UNFORTUNATELY, yesterday's April Fools' Day prank wasn't as well received as I'd anticipated.

In jest, I took to the airwaves to break the news of a new owner, a wealthy businessman, whose two loves in life were Darlington Football Club and his wife, Tina.

So what better way to combine the two by welcoming teams to the Tina Arena next season?

Shortly after my sensational revelation on 96.6 TFM, a small minority failed to take the joke the way I'd intended.

In the real world, discussions have taken place this week and I'm confident that the club's future will become clearer over the next few days.

And I'm sure with Kenny Dalglish on board, we are moving in the right direction.

I'm delighted that Kenny has agreed to help. And while he cannot commit to us on a day-to-day basis, it's still a massive plus that he will be assisting us. Kenny has already made two or three calls to big companies, who have expressed an interest in the club, which isn't a bad start.

I've heard a lot of discerning comments made with regards to our position in the Football League. I find it hard to believe that they - or any other governing body -- would prevent us from fulfilling our fixtures in our current situation.

There is still a lot of hard work to do in relation to fund-raising ideas.

At the end of the month we have another charity game planned. A four nations side, featuring ex-pros from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales will play a TV All Star XI. Gate receipts from the game will be split 50-50, between the club and the Percy Hedley Foundation, the chosen charity of organiser and Darlington fan Paul Hodgson.

If our last charity game in January is anything to go by then it will be a great day for fans. More importantly the money raised will be going to very worthwhile causes.

After everything which has been reported in the press recently, it was good to see Sven Goran-Eriksson commit himself to England this week. With Euro 2004 just around the corner, disruption is the last thing anyone wants and hopefully that will provide some stability.

Losing to Sweden was no big disappointment with so many players unavailable. They have established themselves as one of the best footballing sides in Europe and I'm sure they'll do well in Portugal this summer.

A lot has been said about the value of England caps these days. I have nothing against it but it can be a costly business. One club this week had to fork out £500,000, due to a clause, when one of their players picked up his first cap.

Finally, congratulations to Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy on his manager of the month award. He deserves it because he's done a great job. The most pleasing part about it is Mick tells it how it is. It's like a breath of fresh air.

Good luck to Mick and the lads. They have a great chance of getting to the FA Cup final, and with no disrespect to Millwall, I think they will do it.

Read more about the Quakers here.