YOUNG Huddersfield Town midfielder Chris Atkinson has today joined Darlington on a six month loan.
Atkinson, 19, joins the Blue Square Bet Premier club just days after Town boss Lee Clark said he was keen for the younger members of his squad to gain first team experience.
Atkinson, who joined the Town Academy aged seven, made his professional debut for the club in November last season against Macclesfield Town in the second round of the FA Cup.
The loan deal runs up to an including January 2, 2012 and the club have said Atkinson can play in all competitions excluding the FA Cup.
Clark said: "I've explained how highly I rate Chris Atkinson many times during the course of last season and feel that now is the right time to allow him some time out on loan.
"We will keep tabs on Chris' progression throughout his six months at Darlington and compile a dossier. When he returns in January we will have a good idea of where he is and what his next step should be.
"Chris has a lot of very good attributes; he has a very high work rate and has the ability to be a 'box to box' midfielder. His distribution of the ball is excellent and the composure he shows when on the ball, I believe, will make him a very good central midfielder."
