Officials at Tynecastle discussed severance packages with David Obua and Suso Santana prior to the January window, however both opted to remain in Edinburgh until their contracts finish in June. This irked Hearts and, in a statement on club finances, players were criticised for not leaving when given the opportunity. “It is unfortunate that it was outwith the power of the club to persuade some remaining fringe players to leave early as they elected to stagnate, preferring to take the club’s money while offering very little or nothing in return,” read the statement. “This is an issue that the club will resolve to a large extent at the end of the season and at that point we would expect that payment delays should be eradicated.”

Supporters of fan-owned, co-operative football club FC United of Manchester are celebrating today after raising over £1.6m from a community share issue to help fund a new football ground and community sports facility in Moston, north Manchester. Reaching the £1.6m target will help the club unlock the grant funding they need to meet the costs of the £4.6m project and enable building to start on the Moston site in the spring.

Speaking today, FC United general manager Andy Walsh, said: “Reaching our £1.6m target from the share issue is a fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate. We believe this is the largest amount ever raised by football supporters independently. Raising capital through community shares is a unique development in English football and has been recognised as offering a real alternative to the way football is run and financed.

The Ten-4-Ten scheme was announced at the Darlington Arena today as administrator Harvey Madden joined Darlington FC 1883 (DFC 1883) leaders and MP Jenny Chapman to provide an update on the latest plans to secure the club’s future.

Mark Meynell, from DFC 1883, admitted during the press conference that the club was facing an “emergency”, with poor attendances at games and the club’s debts totalling around £200,000 more than initially calculated when not all creditors had come forward and the club's finances had been fully assessed.