Has anybody seen Quakers' 'saviour' Ted?

Administrators Wilson Field, ex-Quakers' chairman George Reynolds and the club's long-suffering supporters would like to hear from anyone who has information regarding Mr Forster's whereabouts...

Okay, there may not have been an FBI-style manhunt launched yesterday, but there were plenty of people bemused about the location of the man with £4m in his pocket and designs on the Reynolds Arena hot seat.

On Monday, he said he'd be jetting in from Greece to save the Quakers, accompanied by his solicitor from Cornwall.

He did not make it on Wednesday, but word was he would be there yesterday, so administrators David Field and David Elliott stayed in Darlington overnight.

As yesterday dawned, they were waiting patiently at the Neasham Road stadium, joined by Mr Reynolds.

Mr Forster's visit was to confirm his deal with Mr Reynolds. It was negotiated on Monday by Mr Forster's representative in Darlington - a chap who signs himself on Internet messageboards as DarloPete - and typed hurriedly on plain paper.

In a fax to Mr Forster in Greece, DarloPete apologised for the plain paper but said it was because Mr Reynolds did not have the administrators' permission to use official headed notepaper.

Yesterday morning, Mr Forster was nowhere to be seen. And the person who answered his mobile phone said he had left it in Rhodes.

It led Mr Elliott to conclude that they were "in the dark" about Mr Forster's intentions.

"We remain confident that this situation will be resolved before the beginning of next season," he said.

At noon, the administrators decided to return to their head office in Sheffield.

Mr Field said: "I've heard all sorts of stories about where Ted is - he's in London, he's in Athens, he's in Darlington, he's here, there and everywhere."

So what is known about Mr Forster? He says he is 53 and born in Hull. He had an uncle at Croft, near Darlington - a pig farmer called Bogg - who took him to Feethams when he was three months old.

His business career began in 1980 with a caravan in a lay-by on the A38 in Cornwall. With much hard work - "I slept twice in my own bed in 27 months," he said - his empire grew. His wife made jewellery, and he dabbled in shares, making a killing on Bass Brewery.

He ran a company called Ted's Table Private Caterers in Redcar. It is listed in the 2002 Yellow Pages, but the number no longer responds.

He says he owns a greasy spoon caf in West Bromwich called The Quick Snack, although inquiries in the Midlands have failed to locate it.

He says he has been involved with football clubs Corby Town, Walsall Wood and Moor Green, and was offered Hednesford Town for £1.5m around January 1997.

Having been banned from driving, he emigrated last March to Rhodes, and has since spent more than 12,000 euros - more than £8,000 - on phone calls, Internet bills and faxes, compiling his bids for the Quakers. He put in his first formal offer on February 12, and withdrew it a week later complaining at the lack of a speedy resolution.

The following week, he was back, offering to hand Mr Reynolds a £4m bankers' draft in front of fans at the home game against Cheltenham. "This is my last and final offer," he declared.

Mr Reynolds declined the invitation. Mr Forster did not turn up. The game was called off due to a frozen pitch.

Earlier this week, the deal was rekindled. Mr Reynolds signed DarloPete's piece of paper, and Mr Forster promised to fly into Teesside.

By last night, he had not touched down. "I've not spoken to anyone who can definitively tell me what's happening," said Mr Field. "It's a funny old game, as they say."

As the evening drew on, Mr Reynolds grew weary. "I have bent over backwards to accommodate Mr Forster, but sadly he's repeatedly failed to deliver. It's a pity, but he's rapidly losing his credibility."

Today, Mr Forster is 48 hours late. So if you see him hanging around a cashpoint on High Row, please tell the administrators immediately.

Read more about the Quakers here.