Darlington have today signed attacking midfielder Ethan Fitzhugh following his release by Gateshead.

23 year old Ethan, who has signed a contract with us for the rest of the season, started his career in the youth set up at Leicester and was with them for twelve years. He was a regular in their under 21 and under 23 sides, scoring 14 times for them. He also had a short loan spell at Banbury in the 2023-24 season, and played against us.

He was released by Leicester in the summer of 2024, and he moved to Buxton for whom he made 32 appearances in season 2024-25 -- he scored for them against us in the league in a 2-0 win in August 2024 -- before joining Gateshead in the summer of 2025. He played for the Heed against us in a pre season friendly. He made eleven appearances for Gateshead before a short loan spell at Kettering.

Ethan goes straight into the squad for today's home game with Leamington

We would like to wish Ethan all the very best while he is with us, and we'd like to thank Gateshead for their co-operation.