CLUB
Darlington
Darlington, as we knew ’em at least, are no more. The Quakers ceased to be. Darlo’s adventure started back in 1883, but came to a shuddering halt in 2012. The club had gone into administration for the third time in less than 10 years and was taken over in that summer. Failing a CVA, however, meant they were expelled from the FA and wound up. So, it’s possible to argue (as some do) that Darlo lived on.
The FA, however, did not see it that way; ruling it was a “new” club: Darlington 1883.
Before it all went wrong, we came up against the Quakers in our 2002-3 FA Cup Round Two clash. If we hoped they were ripe for a cupset, we were quickly and easily proved wrong. The Quakers cast us aside in a 4-1 win to earn the spot in Round Three we so desperately wanted. It makes it worse to learn that we’d have played Farnborough Town in the next round; the winner taking on Arsenal. In the aftermath of that game, things went full mini-circle.
- 26 December 2002: Kettering inflict Boro’s fourth straight defeat – including the Darlo disaster. Wayne Turner gets the sack.
- 28 December 2002: Boro’ romp to a five-goal win against Graham Westley’s Farnborough
- 4 January 2003: Graham Westley’s Farnborough go to Feethams in the FA Cup Third Round and overcome The Quakers
- 28 January 2003: Graham Westley quits Farnborough to take up the Boro’ hotseat
Darlington: The Facts
Head-to-Head
| Played | 1 |
|---|---|
| Won | 0 |
| Drawn | 0 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Goals For | 1 |
| Goals Against | 4 |
| Win % | 0% |
Club History
Who are Darlington?
Boro’ traded Football League places with Darlo in 2010. We left the Conference behind, which opened up a vacancy that the Quakers filled by finishing bottom of League Two. For the second time in its history, the County Durham outfit were plunged into non-league. The first time, in 1989, saw the club storm straight back into the League. The second? Well, financial troubles linked to an extravagant new ground got in the way.
Yet, that’s not why we remember them. Nor was it the time they almost signed Faustino Asprilla.
As the name of the “new” incarnation suggests, the Quakers were born in 1883; becoming founder members of the Northern League six years later. They won the league title twice, switched to the North Eastern League in 1908, won that title twice, and then joined the Football League in 1921. It was in this decade that Darlo saw, arguably, their high point. By winning the Division Three North crown in 1925, they reached the second tier.
After a two-year stay at that level, the Quakers returned to Division Three North and would never again climb outside the bottom two tiers of the Football League. Well, there was one short time they had different surroundings. That was in 1989; the club relegated to the Conference. Under manager Brian Little, however, they returned instantly and went onto win a second straight promotion as Division Four champions in 1991. It was all go at Feethams back then…
How to get to Darlington
By Car
By Road
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By Rail
By Rail
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Parking
Parking
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Previous Meetings
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Dec 2002 | FA Cup R2 FAC2 | A | 1-4 |
Shared Players
| Player | Profile |
|---|---|
| Michael Brough | View Profile |
| Drewe Broughton | View Profile |
| Jake Cassidy | View Profile |
| Richard Hodgson | View Profile |
| Kirk Jackson | View Profile |
| Joe Leesley | View Profile |
| Nick Liversedge | View Profile |
| Jefferson Louis | View Profile |
| Clint Marcelle | View Profile |
| Akpo Sodje | View Profile |
| David Stockdale | View Profile |
