ON the King's Road in south-west London, the most pressing matter facing Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has seemingly been which of the Champions League finalist bosses to bring to Stamford Bridge.

On Neasham Road, on the edge of Darlington, there is no such pleasant dilemma for newly-installed chief executive Andy Battison.

The paperwork piled up on the desk of his office at the stadium formerly known as the Reynolds Arena is a daunting sight.

Loose ends to tie up from the club's spell in administration; letters from the council on what can and cannot be done at the ground; pages of Football League and FA requirements to comply with; lists of businesses wanting corporate boxes, Battison is a man with plenty on his plate.

"It's a hectic spell at the moment," he says, something of an understatement ahead of a full day of meetings and an upcoming full month of activity, all with a part to play in the dawn of a new era.

But despite the scale of the task, the self-confessed Nottingham Forest fan - "I have to keep remembering Darlington is my club now" - already has every aspect of the business under scrutiny.

"Programmes," he exclaims. "Let's face it, we're bottom of the table for match-day programmes. We need better content this year. Consequently, more people buy them and there's more advertising."

He goes on: "Why don't we have people in here from the financial world on Budget day to have a bite to eat and a glass of wine and watch it on TV?

"Why don't we have golf days where the fans can go out with the players and come back here for a meal? All these ideas we need to explore."

That exploration will mainly be carried out by a commercial manager, expected to be appointed imminently, with 21 years' football experience.

By its own admission, the Sterling Consortium's 11th-hour rescue act was performed reluctantly.

But, having taken charge and ploughed in an additional £1m on top of their previous loans to the club, Battison insists Sterling are determined to stay the course.

"They've come into a situation where they've got to run it and make it work to actually see any sort of return, or indeed just get their money back," he says.

"I have said I will stay here throughout what I see as a transitional period and set up a structure that can move forward.

"David Hodgson feels, like myself, that there is a significant opportunity here now."

The shared vision of the two supremos will be welcomed by fans desperate to see manager Hodgson retained after his remarkable efforts to ensure survival in the Third Division, as well as off-the-field, last season.

"My gut feeling is that David is committed to this club," says Battison.

"He's been absolutely fantastic. He will be happy here provided he sees the right things being done and the right people brought in.

"My job is to get the non-playing side, the commercial side, to move forward quickly enough to match David's ambition."

Attracting and retaining the fans to the magnificent arena is critical. Part of that plan will involve swapping around the roles of the Platinum and Presidential suites.

"In the Platinum Suite last year, we had people having pre-match meals where there was no Sky TV. They had no idea what was happening in the world," says Battison.

"Now, anyone who's a Platinum member will be in the Presidential Suite. It will be set out for proper sit-down meals and will have Sky TV piped in to a big screen.

"The Platinum Suite will be thrown open to season ticket holders, with big screens and a bar open, serving bar meals from noon to 2.15pm on match days.

"They can stay in there afterwards until 6pm if they wish, have a drink and watch the other results come in.

"It'll be on a first-come, first-served basis, but if it's a success we'll look to make other areas available."

On the pitch, after a brief dalliance with the relegation zone, a resurgent Darlington went on a winning run towards the season's end to secure League status.

So with the threat of liquidation staved off, how could the Quakers' prospects for next season be assessed?

"We've got to be realistic, we're not going to try to buy our way out of Division Three," says Battison.

"Having said that, there are adequate budgets in place and we've got to be optimistic.

"I see next season as a chance to climb into the top half of the table and if it happens, it happens."

The chartered accountant is also keen to stress his desire for supporter input. Darlington Supporters' Trust has already agreed to take up his offer of a seat on the directors' board.

"I desperately want the supporters involved, it's their club after all," he says.

"They pay for their tickets, they buy the shirts, they eat the burgers, they drink the beer."

It's an enormous task and one few would envy. But if the new Darlington regime achieves its ambitions, supporters will be raising a toast to the next 121 years