Darlington F.C.
.png) | |||
| Full name | Darlington Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Quakers, Darlo, The Darlings | ||
| Founded | 1883 | ||
| Ground | The Northern Echo Darlington Arena, Darlington | ||
| Capacity | 25,500) (Restricted to 10,000 by county and local planning regulations | ||
| Chairman | Raj Singh | ||
| Manager | Steve Staunton | ||
| League | Coca-Cola League Two | ||
| 2008–09 | Coca-Cola League Two, 12th | ||
|
| |||
Darlington Football Club are an English football team based in the town of Darlington and play in Coca-Cola League Two. The clubs main nickname is The Quakers in reference to the religious movement that had a historic influence on the town. Darlington have remained in the bottom tier of the league since 1992; they are the divisions second-longest inhabitants after Rochdale. Their local rivals are Hartlepool United, York City and Carlisle United.
History
 | This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (January 2010) |
Founding and pre-war
Darlington Football Club was founded at Darlington Grammar School in 1883 and won the Durham Challenge (Senior) Cup two (1895) and eight (1891) years later. In 1889 they joined the new Northern League, which they won in 1896 and 1900. The club turned professional in 1908 and joined the North Eastern League.
In 1919–20 the side managed to finish second in the North Eastern League and the following year were champions. This was a stroke of good luck as their victory coincided with the forming of the Northern Section of the Football League's Third Division, which Darlington were elected to. Their first season in the Third Division was a successful one and they ended up in second place. In 1925, they were champions and won promotion to the Northern Section of the Football League's Second Division but were relegated two seasons later.
Post-war
In 1957–58 they attained their best ever FA Cup run, reaching the last 16. This was not enough to stop them being put into the new Fourth Division with the reorganisation of the Leagues and of the Division's Northern and Southern Sections. In 1966, they won promotion to the Third Division after finishing the season as runners-up, but were relegated the following year. In 1982, the club faced a financial crisis but survived thanks to fundraising efforts of the town. Three years later the club won promotion by finishing 3rd in the league under manager Cyril Knowles. Darlington spent two seasons in the Third Division, their finish of 13th in 1986 their highest position attained in the Football League since the introduction of the present four-division structure in 1958, but they were relegated the following season.
In 1989, the team finished bottom of the league and was relegated to the GM Vauxhall Conference. However, they were only there for one season before winning the GM Vauxhall Conference title and returning to the Football League under manager Brian Little, who had been appointed in January 1989. A second successive promotion followed in 1990-91, this time to the Third Division as Fourth Division champions, but Little was then lured away to Leicester City and he was succeeded by Frank Gray. Darlington were relegated in bottom place the following season, and Gray was dismissed.
Since then, they have reached the play-off final on two occasions. The first visit to Wembley was in 1996 against Plymouth Argyle, however they were beaten through a Ronnie Mauge goal. They returned to Wembley in 2000 to face Peterborough United after throwing away automatic promotion which had at one point seemed a certainty. After a comfortable 3-0 aggregate semi-final win over Hartlepool, Quakers arrived in confident mood, however they wasted a host of chances and were again undone by a single goal, this time from Andy Clarke.
The 1999–00 season was a notable one for Darlington. It was the first season under the ambitious new chairman George Reynolds, Also, they became the first team to lose a tie in the FA Cup and yet still qualify for the next round. Manchester United's involvement in the FIFA Club World Championship meant they did not enter the FA Cup. To decide who took their place, a "lucky losers" draw was held containing the 20 teams knocked out in the second round; Darlington were selected and lost their third-round tie 2-1 to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
2000-2003
During the summer of 2002, Darlington made approaches to sign two world famous players; Paul Gascoigne and Faustino Asprilla - but both bids failed.
