On Thursday evening, the Blackwell Grange Hotel stages the club’s Annual General Meeting, at which Martin Jesper stands down as Chief Executive Officer.

Darlington fans owe a huge debt of thanks to Martin for steering the club in a very professional manner through the turbulent financial waters of the last three years. He has also spent a huge amount of unpaid personal time and energy on DFC affairs (and also had some sleepless nights on the way, no doubt) to help put the club in a much stronger position. Not only that, he has provided strong support for many people at the club, which is much appreciated.

He has also presented some magnificent and much-detailed financial reports at fans’ forums, which have greatly helped to explain the various positions that the club has been in.

His wife, Karen, has also done a vast amount of work for the club over the same period of time, and undoubtedly we are going to miss their input.

Director Dave Mills said; “I have worked tirelessly with Martin for the last few years as a Director of Darlington 1883 Ltd, and thanks to his vast experience in turnaround business, he saw the situation at the football club in 2012 as a positive opportunity rather than a threat and together we have laid the foundations to develop long lasting partnerships with the Darlington business community, which will bring not just financial benefits in the longer term but changes in working practices and attitudes at the club, too. “Martin is a person of passion, determination and great ambitions and he continues to have boundless energy, matched only by his fierce integrity to do the right thing.

“Martin leaves behind a hard-earned legacy of transformation action in the history of Darlington Football Club. He leaves us in much better shape than when he joined, and I thank him immensely for that and wish him every success in his private business interests.”

Manager Martin Gray said that he feels as if he’s lost one of his best players, and said; “I’d like to express a huge amount of thanks to Martin.

“He has done so much work for this club, more than any of us can imagine, and to be honest, I have the same feeling about Martin leaving as I do about losing my top striker. He has been a key member of my team, both on and off the pitch, and I’ve had a fantastic working relationship with him.

“He has been one of the most professional people that I have ever worked with, he does everything to a high standard and he thinks of all the angles and eventualities.

“The amount of time and effort that he has put into this football club over the last three years or so – and remember for no financial gain – has been massive, to the point that he has put his own career on hold, He has worked long hours for this club, about 25 to 30 hours per week, and that’s not counting the amount of time he has spent studying different scenarios and preparing for meetings.

“He has made a huge contribution in bringing stability to the club, he’s helped us to two promotions, and he’s left the club £300,000 in the black. Those are great foundations for the future. He has come up with some great ideas, and put systems in place that helps run the club efficiently.

“He, and his wife Karen – who has also done a tremendous amount of work for the club -- will be very sadly missed. They’ll always be very welcome at the club, and who knows, they might re-appear one day.”

And so say all of us! All the best Martin and Karen.