The Quakers boss has convinced 10 players to sign up at the Northern Echo Arena, pending the League Two club successfully coming out of administration, while also persuading three senior players and four young professionals to re-sign.
And Todd is also hoping to sign more before the season kicks off at Aldershot on August 8, as well as bringing in top young players on loan from the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
Skipper Steve Foster and defender Ian Miller have been retained by Todd, as well as young goalkeeper Nick Liversedge.
He has also come to agreements with 10 new players including well-known striker Dean Windass as player-coach, who was released by Hull at the end of last season, former Middlesbrough players David Knight, the goalkeeper, and midfielder Gary Smith, as well as Polish Under-20 defender Ben Starosta, released by Championship club Sheffield United this summer.
Left-back Craig James is set to return to Darlington after previous spells with the club, while Todd also plans to sign experienced ex-Rochdale striker Lee Thorpe, young defender Matty Plummer, released by Hull, ex-Sunderland midfielder Chris Lumsdon and midfielders Jeff Smith, formerly of Bolton, and James Bennett, also released by Hull this summer.
It means Todd began pre-season training this morning (Thursday) with 17 players, but is hoping to put together a squad of more than 20, mixing experience with youth, ready for the start of the 2009-10 campaign.
Todd said: “I’m pleased with the progress we have made already, under the circumstances. It sends out a clear message that Darlington Football Club is well on the way to getting out of the mess it was in.
“The players we’ve potentially signed up to now, including the lads who were with us last season, provide me with a good blend of experience and youth. We have some lads who have been around, played for a few clubs at a top level, while we also have young, hungry players who are desperate to do well.
“It gives me a good foundation to build on, but we’ll hopefully have one or two new faces in between now and the start of the season, including another striker, and I‘ll be looking to bring players in on loan from the bigger local clubs, such as Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
“It’s great to have made this progress already, although there is still a lot to do, but hopefully this is just the start of a new beginning for the club.”
PLAYER PROFILES, 2009-10
Goalkeepers
David Knight
Born: Houghton-le-Spring, 15.1.87
Height: 6’ 1
The former Middlesbrough trainee ‘keeper graduated through Boro’s acclaimed Academy set-up and after loan spells with Darlington (Dec 2005 to Jan 06) and Oldham (2006), he joined Swansea on a free transfer in August 2007. His first-team chances were limited at the Liberty Stadium, however, and Knight signed for Mansfield Town last summer. The 22-year-old became a free agent this summer.
Nick Liversedge
Born: Hull, 18.7.88
Height: 6’ 4
Promising young goalkeeper who is yet to make a senior appearance for the club – the 6ft 4ins shot-stopper joined Darlington as a youngster.
Defenders
Stephen Foster
Born: Mansfield, 3.12.74
Height: 6’ 1
Foster signed for Darlington ahead of the 2007-08 season from Scunthorpe United to once again hook up with the then manager Dave Penney. The former Doncaster player made more than 130 appearances for Rovers and was part of the club's successful 2002-03 and 03-04 seasons which brought successive promotions from the Conference to League One. Prior to his move to Doncaster in 2002, the Mansfield-born centre-back notched up more than 200 appearances for Bristol Rovers and, with a further 68 games for Scunthorpe, he brings a wealth of higher division experience to the club.
Ian Miller
Born: Colchester, 23.11.83
Height: 6’ 2
Miller eventually completed his permanent move to Darlington in January 2008 after having two previous loan spells from Ipswich. The centre-back began his career with non-league Bury Town before impressing in trials for Ipswich, joining them full-time in July 2006. He had a two-month loan spell with Boston United in the 2006-07 season, making 12 appearances for them, before returning to Ipswich. He then had his first loan with Darlington in February 2007, playing seven games, and returned to the Arena again in summer 2007, originally on loan, before joining the club permanently in January 2008. The popular defender played 25 games for the Quakers last season.
Ben Starosta
Born: Sheffield, 17.1.87
Height: 6’
Starosta was released by Sheffield United this summer after beginning his career with the Yorkshire club four years ago. The 22-year-old right-back had loan spells Tamworth (2006), playing four games and had a six-month loan spell with Brentford in 2007-08, playing 23 games. He then joined Bradford on loan in January 2008 and played 15 games for the Bantams before returning to Bramall Lane. Starosta also had a brief loan spell with Aldershot at the start of last season. The defender qualifies to play for Poland through his grandfather, who immigrated to England from Poland after the Second World War. Starosta received his Polish passport in early 2007 and was called up to the Poland squad for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing all four games.
Matty Plummer
Born: Hull, 18.1.89
Height: 5’ 10
Plummer was released by Hull City this summer after beginning his career with the Tigers as a trainee. Although the centre-back never played for Hull’s senior team, he was a regular in their reserve team last season, and was also an unused substitute in the Tigers’ senior games against Watford in 2006 and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in January 2007.
