raise the necessary funds to keep the club out of administration. But events of the past few weeks have allowed me to reflect on the whole situation and listen to what the fans have been saying.

"It's fair to say mistakes have been made, and for that I apologise but I have funded the club up until now and will continue to do so until a person can offer the club more than I."

Administrator Dave Clark of Brackenbury Clark and Co was also pleased to see the club's prospects improve and added: "This is very positive news for Darlington, Mr Houghton's change of heart is clearly based on the experiences of the past three months."

Todd's appointment sees him return to English football for the first time since he left Bradford in February 2007.

Since then he has been coaching Danish side Randers FC and he will replace Dave Penney at the Darlington Arena following his decision to join Oldham last month.

"Colin comes with a superb track record and aptitude for spotting talent," said Houghton.

"He is a great asset to the club with experience and willingness to take on the challenge. We are all looking forward to rebuilding the side and the public confidence in the club."

Todd will work alongside current youth team coaches Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison and is also poised to make further coaching appointments, with Hull striker Dean Windass heavily linked with becoming his assistant.