Last weekend, the main topic of conversation among the lowest crowd of the season at the Reynolds Arena was the looming possibility of relegation.

By the time the final whistle blew on Macclesfield's 1-0 victory, all the 2,920 fans - less the 50 or so hardy visitors - had to contemplate over Christmas was that that possibility had become more likely. And suddenly Sunday's trip to rock-bottom Carlisle was filled with trepidation.

But this morning they wake up to find their club in administration.

Thoughts of their league position are pushed to the back of their minds as worries about the financial position take precedence. No longer are they wondering what division they will be playing in but whether they will be playing at all.

Survival at the Reynolds Arena is no longer just about football.

At the start of the season chairman George Reynolds insisted that Darlington Football Club were in a better financial position than most.

Exactly half way through the season they are feeling the bite of administration, just like Luton Town, Wimbledon, Oldham Athletic, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Port Vale, Barnsley, York City, Huddersfield Town and Notts County.

Many of these clubs were eager to point the finger of blame for their difficulties at the collapse of ITV Digital last year. But Reynolds once boasted that Quakers would never succumb to such problems.

This left fans just to worry about what was happening on the pitch. Reynolds had argued that the club could no longer remain at Feethams, which he said had been condemned, and re-location was the only way to give the club a future. And so he ploughed an estimated £25m from his own pocket into building the Arena to hold 25,000 people.

But he neglected to invest in the team. Gary Bennett, Tommy Taylor and Mick Tait have all struggled to build a team to fulfil Reynolds' promise of reaching the Premiership, with apprentices, loan signings, non-league players and free agents. The only sizeable fees have been for Barry Conlon and Neil Wainwright, both believed to be in the region of £60,000.

More important than the transfer fees in the modern Third Division is the wages clubs are prepared to offer and Darlington's offers have been so low that some players like Stuart Whitehead have found it more lucrative to ply their trade in the Conference. The situation has reached such dire straits that recent loan signing Alan Morgan was forced to return to Blackburn because Darlington could not afford his accommodation fees of a couple of hundred pounds a week.

Indeed in the last few weeks the fans have been shaking buckets outside the Reynolds Arena in a desperate attempt to put some money into manager David Hodgson's transfer coffers.

As Reynolds blames poor turnouts at the Reynolds Arena for the financial position he may come to wonder whether you shouldn't build a team before you've built a stadium.

Trust statement

Darlington Supporters' Trust issued the following statement last night:

"Darlington FC's financial position has been of concern to the Supporters' Trust for some time and so sadly this latest development comes as no surprise.

We have been closely monitoring the situation and had expressed some time ago our worry over the level of debt and the club's accounts.

It has been apparent that the problems have been growing more serious in recent weeks and administration, frankly, looked inevitable. It comes after a period when there has been a lot of negative and embarrassing publicity surrounding the football club.

In many ways Darlington FC has ceased to be about "football" and has alienated many within its fan base and the wider community, as well as testing the patience of even its most loyal supporters. Perhaps these developments, although serious, will be a watershed.

What is important is that whatever happens, the football club survives and prospers for its supporters and the community. Of course, other league clubs have been through the process of administration and Supporters' Trusts have played important parts in helping their football clubs survive. In recent months, as well as organising ourselves, we have been in close contact with other Trusts - such as York City, Swansea City and Lincoln City, who have all been through trying times, but thanks to their efforts and the huge input of their fans and communities, came out the other side.

The Supporters' Trust has been actively discussing the football club's present situation with potential investors and local businesses in order to be ready for such an occasion. Darlington Football Club is hugely important to fans, local businesses and the town as a whole - and it is vital that the Supporters' Trust plays a role in the club's future.

As you may know, the Trust, with the Supporters' Club, recently launched the TASK fund-raising scheme to assist the footballing side.

That was organised under entirely different auspices and it is obvious that a new and bigger challenge faces the football club. The Trust will be watching developments closely and organising a fighting fund - details will be announced in due course. We ask that all fans rally round by joining the Trust and offering your help."

Read more about the Quakers here.