George Reynolds was feted as a hero when he saved Darlington Football Club from the brink of bankruptcy just over a year ago.

The club was close to extinction when Reynolds stepped in to save the day.

In just months, he paid off the club's debts of just over £5m and announced plans for a new 25,000-seater stadium on the edge of Darlington.

The future looked bright and fans appeared to share his vision, with gates doubling overnight.

But after his first full season in charge questions are being asked about the way the club is going.

A succession of players have left, including top scorer Marco Gabbiadini, and with the new season just weeks away, fans are getting jittery that no others have been brought in.

Add to this the announcement that ticket prices are being increased, it has led some to wonder whether Reynolds' honeymoon period is over.

Reynolds has also come under fire from the players after they were told to take a cut in bonuses. He maintains that all he is doing is putting the club on a sound financial footing.

"The club was three hours from closing when we came in and cleared up over £5m in debts, " he said.

"If you take last season, we spent most of it in the top three, had two cracks at the FA Cup, got to Wembley, won the reserve cup, improved our average attendance to 5,600 and received planning permission for a 25,000 seater stadium."

Reynolds has assured supporters that the club intends to bring in top-name players for the new season and that they will be of the 'highest calibre.'

He says that the cut in players' bonuses is necessary because the club last season paid out just under £1.4m in wages and only made £625,000 in gate receipts.

"The players are deciding what they want at the moment, not the club nor the fans," he said.

"I want to put an end to this and want players who will play for Darlington Football Club and not just their wages."