GEORGE Reynolds publicly admitted for the first time last night that he had lost virtually everything by ploughing his fortune into Darlington Football Club.

He revealed how he had been forced to remortgage his home, Witton Hall, at Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, as well as putting his life savings into keeping the Quakers afloat.

The former chairman's revelation came amid mounting fears that the club may not survive the next six weeks.

The Darlington Supporters' Trust met last night to begin drawing up plans to hit a £250,000 fundraising target, which officials hope to reach by the end of March.

But the club's administrators warned that a more immediate crisis was looming, with the Quakers having only one home match in February.

The administration is only funded by gate receipts and merchandise sales - and a poor attendance for the game against Yeovil on February 21 would deepen the crisis.

The Quakers lost another home game last night when Northampton beat Rotherham in the FA Cup.

This means Northampton will face Manchester United on January 24 rather than visit the Reynolds Arena.

Mr Reynolds would not disclose how much of his fortune remained but said he had been forced to put his "house on the line" to ensure the arena was built.

In the Sunday Times' Rich List 2000 he was ranked joint 112th, with a fortune of £260m - just behind the Queen, who had £275m.

By 2002 he had slipped to 465th. He said then he thought he was worth between £40m and £70m, but was spending £50,000 a week on the club.

He said last night: "I have spent my life savings keeping that (the club) alive."

Mr Reynolds, who resigned as chairman on Monday, said he had spent £15m building the stadium and lost another £7m after selling his chipboard business to Vertex. "I have lost about everything," he admitted.

Asked what financial situation he was now in, he replied: "Forget that. It doesn't matter about me. I'll always survive."

The supporters' trust, which is part of a consortium hoping to buy the club, met last night and heard of the immediate crisis facing the Quakers.

Board member Tony Taylor said: "I don't want anyone to be in doubt that in six weeks time, the club could face extinction."

Fans turning up for the meeting at the Red Lion in Darlington pledged to organise a host of events to help reach the £250,000 fighting fund target.

They include a fundraising match at the Reynolds Arena, school concerts, a corporate golf day and the launch of a special beer.

Earlier, court-appointed administrator David Field said: "We have one home game in February and we will have to review the position when we get to that date. We have to be able to pay the bills and fund the administration."

He reiterated that Mr Reynolds was the majority shareholder and a creditor, but had no involvement in the club's day-to-day running.

Mr Field said: "The company is insolvent and, as such, he won't be receiving any dividend on his shares."

He added that a voluntary arrangement, whereby the company would continue trading while it paid off debts with the formal consent of creditors, was the likely route out of administration.

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