Darlington owner George Reynolds is determined to finish the job he started at Feethams - and after axing the 'vampires' has vowed to prove the sceptics wrong.

And an emotional Reynolds believes the club is back on the right footing after a tempestuous summer that saw manager David Hodgson and a pack of leading players depart.

After re-iterating his pledge to build a new 25,000 seater stadium, and take the club out of the Third Division and beyond, he vowed: "I am not going to walk away from this club.

"I am going to achieve what I set out to achieve - and that is to help Darlington into the Premiership and build a new football stadium for the town. What's wrong with that? That is an ambition of mine.

"I want to do something for the club and the people who live in and around the town. I want to do something which everybody else believes is impossible.

"I am turning the club around. Remember, this club would have gone if I hadn't bought it. The bailiffs were ready to take action. I bought it for £5m and since then, I have put in another £1.5m and we achieved a lot last season even though we didn't go up.

"There wouldn't be a Football League team in this town if I hadn't stepped in to save it - make no mistake about it.

"I have turned companies around before. I was involved in one which was £27m in the red at one point, but I turned it around and it started making profits.

"For the first time in its history, Darlington Football Club will make a profit this season. The finances are on an even keel, which they weren't before. The cash which was being paid out before was ridiculous and was out of control. It just couldn't go on.

"I am going to see this through. Some people have been criticising me recently, but I am going to leave people with egg on their faces. I am going to prove the sceptics wrong - I have never experienced failure and I'm determined that I'm not going to experience it here.

"I've felt at times that I've given a donation to a charity shop, then been kicked out of it."

And while stopping short of naming names, he slammed some of the people who have left the club as "vampires".

"All I want is for this club to do well. Others have raped and pillaged it, but I just want to give the town something to be proud of. I can't see anything wrong with what I'm doing. I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing it for the local people.

"In the last few weeks I've been getting a slagging because I'm trying to put the club on its feet and I don't think that's fair. I've had people screaming at me to walk away, but I'll see it through. Some fans may desert the club, but I won't desert them.

"The bonus system, for example, was ludicrous. Players were getting bonuses for all sorts and bonuses for getting all the bonuses.

"I don't mind losing money or giving money to good causes, but I hate being ripped off because of vampires.

"If people don't want to put the club in a stable position then they're no good to themselves, no good to the club and no good to me.

"This club is going to boom, and it will go from strength to strength over the next few years. This is now a respectable, clean club with no politics. The atmosphere in the changing room is superb, better than it was at any time last season. It has totally changed for the better. Everyone is pulling in the same direction, instead of there being little cliques. We did well with unrest last season, but we can do even better with rest. There will be no more departures, unless we get a big offer for a player which would be silly to turn down.

"I am satisfied with the way things are going. I have complete confidence in Gary Bennett - and he will help create a first class team. I'll be happy with a top -seven spot at Christmas, and I'm sure Gary will get us there.''