DARLINGTON Football Club will begin to exit administration before the end of the week, by which time Colin Todd is expected to have been confirmed as the club’s new manager.

Todd has agreed to succeed Dave Penney as Quakers boss, and his appointment should be confirmed within the next 24 hours as Darlington edge towards an official exit from the hands of the administrators.

The former Middlesbrough, Bolton and Bradford manager revealed his interest in the Darlington job in an exclusive interview with The Northern Echo on May 7, and while the club remains in a precarious position, his appointment suggests its long-term survival has been all but secured.

Almost three months after entering administration, Darlington are now close to agreeing a deal that will see them begin a new era under changed ownership.

However, George Houghton will continue to play a prominent role in the new backroom set-up, and the former chairman, who is currently in the United States, could revert to his previous position.

While Darlington are understood to be around £5m in debt, Houghton could opt to release funds from another of his companies in order to provide the liquidity needed to secure the club’s future.

That would then enable the administrators to begin assembling a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a deal that is a prerequisite to exiting administration.

While other clubs have struggled to get their creditors to agree to a CVA, the fact that Darlington owe relatively little to the Inland Revenue should make the deal something of a formality.

Todd has sought assurances about Darlington’s future viability, and the 60-year-old is understood to have been satisfied with the conditions under which he will be working next season.

Having previously taken charge of Bradford City following their own spell in administration, the Chester-le- Street born boss is well versed in the art of managing under strict financial constraints.

Todd inherited just five senior professionals when he replaced Bryan Robson at Valley Parade, and while a number of League One and Two clubs continue to show an interest in members of the current Darlington squad, the former Middlesbrough and Bolton boss will attempt to keep the core of last season’s group intact.

He lost Ricky Ravenhill yesterday when the midfielder agreed to join Notts County next month, but while Pawel Abbott and Jason Kennedy are also expected to leave the North-East this summer, Todd will hope the current trickle does not turn into a flood.

Abbott and Kennedy have both been linked with Oldham Athletic this week, but the former is close to completing a move to Scottish Premier League side Hearts while the latter is interesting a string of League One clubs.

Todd is unlikely to hold on to either, but will hope to retain a number of senior professionals as well as exploiting his numerous contacts in the domestic and overseas market.

The former Sunderland defender loaned a number of players from Premier League clubs during his time in charge of Bradford, and is likely to pursue similar avenues once Darlington’s transfer embargo is lifted when their exit from administration is complete.

Having spent two seasons managing in Denmark, Todd is also expected to use his Scandinavian links to attract new players.

His first job will be to assemble a backroom staff following the recent departure of Martin Gray and Andy Collett, and he has already offered former Hull, Bradford and Middlesbrough striker Dean Windass a player-coaching role as his number two.

Windass was recently released by Hull, and Todd is hoping to add his extensive experience to Darlington’s playing staff while also offering the 40-year-old a route into coaching and management.

Windass worked under Todd at Bradford, and is understood to be interested in a possible move to the North- East.

But having received a number of offers since his release from the KC Stadium, he has asked for some time to consider his options before deciding on his future plans.

Colin Todd The Manager

Middlesbrough
(Mar 1990 - Jun 91)
P70 W28 D16 L26
Win ratio: 40%
Bolton
(as joint manager, Jun 95 - Jan 96)
P28 W5 D7 L16
Win ratio: 17.8%
Bolton
(as manager, Jan 96 - Sep 99)
P183 W79 D53 L51
Win ratio: 43.2%
Swindon
(May - Nov 2000)
P20 W5 D6 L9
Win ratio: 25%
Derby
(Oct 2001 - Jan 02)
P17 W4 D2 L11
Win ratio: 23.5%
Bradford
(Jun 2004 - Feb 07)
P139 W44 D46 L49
Win ratio: 31.6%
TOTAL
P457 W165 D130 L162
Win ratio: 36.1%