News round-up: Darlington's frustration, ugly play-off scenes and Scunthorpe cuts looms

The National League has now ratified charity Big Help taking a controlling interest in Southport as it becomes a shareholder.

In April, the charity said it would invest £100,000 in Southport and their Haig Avenue stadium being renamed. Helping people in poverty across England and Wales, the charity, founded in Merseyside, said the funding boost for the club would support them and their charitable community foundation to support long-term success on and off the pitch.

Big Help Project said it wants a bigger presence in Southport and it looks forward to engaging with the fanbase and wider community throughout the course of the summer and into next season to understand how Big Help can support the club and the community foundation’s wider ambitions.

A new Darlington stadium is not likely to open until 2026 because "frustrating" delays have set the plans back, according to managing director David Johnston.

The ambition to leave Blackwell Meadows and move to a purpose-built site remains one of the club's top priorities but requires detailed planning and significant investment.

The Quakers have identified the potential locations for the new stadium, which could include additional sports, retail and hospitality facilities. The new site, which could have a capacity for up to 8,000 fans, was initially planned to be built in time for the 2024-25 season.

Another five men are to be sentenced after ugly scenes at Chester's play-off semi-final against Brackley Town at the Deva on May 7.

At Chester Magistrates Court, Daniel Radford, 22, of Sumner Road, Chester; Joseph Gillam, 24, of High Street, Saltney; Mark Perrin, 34, of Auckland Road, Chester; John O’Hanlon, 36, of Arnhem Way, Chester; and Timothy Mills,  39, of Penmon Close, Chester have now all admitted affray and will be sentenced at the city's crown court next month. 

The court was told that the men were part of a large group who had entered the pitch at the end of the match. They made their way over to the section of the stadium where Brackley Town fans were and engaged in threats of violence and missile throwing. Police were forced to create a mini-cordon to keep opposing fans apart. 

There may have to be cuts to Scunthorpe United’s playing squad in order to balance the books, assistant boss Chris Plummer has said.

The Iron assembled some big names in order to bounce straight back to the National League but off-field turmoil continued into the new campaign with then-owner David Hilton relinquishing control at the start of the month.

Successor Michelle Harness and her board have been focused on trying to secure a deal to stay at or buy Glanford Park, prompting manager Jimmy Dean to refer to “adjustments” to work towards a “more sustainable model” in his programme notes.

Asked by the BBC whether that would affect the playing squad, Plummer said he didn't know, but the football club has to survive and has to be sustainable.

A teenager who ran onto the pitch following a dramatic King’s Lynn Town match has been banned from The Walks for three months.

Lynn Police confirmed in a statement today that they had identified the “unwelcome visitor”, who entered the field of play after a goal deep into stoppage time from substitute Jack Smith had clinched a crucial 3-2 win for the Linnets against Bishop’s Stortford.

The youngster has subsequently been reprimanded for his behaviour.