Frustrated Striker Leaves Darlington

Forward Mark Sheeran will this week part company with Darlington. The player who was twice a super sub for Darlington in the 2001/02 season has been allowed to leave the club after he was told he would not be guaranteed first team football. Sheeran has become frustrated at the lack of first team chances and manager Dave Hodgson has held talks with the player where Sheeran said he needed to be playing on a regular basis.

"I've had a chat with Mark and he has told me he needs to be playing regular first-team football and we can't guarantee him that," said Hodgson in the Northern Echo. "Mark is now at a stage in his career where he wants to be in the starting 11 on a week-to-week basis. Unfortunately that is not something we have been able to offer him."

Hodgson wished the player luck with his future. "I've watched Mark on the training ground and he can score goals," said Hodgson. "It's always disappointing to see someone leave but Mark is a level-headed lad and hopefully he'll do well wherever he goes."

Sheeran will be best remembered when he came off the bench against Luton Town at Feethams in late January of 2002 where he scored two late goals to win Quakers three points against the eventually promoted Hatters. Days later he scored another late goal to win Darlington maximum points against Lincoln City.

Unfortunately for Sheeran he was never able to live up to his impressive start and since the return of Dave Hodgson he has been frozen out of the side. Perhaps never quite developing as fast as fans hoped he might Sheeran's first team chances have always been limited. With Hodgson preferring to play a make shift forward in Neil Wainwright and loan another forward into the club Sheeran was always well down the list. He made seven substitute appearances this season with only three of them being made since the return of Dave Hodgson.

Source: The-Tinshed.net

Picture by Dafts.co.uk

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