DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson will make his first signings of 2006 today.
With seven players out of contract, Hodgson is ready to offer new terms to Shelton Martis, Clark Keltie, Anthony Peacock, Carlos Logan and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu.
The future of Phil Stamp has yet to be decided, although Middlesbrough-born midfielder Nathan Jameson has been allowed to leave the club after failing to make an impact.
And, with Tresor Kandol's loan from Dagenham & Redbridge now expired, Hodgson will open talks with the Conference side with a view to signing the striker on a permanent basis. However, Dagenham's £50,000 asking price for Kandol could yet prove a stumbling block.
Despite the return of defender David McGurk following a successful loan spell at York City, Hodgson is ready to offer Martis an extended deal until the end of the season, after Joey Hutchinson was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a knee injury.
Hodgson has also signalled his intentions to offer Peacock and Logan new contracts after the pair impressed following summer moves from Middlesbrough and Manchester City respectively.
And, despite earlier fears that Ndumbu-Nsungu could quit the club, Quakers' 11-goal leading scorer is ready to pledge his future at the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena.
Despite missing the majority of last year through injury, Keltie appears to have done enough to earn a new deal following his recent first-team breakthrough.
However, Stamp's future is less clear. The former Middlesbrough midfielder has so far struggled for fitness since joining the club on a free transfer in October. Stamp has made just two starts for the club. But Hodgson could yet offer the Teessider a short-term deal as he continues to build up his fitness.
* Macclesfield Town yesterday completed the permanent signing of Clyde Wijnhard after a successful loan spell.
The 32-year-old has scored ten goals in 16 appearances since moving to the Moss Rose Ground after his Darlington contract was terminated for a "serious repeated breach of club rules" in October.
Akpo Sodje will start a three-match ban for Saturday's trip to Notts County. The Quakers striker was controversially shown a straight red card for a foul at Lincoln City on New Year's Eve.
Read more about the Quakers here.
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