Saturday's result at Scunthorpe eased the pressure on us a little bit but we are still right in the middle of the relegation battle.

The last couple of months have been a nightmare and I've had a few sleepless nights worrying about our League position. To be honest we haven't had a great deal of luck in recent games, but on Saturday we did have a little bit, which was more than welcome.

Hopefully we can get another couple of wins in the next few weeks, which I think will be enough to see us through, then we can start looking forward to next season.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens in the transfer market during the summer. Most clubs outside the Premier League are trying to cut costs, and wages as well as transfer fees will probably be lower.

Also many teams in the lower divisions will be reducing squad sizes so there are going to be a lot of players out of work in the summer. At Darlington we have about 18 players out of contract and it must be very worrying for some, especially those who have families to support.

This is one of the reasons why I don't begrudge any player earning high salaries. Careers can end very suddenly so it is important to earn as much as possible before your time is up. I know the top players get paid silly amounts, but no-one is likely to turn it down.

The spitting incident made most of the headlines from the Celtic and Liverpool cup tie over the last couple of weeks. I watched both games and found them very entertaining. I know El Hadji Diouf received a ban from UEFA but I think he should have been dealt with a bit more harshly by his club and the FA, who he was representing.

Spitting incidents seem to be happening quite a bit lately and it needs to be dealt with before it starts happening on a regular basis.

Newcastle's Champions League dream is over for another season but it has been very entertaining watching. Hopefully Man United can go on and win the trophy and keep it warm for Newcastle for next season.

Published: 25/03/2003