Darlington manager Tommy Wright clarifies his comments about training that he made in Saturday's post match interview:

After being informed over the weekend that my comments in my post-match interview regarding the lads not ‘attending’ training have been misinterpreted and misunderstood, I have been advised to set the record straight. 

The lads train every Tuesday and Thursday, however this is a part-time football club and at times players cannot make training for various reasons. If the reason for the absence isn’t acceptable they have and will continue to be fined. To confirm that this is not a regular occurrence you are more than welcome to stand and watch us training at Eastbourne. 

My comment wasn’t suggesting the lads simply do not turn up – no matter where they’re travelling from -- it was meant to explain how frustrating it is when the group do not all train together. For example, if a player who is slightly ill and has been told to stay away; or players who have minor knocks and are kept in the gym instead of the training pitch; those situations prevent us from doing the organisational work we need to do in preparation for games. 

I know the situation is tough at the minute, on and off the pitch, I am as frustrated as you are, you as fans deserve better and we will turn it around. On the playing side we will introduce new blood into the squad this week and we will endeavour to give it our all on Saturday against Nuneaton Borough. 

I am asking you for patience while we implement the enforced changes. It takes time for players to bed in and it was unforeseen at the start of the season that we would be in a position in which we were forced to lose our top goalscorer and, most recently, our most experienced player, four months into the season. We also had to cash in on Josh Heaton during the summer when I would have preferred to have kept the player but the correct decision was made to clear a chunk of debt. 

Now that you have had a statement from Dave Johnston, you will see how difficult the situation has been and everyone is working hard to get the infrastructure right in order to give us the best possible chance of progression as a football club. Of course you will get the opportunity to ask more questions at the next fans’ forum or netcafe which I believe can’t come soon enough and you will leave the meeting in a positive mood after hearing all the good that is happening. 

We still remain hopeful of mounting a play off challenge, many wrote us off last year and we nearly squeezed in there. All I ask is for you to please create an environment in which the players can perform without going into their shells, we need you to support us through good and bad and be the twelfth man. 

Thank you for your continued support and everything good you do for this football club. 

Keep the faith

Tommy