Darlington blogger Daniel List is trying to be positive in a horror show of a season.
Quakers looking to the future, to forget the past!
I have looked to address the few positives in this car crash season in recent weeks but one area I am yet to praise is the flourishing youth setup at Darlington.
It may well be the case that 'You don't win anything with kids', and success has certainly been in short supply at the Arena this season, but the emergence of some very promising talent from the youth team has certainly offered Quakers fans hope for the future.
It is undoubted that several of the youth team have been thrown in at the deep end this season and time may suggest it could have been a hindrance but if this season doesn't give them a thick skin for the coming years then very little will.
The talent of Curtis Main was undoubted when he broke on to the scene at the age of 15. Since then a host of youngsters have progressed through to the senior team under the mentorship of Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison.
The job being done by Lidds and Maddo is a remarkable one given financial and footballing circumstances. This season we have seen Main feature prominently alongside Josh Gray and while they may have struggled on occasion, they certainly do not look out of place. There have also been fledgling appearances from Danny Groves, Dan Burn and Michael Smith as the production line keeps on rolling.
Wasted
One player I would like to single out for praise would be Corey Barnes. Corey was nominated for the League Two Apprentice of the Year award this season but narrowly missed out and unfortunately missed the end of the season through injury.
It further begs the question of Steve Staunton's managerial skills that after viewing a fantastic midfield display from Barnes at Elland Road, in which he displayed a range of passing well beyond his years, he decided to stick him out to dry at right back against one of League Two's best left backs in Laurence Wilson. Corey is one player who has a big future and it certainly isn't at full back Steve.
Another player who certainly has benefitted from Staunton's departure is Josh Gray. Gray offered some handy but withdrawn performances under the authoritarian regime of Staunton.
Without the burden of an angry Irishman berating his every move, Gray has proceeded to flourish and has put in the best displays of anyone at the club in recent weeks, netting for the first time in the process.
Patience
Obviously with relegation comes financial reassessment but I would urge the hierarchy at Darlington Football Club not to hit the youth development too hard in their new budget. The job that is still a work in progress for Lidds and Maddo commands too much respect for that to happen.
For a number of years we have had to look on in envy while clubs around us were producing youngsters good enough to make an impact at first team level. While not all those names will go on to bigger and better things there is no doubting their potential and a lot of that can be owed to Liddle and Maddison.
There will always be people that read this and suggest that our crop of youngsters can't be all that when we are where we are in the league but that would be hugely unfair. Yes the likes of Groves, Burn and Smith may not have made as much of an impact and yes Main has struggled for goals but they have been placed in an unenviable situation for players of their age.
Perhaps not all of them will go on to make names for themselves in the game but they can all hold their heads high for the honest, hard working displays they have offered our lost cause this season.
Without the aid of a reserve team for gradual development they have been put into the first team mix and have impressed more than many of the half century of players we have seen this season.
Some might call it rose tinted specs and some might call it clutching at straws amidst a crisis. However I see a few of the names above having a big future at Darlington and while I hope their progression is more gradual next season, I don't doubt that the future is bright and the kids are alright.
Does every club think they have the next best thing or is Daniel right about the Quakers new crop? Let us know what YOU think by filling in the feedback form below
