DARLINGTON Football Club chairman George Reynolds last night vowed to resolve teething troubles which emerged at the opening of his multi-million pound stadium.

Fans turned out in force for the first game at the Reynolds Arena - describing the stadium as "magnificent" - but problems over ticket arrangements, catering and traffic caused frustrations.

The 11,600 turnout on Saturday tested the efficiency of ticket offices and it soon became clear that more would be needed.

In response, Mr Reynolds spent yesterday organising the installation of three new ticket offices, additional turnstiles and a high-tech system of producing on the spot tickets.

Food kiosks and bars in the stadium's concorse were also stretched to the limit, with fans complaining about how long they had to wait to be served. As a result, immediate preparations are being made to open four more bars.

At one point, traffic outside the stadium came to a standstill with tailbacks stretching for half a mile.

A police spokesman said: "A lot of people turned up on the day just expecting to buy tickets and the queue was horrendous, right up until ten minutes before kick off."

Fans wanting to pay for tickets by credit card were told they could only pay by cash and some went home disappointed.

Supporters who resorted to street parking prompted Jan Mazurk, of the Neasham Road Action Group, to say: "The streets were full of cars. It was ridiculous. The council should have ensured the residents' parking scheme was in place before the day."

Businessman Marcus Nimmo, who earlier attacked the council for being "weak-willed" over the parking scheme, opened up a field near his farmhouse and charged fans £4 to park their cars.

Last night Mr Reynolds, who saved the club from bankruptcy before embarking on the stadium development, spoke of his pride when he walked out on the pitch.

"I felt very emotional when I saw the terraces packed with supporters, it was tremendous," he said.

And he promised that continuing big gates would ensure more spending power for the club.

Today, Mr Reynolds will meet his staff to assess the high points and teething troubles encountered on the stadium's first day and pledged: "We'll get it right."