In 2003, as part of the Farewell to Feethams celebrations, the club programme ran a competition to decide who's Darlington’s Greatest Ever Team, Captain and Player. The top 11 players that made and were voted as Darlington's Greatest Ever Team were: Mark Prudhoe; Ron Greener, Craig Liddle, Kevan Smith, John Peverell; Andy Toman, David McLean, Alan Sproates; Alan Walsh, Marco Gabbiadini and Colin Sinclair. Craig Liddle was voted and won the Greatest Ever Captain of the Team. During his eight seasons at Darlington, Liddle was captain for seven of them. Marco Gabbiadini was voted and won Darlington's Greatest Ever Player of the Team. During his two seasons at Darlington, Gabbiadini scored 50 goals.
In the summer of 2003, the club moved to its new stadium, the Reynolds Arena. However, a poor start to the season saw manager Mick Tait sacked and replaced by the popular David Hodgson, returning for his third spell in charge. On 23 December, 2003 however, Darlington went into administration and there were fears that the club would go out of business. At one stage there were rumours that the club would sell its new stadium and return to Feethams.
In January 2004, a charity game was organised featuring famous footballers such as Paul Gascoigne, Bryan Robson and Kenny Dalglish. This match attracted a crowd of over 14,000 and helped keep the club going. Despite all the off the field traumas, the team's performances on the field improved significantly. At one point, relegation looked to be inevitable but Hodgson turned things around with the team playing some excellent football along the way.
2004-2007
The end of the season saw George Reynolds hand over control of the club to the Sterling consortium with Stewart Davies taking over as chairman. Davies became popular with the supporters due to his fan-friendly approach, a stark contrast to that of Reynolds. After coming out of administration in September 2004, Hodgson signed a number of experienced players such as Craig Hignett, Alun Armstrong and Clyde Wijnhard; fans affectionately dubbed them the 'Galacticos'. The Quakers were in strong contention for the play-offs for most of the season but in the end just missed out on goal difference to Northampton Town and had to settle for 8th place in Coca-Cola League Two.
In 2005–06, Hodgson ditched the 'Galacticos' and brought in younger players like Simon Johnson, Carlos Logan and Anthony Peacock as well as putting reserve andf youth team player Sean Reay in the squad. After, a great start to the season, The Quakers faded and again found themselves scrapping for a play-off place. For the second season in a row they finished 8th.
Expectations were high for the 2006–07 season following the signings of experienced players such as Martin Smith, Michael Cummins and Gaetano Giallanza as well as putting reserve and youth team player Scott Pocklington in the squad. These expectations were raised even further after the first two games when Quakers found themselves top of the league following victories over Macclesfield Town and Accrington Stanley. However, this was followed by a poor run of form which culminated in a change of manager.
On Saturday 30 September 2006, David Hodgson was suspended by the club following a run of poor results and a possible approach from AFC Bournemouth, leaving Neil Maddison and Martin Gray in joint temporary caretaker charge for up to two weeks while an internal investigation was carried out. Hodgson was subsequently dismissed shortly after. Former Doncaster Rovers manager Dave Penney took over the manager's job with Martin Gray as his assistant.
Penney enjoyed a fantastic start to life at Darlington after winning his first six games. Unfortunately, the club was struck by a horrendous injury and illness crisis which decimated almost the entire playing squad and subsequently led to a terrible run of results. After Christmas, Penney went about strengthening the squad. Particularly, significant were the loan signings of David Wheater and Ian Miller. The Quakers looked a much stronger side and went on a thirteen match unbeaten run. However, once Wheater and Miller returned to their parent clubs, many of the old defensive frailties returned. In the end, Darlington had to settle for 11th place. On a positive note, it meant that The Quakers had finished in the top half of the table for three seasons in a row for the first time since the 1920s.
