Keltie backing Liddle to get Darlington out of trouble (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Keltie backing Liddle to get Darlington out of trouble

8:00am Saturday 10th March 2012 in Football By Craig Stoddart , Deputy Sports Editor

Craig Liddle is the man to haul Darlington out of trouble, says midfielder Clark Keltie.

Quakers have gradually slipped down the table and are now in the relegation zone due to a run of eight defeats in their last ten games as well as the ten point deduction for sinking into administration.

They are four points adrift and their position could worsen today as most of their relegation rivals are in action while Darlington are not playing, but there is no lack of optimism at The Northern Echo Arena.

Keltie returned to the club at the beginning of February, three-and-a-half years after leaving when Liddle was head of youth, but he has returned to the club with his former team-mates now interim manager of the first team.

The Newcastle-born 28-year-old said: "It felt weird to be back on the day I came here to sign because everything was closed, the placed looked a bit shutdown and dreary. But as long as Lidds is here the place will keep going.

"He's got a never-say-die attitude that he instills into the players. We just need a bit of luck.

"It's that cliche about not getting luck when you're at the bottom, it's happening to us. We just need a bit of luck and the lads believe we can get out of this."

Keltie had a spell playing in Iceland which lasted until October last year, but, aside from a brief spell with Cork City in January he had played little football in recent months until rejoining Darlington who he left in 2008.

He played in Tuesday's friendly at Durham City on Tuesday, and said: "Lidds has got us training like he normally does.

"He's like a soldier, he works us very hard. I'm up there fitness-wise alongside the lads, we've done a few runs, it's just games I need.

"I wouldn't say I'm 100 per cent match fit but I'm getting there."

Keltie spent seven years with Quakers before leaving in 2008 and he admits to keeping track of the club's fortunes no matter where his career has taken him.

He said: "My last game was the second leg of the play-offs against Rochdale when I scored a penalty. The club had a decent season and if it hadn't been for injuries we would probably have got promoted.

"To have left the club then to come back here into a dogfight is no good, but it's all been out of the players' hands what has happened behind the scenes.

"I always kept an eye on things, when I was at Rochdale and Lincoln and then Iceland, I always kept an on things at Darlington and seeing the club go back into administration after they'd been in it before, it seemed like one thing after another. It's like a circus this place, you never know what's going to happen.

"I just hope we can get out of this and climb the league."