Martin Gray wants to return to relegation-threatened Darlington as manager to help save them from the drop - and says he would work for free.

The club are second-bottom of the National League North, eight points from safety, and are looking for their third manager of the season after sacking Josh Gowling.

He was axed on Boxing Day evening, hours after Quakers slumped to defeat at Scarborough Athletic.

The teams meet again today at Blackwell Meadows, and Gray says he will be in attendance to see Quakers first-hand.

Gray guided Darlington to three promotions, starting from the Northern League in the 2012-13 season before leaving in 2017, by which stage Quakers were in National League North.

But they face the prospect of dropping back into the Northern Premier League for the first time since 2016, when they won title under Gray.

He still lives in the town and says he maintains a keen interest in the club’s fortunes.

He said: “I have a burning desire to continue my football management career alongside an ambition for the football club, as an ex-Darlington player and manager.

“I would come in and run the playing side until the end of the season for free.

“I understand the club is financially under a lot of pressure. There’s financial restraints against them and hopefully I can help reduce that pressure by doing the job for free.

“I’m passionate about helping Darlington stay in the league and if I was given the opportunity I would be very confident of doing that.”

Gray, 52, left Darlington to become manager at York City in October 2017, his tenure lasting until the following August.

After a spell as sporting director at Shildon ended in September 2019, Gray has focused on his football academy and his work in education, providing alternative provision for schoolchildren.

When Gray departed Darlington, he left under a cloud in some supporters’ eyes.

There was frustration that he had spoken with Raj Singh regarding potentially investing in Quakers, five years after he was central to the club’s financial implosion and ultimately a four-division demotion.

“I feel I’ve got unfinished business with the fans,” admitted Gray. I want to prove to the fans and the club that the most important thing is that the club stays up.

“I hope people can see that it’s not about money, that’s why I’ll do it for free, the most important thing is the football club survives.

“It’s a fan-owned club and the most important thing at Darlington is the supporters. I feel I could reignite the connection between the fans and the players, as that’s what we had previously and it was special.

“We need to rekindle that connection. We had good relationships across the board.

“It’s about teamwork. It’s important that everyone feels valued and sometimes that can be forgotten.

“From day one, whether it was the groundsman or the kitman, everyone felt valued and that’s what created success, it was the team of people that we brought together from the players to backroom staff to the board of directors, everyone created something special.”

Gray says he has backroom team lined up ready to work with him if given the opportunity at Darlington.

“They are knowledgeable about football and they are North East people, I think it’s important to have that connection with the fans,” he explained.

“I will be there on Saturday. Whether I get the job or not, I want to have a look at the team - I really want the club to make progress and in the same direction it was going six years ago.”

Also understood to be in the running for the job are Steve Watson, Robbie Stockdale and Graeme Lee.