Not long after the season had ended, Penney began rebuilding his squad to challenge in 2007–08 season. The main area for concern, the defence, was addressed with the signings of Neil Austin, Alan White, Steve Foster, Ian Miller, Scott Wiseman, John Brackstone, Ryan Valentine and reserve and youth team goalkeeper, defender and striker Nick Liversedge, Wayne Clarke and Curtis Main were added to the squad respectively. They also signed goalkeepers Andy Oakes amd Przemyslaw Kazimierczak, midfielders Rob Purdie, Kevin McBride and Xavier Barrau, strikers Paweł Abbott, Ian Harty and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu and the loan signings of goalkeeper Corrin Brooks-Meade, defenders Lee Ridley, Paul Mayo and Ben Parker, midfielders Chris Palmer, Johann Smith, Joe Colbeck, Bryan Hodge, Jason Kennedy and Craig Nelthorpe and strikers Matt Green, Richie Foran and Kevin Gall. Darlington's main aim that season was to be promoted to League One, but this did not happen after Darlington lost 5-4 on penalties in the play-off semi-final against Rochdale after both of the ties ended 2-1 to both home teams respectively and 3-3 on aggregate. On a positive note, it meant that The Quakers had finished in the top half of the table for four seasons in a row after finishing in 6th place.
2008 onwards
Not long after the season had ended, Penney began rebuilding his squad to challenge in 2008–09 season. Jason Kennedy became the first new signing for the new season after signing for the Quakers after an impressive loan spell last season with the club. The following second, third, fourth and fifth signings were Clayton Fortune, Adam Griffin, David Poole and Adam Proudlock as well as putting reserve and youth team players Corey Barnes, John McReady, Simon Todd, Jason Bradley, Danny Groves, Jonathan Hewitson, Josh Gray, Michael Smith and Dan Riley in the squad. Then Penney signed Brentford goalkeeper Simon Brown on loan for four months to act as cover for injured goalkeeper Andy Oakes. On 8 August 2008, Tommy Wright was sold to Aberdeen for a fee believed to be around £100,000. This allowed Penney to sign midfielder Robin Hulbert from Port Vale his sixth signing, and get striker Billy Clarke from Ipswich Town on loan for a month. On 21 August, Penney signed international Liechtenstein midfielder Franz Burgmeier making that his seventh summer signing in this years transfer window. On 28 August Penney also signed out of favour Peterborough United striker Liam Hatch on loan for three months. On November 1, striker Richie Foran re-joined the club for a second stint on loan for a month, to cover for the other on loan injured striker Liam Hatch. On 27 November, striker Huddersfield Town midfielder Michael Flynn came in for a month on loan. The next day on 28 November, midfielder Sébastien Carole signed a permanent deal for the club after being released from Leeds United in the summer. In early December 2008, the club announced that local businessman Raj Singh as its first ever vice chairman It was understood that Mr Singh had been involved with Quakers for a number of weeks prior to the announcement. George Houghton although remained the majority shareholder of the club. On 14 January, 2009, they signed Carlisle United striker Danny Carlton on loan until the end of the season. The next day on 15 January, they signed Colchester United goalkeeper Dean Gerken on loan for a month. On 29 January, they signed Wrexham defender Carl Tremarco on loan for a month. Darlington officially went into administration on 25 February, claiming that the economic shift as well as being unable to draw crowds to their stadium as the main reasons and due to the rules of the FA the club had ten points deducted from the league table as the staff searched for a potential investor. On 30 April, Dave Penney resigned as manager, so that he could take up the managerial position at Oldham Athletic. On the next day 1 May, assistant manager Martin Gray took up the post as caretaker manager for the final game of the season against Chester City which they won. On a positive note, it meant that the Quakers had finished in the top half of the table for five seasons in a row after finishing in 12th place.
