DARLINGTON FC chairman George Reynolds poured petrol on the flames at the beleaguered club last night by hurling fresh insults at his players - as their union considered legal action.

Despite calls for cool heads in the wake of Thursday's fans' forum meeting, Mr Reynolds demanded an apology from players who walked out when his wife, Susan, launched an astonishing attack on them.

The latest spat came as officials from the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) warned of further action - unless the chairman backed down and apologised.

But Mr Reynolds was in no mood for reconciliation last night. During another outburst he said:

l Darlington's players had behaved like "cattle";

l He was not interested in how they felt;

l He did not care if they wanted to play for the club again;

l And if some of them decided to move on he would be "glad to see the back of them."

The self-made millionaire said: "The money they are on they ought to be a sight better. A lot of them are prima donnas, but if they were that good they'd be on the same money as David Beckham.

"I'm not interested in what the players thought. I don't like some of them to start with."

The incredible confrontation comes as Darlington prepare for a crucial away match against Exeter later today - the team just one place above in the Third Division.

Quakers manager Tommy Taylor and club Captain Craig Liddle both attempted to soothe raw nerves yesterday but the chairman remained adamant that his wife had done nothing wrong.

Mrs Reynolds caused the players' walk-out after reading out a statement in front of hundreds of fans.

Towards the end of a scathing 30-minute speech, she said: "It isn't unknown for games to be thrown deliberately at this time of year, by way of favours."

At that point the players, who had been sitting listening in stunned silence, all got up and left the room.

But Mr Reynolds said the comments were just a figure of speech and denied that she was referring to his team.

He said: "You hear it at every game. Some people say it's a crap game, you can get some other people saying what a load of rubbish, and how many times have you heard them say they've thrown a game?"

Mr Reynolds said it was accurate to say it was not "unknown" for players to throw games, referring to previous scandals.

He said his wife, who cut short her speech after the walk-out, should have been allowed time to finish.

He said: "Susan didn't get the chance to explain anything. What she would have said at the end was quite good."

Mr Reynolds added he was not surprised when players walked out after the comments.

He said: "Players are like cattle, when one gets up they all get up because of teamwork.

"They all follow suit, that's the way they are. They all stick together and you can't blame them for that.

"I couldn't care less if they want to play or not. If they walked, I would be glad to see the back of some of them."

Speaking on Paul "Goffy" Gough's breakfast show on Century Radio yesterday morning, Mr Reynolds went further, demanding an apology from players who insulted his wife by walking out.

Mr Reynolds also returned to the subject of players' excessive wage demands, adding: "This happens every year.

"One of them has got a year-and-a-half to finish on his contract and he's wanting to renew it for a 100 per cent increase.

"I've got three wanting a 100 per cent pay rise. Where do you go from there?"

But last night players representatives said it was Mr and Mrs Reynolds who should say sorry.

PFA spokesman Brendan Batson said: "We will be looking to get some sort of apology. We cannot have this situation."

Former Middlesbrough star, and PFA representative, Paul Kerr added: "We aren't happy about this and will be speaking with the Football Association in the next few days.

"In all my 20 years as a professional footballer, I have never known anyone willing to throw a game."

The crisis has prompted some fans to ask what will happen if Mr Reynolds walks away with a new stadium only months from completion

Read more about Darlington FC here.