THE future of administrationhit Darlington Football Club will not be revealed until tomorrow morning at the earliest.

The second deadline for bids for the cash-strapped Quakers passed at 5pm last night with fans still in the dark as to who the club’s next chairman will be.

Dave Clark, from administration firm Brackenbury Clark and Co, said yesterday’s deadline would help him to plan the club’s future.

He said he would be in a series of meetings today, but did not expect to be able to make an announcement until at least tomorrow.

Mr Clark said he was not in a position to say how many bids had been made for the club, but had “lost count” of the number of interested parties who had contacted his firm. He said he was not able to answer any questions, adding: “Until then, it is just speculation.”

Former club chairman George Houghton, who put Darlington into administration in February, attended Sunday’s charity match.

He told fans he would ensure the club survived until a buyer was found.

His decision to put the club in administration automatically cost the Quakers ten points. With those ten points, they would have finished in sixth position and in the promotion play-offs.

Mr Houghton said yesterday he could not comment on the decision or anything else.

However, he said he would be meeting the administrators today, after which he would be able to make a further announcement.

His former vice-chairman, Raj Singh, who bought a ten per cent share in the club for £1.2m in December, last year, was the only person to bid for the club before the previous April 20 deadline. Mr Singh said last night: “That particular offer was withdrawn last week. There may be a different way to dress it up, but there is no more money.

“Every day that goes by, it gives us a mountain to climb.

We will just have to see what the administrator does come away with from the meetings.”

Mr Singh had hoped for a new buyer to be unveiled as a result of the first deadline.

Since the deadline was extended, former manager Dave Penney resigned to go to Oldham Athletic.

Assistant manager Martin Gray and coach Andy Collett are expected to join him. Players are also waiting to decided on their own futures.

Clubs cannot be in administration for more than 18 months or two complete seasons, according to Football League rules.

A Football League spokesman said that the people overseeing clubs in administration must demonstrate to the league that there is a viable exit route in order for the club to start the 2009-10 season.

There are two other clubs in administration in the league – Southampton and Stockport.