On 3 May, a charity game was played featuring famous footballer Paul Gascoigne, as well as former players Bernie Slaven and Marco Gabbiadini. This match attracted a crowd of over 3,000 and helped keep the club going[1]. On 7 May, it was announced that no buyer had been found for the football club[2]. On 8 May, it was revealed Darlington's administrators Brackenbury Clark and Company had released the "majority of the first-team squad" from their contracts to cut costs, with immediate effect, as well as the club's coaching staff and administrative staff including caretaker manager Martin Gray, leaving Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison as joint temporary caretaker managers[3]. On 20 May, it was announced that former chairman George Houghton returned to the club as owner and chairman and had appointed former Middlesbrough boss Colin Todd as manager[4]. On 7 August it was announced that the club had officially come out of administration and were given permission by the Football League to do so with Raj Singh officially taking over owner and chairmanship of the club it was also confirmed that the Singh consortium were confident enough to appoint manager Colin Todd in the interim period, as well as sanctioning contracts for players such as Lee Thorpe and Jeff Smith and assistant player manager Dean Windass[5]. However, on 26 September it was announced that the club had agreed to let manager Colin Todd resign by mutual consent although Todd was adamant he was sacked and that he didn't agree to anything about resiging by mutual consent whereas the club released a statement saying that they and Todd agreed to let him resign by mutual consent[6]. On 5 October it was announced that former Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton took over as the new permanent manager until the end of that season as well as bringing in Staunton the club bought in an assistant to him who was former Sunderland coach Kevin Richardson coming in on the same deal as Staunton[7]. On 2 December it was announced that a contract row had erupted at the club between manager Steve Staunton and captain Steve Foster, because of this Staunton confirmed he would take away Foster's duties as captain, and would not play him again until a clause in his contract was removed, due to the financial isssues at the club, that meant they couldn't agree to his terms, whereas Foster felt he had the legitamacy to have a new contract with these terms, because he stuck with the club through and through during its difficult times (the contracts clause was that if Staunton picked Foster to start the next two games which would be his 20th game of that season that he had the right to sign an immediate one year contract extension on top of his current deal whatever that may be)[8]. So due to this Ian Miller was named as the new skipper replacing Foster for the game at home against Bradford City on 5 December a few days later until the issue had been resolved for Foster to play again, but due to his injury, Mark Bower was named as his replacement for the game as well as vice-captain for the injured Chris Lumsdon a few days later. A month after the reported incident on 4 January, 2010, it was announced that former skipper Steve Foster decided that he would remove the clause and terms from his contract as he wanted to resolve his contract issue with and to play for the club again, but he also did this because of the circulating rumours surrounding his position at the club with the winter transfer window that had been open for a few days at that time[9]. After former captain Steve Foster’s comments earlier that week on 7 January, manager Steve Staunton announced that he wanted Foster to play just as much as the former skipper but he would only do so if he took the clause out of his contract, as Staunton didn’t want to hold the club out to financial ransom, but even though Foster had remained professional throughout the whole situation, kept himself in good shape and available for selection it would be up to him to remove the clause from his contract to enable him to play again[10]. On the same day after weeks of speculation the identity of the two League of Ireland trialists Staunton had brought in was revealed and they were former St Patrick's Athletic's midfielder Gary Dempsey and former Shamrock Rovers’ striker Tadhg Purcell and it was also announced the club would sign a former player sometime during the next week and he was former captain and midfielder Clark Keltie after he had been training with the club since the trialists had as well after being released from Rochdale and having short loan spells with Chester City and Gateshead it was expected he would sign a six month deal until the end of the season as the other two new signings did[11]. Although on 14 January it was announced that at the club arranged Fans Footy Night the night previous, Staunton admitted his frustration at failing to sign Keltie after he agreed that he