IT cannot have been easy to be a Darlington supporter in the past few years.

From the uncertainty of two separate spells in administration to the despair of last season’s relegation from the Football League, things have tended to go from bad to worse at The Northern Echo Arena.

If anyone deserved Wembley FA Trophy success on Saturday, it is surely the 10,000 Quakers supporters who celebrated Chris Senior’s extra-time winner with undisguised relish.

It has been a long time coming, but Darlington fans finally have a reason to smile.

We congratulate chairman Raj Singh, manager Mark Cooper and all of the players who have been involved in this year’s successful FA Trophy campaign. We also pay tribute to Northern League side Whitley Bay, who were at Wembley yesterday to claim their third successive FA Vase.

However, from a Darlington perspective, we also hope Saturday’s success is merely the prelude to an even greater triumph.

For all that an FA Trophy success is worthy of the civic reception that will take place on Wednesday night, promotion back into the Football League is an even greater prize. As Singh justifiably points out, it will be much easier to achieve if some of the supporters who travelled to Wembley return on a regular basis.

We firmly believe that a successful football team is of considerable benefit to Darlington. Let’s hope we can all work together to achieve it.