Strong finish called for by Davey as he looks to bring Quakers back up

Davey, who was axed by the Tykes at the start of the season, has landed a 15-month deal with the Quakers who are 16 points adrift of safety and heading out of the Football League.

He replaces former Liverpool and Coventry City defender Steve Staunton who was sacked two weeks ago after just five months in the job.

"We may be heading for the Conference, all but mathematically, but the challenge is to finish as strongly as possible so we hit the ground running next season," he said.

"The battle is almost gone this season – but it's not impossible – so there's no reason why we can't give it a go, and give everything we've got. If we can't achieve that in the short-term, obviously the long-term goal is instant promotion next season and getting this club back where it belongs in the Football League."

Davey, 39, had a brief spell as a player with Darlington in 1997 but retired three years later due to injury. He was appointed manager of Barnsley in 2006 after stepping up from the position of Academy manager to replace Andy Ritchie.

During his three-year reign at Oakwell, Davey led Barnsley to the semi-finals of the FA Cup courtesy of shock victories over Liverpool and Chelsea.

The Tykes also avoided relegation for three consecutive seasons but Davey was sacked in August after picking up just one point from the first five games of the season.

He applied for a variety of managerial posts during the last seven months including those at Grimsby Town, Bradford City, and Rotherham United.

Darlington chairman Raj Singh said: "We're delighted to secure Simon's services as our new manager and we're looking forward to him getting to work straight away.

"Simon has had a thorough grounding in coaching with Preston and Barnsley, followed by a very encouraging three years in charge at Barnsley – he's extremely hungry to succeed."

Davey will again be assisted by Ryan Kidd, his former No 2 at Barnsley.