History of Darlington's Football Team |
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Darlington Football Club
was formed at a meeting held in Darlington Grammar School in July 1883 and
soon became the leading club in South Durham. In 1889 Darlington became
one of the ten original members of the Northern League and were champions
in 1896 and 1900. The club became professional in 1908 and joined the North
Eastern League as well as applying annually for election to the Second Division
of the Football League. |
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| In 1910/11 the team reached the
last sixteen of the F.A. Challenge Cup playing eleven games in eight different
rounds, including a memorable win over Sheffield United of the First Division,
away at Bramall Lane. However, during the First World War the club ran into
serious financial troubles and were only rescued by Forge Albion, who took
over their affairs and settled various debts. In 1920 the side finished
second in the North Eastern League and the following year were champions.
This was followed by election to the newly formed Third Division North of
the Football League in 1921. |
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In their first season they finished
runners-up and in 1925 they became champions of the Third Division North
and were promoted to Division Two. Alas, after only two years they were
relegated and were back in the Third Division North until the Second World
War. The only high was winning the Third Division North Cup in 1934 beating
Stockport County 4-3 at Old Trafford. No football was played in the early
years of the war, but towards the end of the hostilities, many top guest
players from the army represented the club against the likes of Newcastle,
Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Leeds in the wartime league. |
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| After the war the club resumed play
in the Third Division North, and in 1948/49 nearly gained promotion again,
four times setting new league attendance records at Feethams. Another great
cup run in 1957/58 saw the side through to the last sixteen, beating Chelsea
at Feethams before losing to eventual league champions Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In 1958, Darlington became members of the new Division Four, meeting many
sides from the south of England for the first time. |
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Apart from notable cup victories over First Division sides West
Ham and Blackpool and setting the ground attendance record of 21,023 against
Bolton in 1960, the next major event was promotion to the Third Division
in 1966 (the year England won the World Cup) when they, under manager
Lol Morgan, finished runners up to Doncaster Rovers. Sadly this higher
standard of football was only to last one season and the Quakers fell
back into the fourth Division again in 1967. The side nearly bounced back
in 1969, being the last unbeaten side in the whole of the Football League,
but fell away to finish fifth after topping the table for half the season. |
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| The Seventies was not a good decade
for the club with four applications for re-election, punctuated only by
some thrilling cup victories over Sheffield Wednesday (twice), Luton and
Fulham. Then in 1982, the club's ninety-ninth year, a great cash crisis
threatened its very existence. Within weeks the town rallied round, and
raised the money needed to keep the club going into its centenary year of
1983. Two years later, under manager Cyril Knowles, promotion was again
achieved when the club finished third in the league, and also beat Middlesbrough
in the F.A. Cup. Two seasons were sustained in Division Three, before Darlington
found themselves back in the Fourth Division in 1987. |
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Worse was to follow in 1989 when
Darlington finished bottom of the Fourth Division and were relegated to
the G.M. Vauxhall Conference. However under the guidance of manager Brian
Little the Quakers bounced straight back into the Football League by winning
the Conference. The following season the Fourth Division Championship was
secured and Darlington went into the Third Division for only the third time
in twenty-five years. Alas the momentum could not be maintained and by 1992
the Quakers were back in the familiar surroundings of the Fourth Division
(by now the Third Division due to the creation of the Premier League) where
they have remained to date. |
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| In 1998 the East
Stand, that had been up since just after the First World War, was demolished
and the East Stand that we see today was built. However, this construction
plunged the club into it’s third major financial crisis until local millionaire
businessman George Reynolds stepped in and bought the club in 1999. He
paid off the club’s debts, rumoured to be in the region of £5 million,
and work is well underway on a new 25,000 seater stadium at the end of
Neasham Road and will be ready to be used next season, 2002/03. |
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| In May 2000 the club returned to Wembley in the Third Division Play-Off Final this time against Peterborough United. The opposition was different but the result was the same, we lost 1-0. The future of Darlington FC now looks rosier than it
has done for some time and, hopefully, we long suffering fans can look
forward to great and prosperous times. |
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| Discussion
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| *Information taken from "The
history of Darlington Town Football Club" by Frank Tweddle and
content courtesy of Darlington Football Club. |
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