DARLINGTON are facing a tough battle to persuade almost a full team of players - out of contract in the summer - that their future lies at Feethams.

A total of nine players' deals expire at the end of the season, but chairman George Reynolds is yet to make a final decision on the finances that will be made available to manager Tommy Taylor.

Taylor, along with assistant Mick Tait, will face the unenvious task next term of transforming a mid-table team into a promotion-challenging side.

Although the new season is five months away, clubs are already planning their summer transfer swoops as well as tying up new deals for players whose contracts are about to run-out.

The Darlington nine are Keith Finch, Phil Brumwell, Steve Harper, Gary Pearson, David Brightwell, Paul Heckingbottom, Richard Hodgson, Adam Marsh and Clint Marcelle - with Heckingbottom currently mulling over new deal offered by Quakers.

Those aged over 24 will be entitled to leave Feethams when their contract expires, and their new club would not have to pay a transfer fee.

But Tait admits Quakers are not yet in a position to offer contracts until they are given the go-ahead by Reynolds.

"We can't make plans until we know what kind of a budget we're going to get, but we won't be able to keep the players we want to keep if the budget isn't good enough," said Tait, who along with Taylor and PR Director Luke Raine attended a fans' forum in Newton Aycliffe last night.

"We've bandied about a few names we'd like to bring in, but, as I said, we can't make any offers until we know how much we're going to have to play with.

"We proved at the start of the season that the squad wasn't too bad, football wise nobody could touch us. But as soon as we got some injuries we were decimated.

"We're going to have a smaller squad next season so if the get the same injury problems as we have for the last two years we'll be in trouble."

For the first time in nine weeks Darlington don't have a midweek game this week, and Tait says that will benefit the squad.

"We've got a reserve game to play this week but it will be nice to have a break for once because all we ever seem to do is prepare for games," said Tait.

"Having no game this week can't do any harm after all the injuries we've had."

* No date has been agreed for Darlington's clash with Plymouth, postponed on Saturday.

Quakers' reserves face Doncaster at Feethams tomorrow (7pm).

* Newcastle Reserves edged into second place behind new leaders Sunderland with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bolton last night.

Two goals in two second-half minutes put United on the road to victory before Bolton hit back just before the end.

Newcastle made the break through in the 65th minute when Shola Ameobi took an Olivier Bernard pass round keeper Kevin Poole and toe-poked the ball over the line.

Within a minute Brian Kerr fired home a glorious 14-yard shot across Poole into the top right corner.

Bolton coach Neil McDonald, the former Newcastle defender, made two substitution with one of them, Emanuele Morini, firing past Adam Collin on 89 minutes.

Newcastle: Collin, Griffin, Quinn, S Caldwell, Marcelino (McGuffie 73), Boyd (McMenamin 69), Chopra, Kerr, Ameobi, LuaLua (Orr 69), Bernard.

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