Craig Liddle is preparing Darlington for their FA Cup tie at home to Hinckley Town after receiving a ringing endorsement from chairman Raj Singh.

The former defender is Quakers' caretaker manager for the third time in as many years and will be in charge at The Northern Echo Arena this weekend.

He became a fans' favourite as a long-serving player and has since enhanced his standing by heading a youth section that has produced a string of players for the first team.

"I'm grateful we have someone like Craig Liddle in our ranks who can take the reins," said Singh.

"You could argue Craig has done more for this club in the last few years than any manager, given the players he's produced and some of the transfer fees our homegrown players have returned.

"He also knows the club inside-out, has the respect of the fans and has dealt with this situation before, so I'm confident he'll be able to get a result for us on Saturday."

Liddle first took temporary charge in September 2009 when Colin Todd was axed and then again in March last year after Steve Staunton was fired.

He has yet to rule himself out of the running and Singh's endorsement is sure to see the 40-year-old's odds on replacing Mark Cooper shorten.

Liddle is among the candidates along with Colin Cooper, Ian Sampson, Craig Hignett, Steve Agnew and Liam Daish.

Singh has admitted that parting company with Cooper, the man in charge when Darlington won the FA Trophy last season, was a tough decision to make.

He said: "It's very sad and disappointing that I've had to make such a drastic decision at this stage of the season, but I felt it had to be done now to give the new man as much time as possible to turn the season around - only time will tell whether it turns out to be the right decision.

"And, at the end of the day, this is the last thing I wanted to see. After winning the FA Trophy back in May, the aim was to build on that and mount a serious promotion drive this season."

* Darlington are offering cut-price corporate boxes for Saturday's FA Cup tie.

Quakers take on the Blue Square North side in the fourth qualifying round of the competition and the club are offering their corporate boxes for £300 each (plus VAT) - £150 less than the going rate.

The package includes a corporate box for ten guests, a one-course meal, mini-bar facilities, complimentary matchday programmes and official team sheets.

* Darlington will be at home against Sheffield FC in the first round of the FA Youth Cup next Wednesday after defeating Altrincham 3-0. The game, played at the Arena, will kick-off at 7.45pm, with admission £3 adults and £1 concessions.

Quakers reached the third round of the FA Youth Cup last season, losing to Arsenal.