WHETHER it was down to too much turkey the day before, the winter chill or the enormous question mark hanging over their football club, Darlington supporters were a subdued group yesterday.

If it were not for the compilation of Christmas tunes blaring out across the Reynolds Arena, you would hardly have thought this was the season of cheer and merriment.

Trudging towards the ground, the talk among friends meeting up after Christmas was not of how the family got on over dinner or how many new pairs of socks had been acquired.

Of course, what they had really wanted from Santa was a Roman Abramovich-style figure to step in and end the nightmare threatening the existence of the 120-year-old family club.

But with few billionaires on the horizon, it was down to die-hard supporters to rattle their buckets, calling on fellow fans to dig deep for the precious pounds that could ensure short-term survival.

Seeing coppers, 5p and 10p pieces being thrown into a bucket in a desperate attempt to save a club that calls a Premiership-class stadium home was an unusual sight.

Walking from the Tawny Owl pub car park towards the arena, even fans from West Yorkshire were deep in discussion about Darlington's plight.

One said: "It's like a smaller version of the Stadium of Light. You can't do that in Division Three, no wonder they are in trouble."

His friend, however, replied: "No, all power to his elbow. Reynolds just needs the people to rally round him."

Administration is the word on everyone's lips. The potential consequences are the thoughts going through all Darlington fans' minds.

Waiting for a delayed kick-off in the South Stand concourse, Mark Davis, 42, said: "It had to happen. The ground is fantastic, but we are nearly bottom of Division Three. You just won't get the crowds needed to keep it going."

For others, the blame lies elsewhere.

Elaine Smith, 46, said: "Look at Huddersfield, they share their ground with a rugby team.

"The stadium has got to have other uses in order to survive. So many other clubs are allowed to do it and we should be too."

The game itself -there was football to be played, incidentally -was one of two halves.

But even a rousing second-half effort to equalise Huddersfield's goal in the first 45 minutes could not provide the goal that would have raised the roof.

In the season of cheer, there was little for Darlington supporters yesterday.

The musical entertainment before kick-off had included Noddy Holder belting out "So here it is, merry Christmas, everybody's having fun".

Darlington fans may not have seen it that way.