MR George Reynolds has missed a golden opportunity with the opening of his club's new stadium.

The eyes of the region were on Neasham Road last Saturday when Darlington FC played their first game in the Reynolds Arena.

The consensus of those who attended the game against Kidderminster Harriers was that the stadium is more magnificent from the inside than the outside. Even half full, the potential for the huge bowl to create its own special atmosphere was apparent.

The sense of anticipation among the fans queuing to enter before the game was palpable. It had been a long, long wait to finally enter Mr Reynolds' field of dreams.

Sadly for the club, that is where things started to go wrong. Despite the time the club has had to prepare its staff for this game, it was obvious the club's organisation had not moved on from Feethams. Queues for tickets, queues for food and drink (which ran out by half-time) little segregation of families from the foul-mouthed yob element, the ludicrously brusque attitude to those who had paid £5 to park their cars at the ground ("move your car and you'll be arrested") were just some of the problems. These are fundamentals for a football club aspiring to and desperately needing to attract new customers.

Mr Reynolds obviously had trouble completing the stadium in time but that does not mean the organisational aspects of handling a big crowd (which the club must have anticipated) should have been ignored.

The bottom line as far as the club's future is concerned is simple. If it is to sustain the investment made in the magnificent stadium, it has to attract many more people than the hardy 2,500 who typically turned up at Feethams.

Most of the 11,600 who attended a Darlington match last weekend for the first time may have been prepared to forgive the thin coating of cement dust which covered the seats, but they will not return if the levels of service do not improve. A winning team would undoubtedly help too.