It has come to light that a Darlington fan walked on the Heritage Park pitch on Tuesday morning ahead of the Salford game to carry out his own personal assessment of the pitch and post his own thoughts on social media.

Bishop Auckland have quite rightly complained to Darlington FC about the actions of this fan, who walked around on the pitch for several minutes without the permission and authorisation of both Bishop Auckland FC and Darlington FC.

Only those people authorised by Bishop Auckland FC and Darlington FC are allowed access to the playing surface, and any assessment of the playing pitch can only be made by officials of both clubs. Any statements regarding the condition of the pitch will only be made through official channels, furthermore any statements by individuals regarding the condition of the pitch are done so without any authorisation whatsoever from either Darlington FC or Bishop Auckland FC.