Craig James
Born: Middlesbrough, 15.11.82
Height: 6’
James began his career with Sunderland as a trainee in 2002 and made two appearances for the club – once in the Championship and once in the League Cup – and had loan spells with Hibernian in 2002-03, playing 25 games for Hibs, and Darlington in 2003-04, playing 10 games for the Quakers, before signing a permanent two-year deal with Port Vale in March 2002. The left-back played 83 league and cup games for Vale in 17 months before re-signing for Darlington on a free in August 2006. James made 29 appearances during his second, six-month stint at the Arena before joining York on loan in March 2007. He then signed for Livingston in July 2007 and spent a season at the Almondvale Stadium, playing 34 games for the Livi Lions. James was released last summer and had a brief spell with non-league side Barrow last season before becoming a free agent.
Midfielders
Chris Lumsdon
Born: Newcastle, 15.12.79
Height: 5’ 11
Lumsdon is an experienced midfielder who was released by League One club Carlisle United this summer, after playing 191 games for the Cumbrians over the last five years. Lumsdon began his career as a trainee with Sunderland in 1997 but only played four games for the Black Cats before signing for Barnsley for £350,000 in December 2001, having previously had loan spells with the Tykes, Blackpool and Crewe. He spent two-and-a-half years at Oakwell, playing 84 games for the Yorkshire club, before signing for Carlisle in August 2004.
Jeff Smith
Born: Middlesbrough, 28.6.80
Height: 5’ 11
Smith began his career with Hartlepool but was released in 1999 and after brief spells with non-league sides Bishop Auckland and Barrow, he signed for Bolton in August 2000. After impressing boss Sam Allardyce, signing a three-year deal in summer 2001, he made just eight league and cup appearances for the Trotters, as well as having loan spells with Macclesfield, Scunthorpe, Rochdale and Preston, before signing for Port Vale in June 2004. Smith played a total of 103 league and cup games for the Stoke club over two-and-a-half years before Carlisle paid £60,000 for him in January 2007. The midfielder played 65 games for the Cumbrians before being released this summer.
Gary Smith
Born: Middlesbrough, 30.1.84
Height: 5’ 8
Smith was released by Boro in July 2004 after graduating through the club’s Academy set-up. He’d had a two-month loan stint with MK Dons and went on to sign for the club permanently that summer (2004), playing 80 league and cup games during three seasons. He was released by MK Dons in August 2007 and the centre midfielder signed for Brentford in a deal which was later extended to the end of the 2008-09 season, and the 25-year-old was released this summer, having played 36 games for the Bees.
James Bennett
Born: Beverley, 4.9.88
Height: 5’ 10
A young midfielder, Bennett was released by Hull City this summer after starting his career as a trainee with the Tigers. The 20-year-old had featured in Hull’s reserves side after signing pro forms two years ago but failed to break into Phil Brown’s senior team at the KC Stadium, and had a two-month loan spell with League Two club Lincoln City at the end of the 2008-09 season.
Strikers
Lee Thorpe
Born: Wolverhampton, 14.12.75
Height: 6’
Thorpe brings a wealth of experience to Darlington, having enjoyed a 15-year career in the game so far, scoring more than 111 career league and cup goals from just under 500 games. The 33-year-old began his career with Blackpool in 1994 but signed for Lincoln City in 1997 and he scored 66 goals from 222 games in five years at Sincil Bank. He then signed for Leyton Orient and spent just under two years there, including a loan spell with Grimsby, before joining Bristol Rovers in 2004. He then had brief spells with Swansea, Peterborough, Torquay and Brentford before signing for Rochdale in January 2008. He scored seven goals in 44 games for the Dale before being released this summer.
Dean Windass
Born: Hull, 1.4.69
Height: 5’ 10
Windass is Colin Todd’s biggest summer signing to date, with the experienced former Middlesbrough striker providing years of experience at all levels of the game. The 40-year-old has scored a total of 235 career league and cup goals, from 699 games, over a period of 18 years, and has commanded a total of £2.875m in transfer fees. Windass began his career in non-league football with North Ferriby United before his hometown club Hull signed him for the first time in 1991. He scored 57 goals from 176 games in three years, which prompted SPL side Aberdeen to fork out £700,000 for him in December 1995. He bagged 34 goals from 95 games during his two-and-a-half years at Pittodrie before joining Oxford United for £475,000 in July 1998. Windass spent just a season with United, scoring 18 goals in 38 games, before joining Bradford for £950,000 in March 1999. He scored 20 goals from 88 games before Terry Venables, as Boro’s head coach, paid £600,000 for him in March 2001. Windass only played 46 games for the Teessiders in just under two seasons, scoring three goals, and after a loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, he signed for the Blades on a free in January 2003. He then re-joined Bradford in July that year and enjoyed another four seasons with the Bantams, scoring 66 goals from 155 games, before joining Hull on loan in January 2007, making a permanent £150,000 move six months later. Windass scored 25 goals from 66 games in his second stint with the Tigers, including the priceless play-off final goal against Bristol City at Wembley last summer, which clinched Hull’s first-ever promotion to the Premier League. Windass made five Premier League appearances in the first half of last season before having a three-month loan spell with Oldham Athletic, and was released by Hull at the end of the season.
Young professionals
Josh Gray
Pos: Midfielder
Born: 22.7.91
Danny Groves
Pos: Midfielder
Born: 10.12.90
Dan Riley
Pos: Midfielder
Born:
Curtis Main
Pos: Striker
Born: 20.6.92 |