Once again, we'd like to thank everyone for logging into our webinar on Wednesday night.

If you missed it, here's the link.

https://yourclub.darlingtonfc.co.uk/2022-dfc-fans-forum-1-feb-2nd

We talked about several topics, such as part time v full time, the January transfer window, playing affairs, the Nadine Dorries visit and financial results.

We'd like to thank everyone for submitting questions, and judging by the positive feedback from several people, many have appreciated the answers. 

Here are a couple of outstanding questions and answers

I know from your interview comments that you are as frustrated as I am regarding our lack of consistency.

This unfortunately has been the case in the 2 prior foreshortened seasons as well as this one.

So my question is what do you plan to do differently in order to motivate your players to perform well in a far greater proportion of games, as it would be foolhardy to just carry on with your current methodology, which patently isn’t working?

From Alun

Like I said earlier that the majority of the players are at this level for a reason and you try to get the best out of them using different methods and getting to know the players and what makes them tick. Changing players constantly doesn’t help which is why we want to keep a good crop of this group and add some quality to it in the summer.

If you look at previous seasons it’s been more of a good run then a bad run whereas this season is very up and down every game. This will only improve with players getting to know each other more, more training time along with more time for analysis. We have already touched on the need to add another session next season to allow for this which will hopefully help as going full time is not affordable for the club at this time.

Why don’t you have a goalkeeper on the bench, Lucas Martin is out on loan?

Alun

We want Lucas to have game time, and so we allowed him to go out on loan to Pickering. Because he’s a goalkeeper, then we could recall him at 24 hours’ notice. He’s been playing regularly for them, and so he’s gaining sharpness as well.

Whether Lucas is needed on the bench or not for us depends on how Tommy feels on the Thursday before a game.

The only risk is if Tommy is sent off during a game and Lucas is not on the bench, obviously we’d have to consider which outfield player to put in goal for the rest of that game. 

Lucas' loan with Pickering has now finished.