DARLINGTON Football Club has provided local schoolchildren with the chance to meet the manager and the chairman of the club.

Forty schoolchildren were invited to put their questions to manager Martin Gray and club chairman Denis Pinneger, at an event hosted by the Longfield Academy of Sport, in Darlington.

The children, aged from ten to 16, asked questions on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the future of the club to who decides which players to buy.

Mr Gray said: “It was great to interact with the schoolchildren and from their questions I could tell they were passionate about our football club.

"They are our fans of the future and we look forward to their support for years to come.”

Dion, 11, from Corporation Road primary school, said: “It was great to see how Darlington Football Club has changed in just a year.”

The other schools in attendance were the Darlington School of Maths and Science, Corporation Road Primary School, and Byerley Park Primary School from Newton Aycliffe.

The next Ask the Manager event will take place in February, with children from different schools being invited to ask the questions.