LET'S make something clear before I start - I hope this is the shortest-lived column in newspaper history!

Until Darlington are back on an even keel it's my role to inform the town what's going on at the club. I'll continue as an aspiring scribe until the club is saved, which I hope will be as soon as possible, then I'll put away my typewriter.

We arranged to do this column after the news that the Northampton game had been postponed.

At that time there was no fund-raising game, so, knowing I was to write something, I was wondering what the hell I was going to write about. Now we're talking about some of the biggest names in football playing at Darlington.

People who've earned caps galore for their country, some of the finest talent to have emerged from the North-East - Geordie legends Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle are helping us out. I was a Sunderland fan and a Middlesbrough player but what they did in their career was magnificent.

Bryan Robson, Ally McCoist and Lee Sharpe will be here too. Let's hope that on Monday we'll be able to say we've seen them all play because between now and then there's bound to be a few twists and turns, a few may drop out.

Lee Hall, The Northern Echo's Darlington writer, is playing too and I've made sure he'll be against my lads. I'll leave it up to the public to decide why we've done that!

In the ex-Darlo players team we'll have some who should bring back a few memories for the fans. Mike Pollitt will be in goal, then there's Sean Gregan, Andy Crosby, Mark Barnard, Darren Roberts, Robbie Blake and loads more. We've even got Gary Bannister coming up from Plymouth.

Robbie Painter can't make it, which is a great shame, but his reasons are understandable. He's on a physiotherapist's course and has a vital test on Monday, which he's revising for. He did say he probably would have come but reckoned I'd put him on the bench again.

My former Liverpool teammates Kenny Dalglish and Alan Kennedy will be there. Even Ian Rush agreed to come but had to withdraw because his son is playing in his first match at under-16 level, and he's only 14 - that's not something, as a father, you're going to be prepared to miss.

Almost everyone we've asked has said yes, which has been incredible, and I'm still trying to get hold of Graeme Souness, but he's out of the country at present.

Most of the time I've declined to play in this sort of match because of my body. I could train all week, feel fine, then play in the match and something would happen - I've had problems with my back - and before you know it you can be walking off the pitch in embarrassment.

That's why I'm trying to get so many players here on Sunday, so people don't notice I'm not playing!

Since Saturday, after the Kidderminster match, we've been working on this day and night. There's only three of us - Carol Barnett and Lisa Charlton being the others - and Martin Gray has been helping out too. TY McGurk's sports shop in town have provided us with all the shirts, which has been a tremendous help.

This game is a test for the people of Darlington. It's now or never, it's as blunt and as simple as that.

This town needs a club. The effect of this club going out of business would be enormous.

If you took this football club away it would have an enormous effect on the local economy.

Think of it this way, all you Darlington people: If this club goes, who is your son going to support? Who is your grandson going to watch?

It's an honour for the town and the football club that these names are coming to play. I just hope my players appreciate what's being done for them to keep them in a job. Every player should respect what's happening.

See you on Sunday.