would sign for the club earlier the next week but instead had a successful trial at Lincoln City which lead to the midfielder making a u-turning decision to opt to sign for them instead but it was all bad news as Staunton also announced another new signing who was another League of Ireland trialist and he was former Leeds United trainee and team mate to Tadgh Purcell at Shamrock Rovers, teenage defender Simon Madden but as well as him Staunton was still interested in another defender who was former vice-captain Alan White after the other clubs manager Richard Money told him he was surplus to requirements at Blue Square Premier League club Luton Town but Staunton also admitted he had talked to the club and their manager about signing the player[12]. Which he did the next day on 15 January on a six month loan deal from his parent club[13]. On the same day it was announced that as well as signing the former defender and vice-captain, he also signed former Spennymoor Town midfielder Gary Waite and former Hibernian Scottish teenage striker Patrick Dean, also on six month deals until the end of the season but instead on permanent ones unlike White[14]. Still on the same day Staunton announced he was interested in signing a goalkeeper and had a number of potential options at his disposal one of which he hoped would signing for the club during the following week[15]. On 18 January it was announced that the club was annoyed that the game against Aldershot Town a few days previous at the weekend was postponed after two pitch inspections by referee Colin Webster, and a lot of work before and after the calling off of the fixture by groudsman Gary Ventress and his staff, as well as being able to hold a training session on it after the match was deemed unplayable by the referee. What angered the club was the fact that the referee deemed the pitch playable after some of the snow had been cleared from the pitch and surrounding areas, due to help from volunteers, and the thaw of the snow over previous days, at 10am, but called a second inspection at 12noon to see if the conditions would improve, but after the groudstaff had worked on it for an hour until the next inspection, it kept raining so the condition of the pitch deteriorated, so the referee called the game off, but immediately after the inspection it stopped raining, so the groudstaff continued to work on the pitch for a further hour, so groudsman thought the pitch was in good condition, so much so that the club decided to hold a training session on it, which went well, which is what angered the club about the match being postponed in the first place[16].
Famous fan
Grounds
 |
The club plays at the Darlington Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as The Northern Echo Darlington Arena, a 25,500-seat stadium that opened in 2003 and has been previously been known as the Reynolds Arena, the New Stadium, the Williamson Motors Arena, the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena and the Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena. Though the stadium can seat up to 25,500 people, the club is restricted to just 10,000 because of county and local planning regulations. From 1883 to 2003, the club played at Feethams, which was located close to the town centre. Feethams has since been demolished and is due to make way for housing.
Kit manufacturers
| Company name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Umbro | 1975 | 1976 |
| Litesome | 1976 | 1977 |
| Bukta | 1977 | 1979 |
| Le Coq Sportif | 1979 | 1984 |
| Hummel | 1984 | 1987 |
| Hobott | 1987 | 1989 |
| Jack Hatfield | 1989 | 1995 |
| ICIS | 1995 | 1997 |
| On Time Sportswear | 1997 | 1998 |
| Biemme | 1998 | 1999 |
| Xara | 1999 | 2007 |
| Vandanel | 2007 | 2009 |
| Errea | 2009 | 2010 |
Shirt sponsors
| Company name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| DFC | 1975 | 1977 |
| FC | 1977 | 1978 |
| DFC | 1978 | 1982 |
| McEwan's | 1982 | 1987 |
| United | 1987 | 1988 |
| I-S-L | 1988 | 1991 |
| Hutchinson Telecom | 1991 | 1995 |
| Orange | 1995 | 1996 |
| Soccerdome | 1996 | 1997 |
| Darlington Building Society | 1997 | 2010 |
Mascot
|
Darlo Dog is the club's official team mascot. He is a dalmatian and wears the home strip on matchdays. He was once ejected from the stadium for climbing on advertising hoardings in front of BBC cameras.
Honours
- Winners, Durham Challenge (Senior) Cup, 1885, 1891
- Champions, Northern League, 1895–96, 1899–00
- Champions, North Eastern League, 1912–13, 1920–21
- Champions, Third Division (North), 1924–25
- Winners, Third Division (North) Cup, 1933–34
- Runners-up, Third Division (North) Cup, 1935–36
- Runners-up, Fourth Division, 1965–66
- Third placed, Fourth Division, 1984–85
- Champions, GM Vauxhall Conference, 1989–90
- Champions, Fourth Division, 1990–91
Records
Club
- Best league performance: 15th, Second Division (North), 1925–26
- Best FA Cup performance: Fifth Round, 1910–11, 1957–58
- Best League Cup performance: Fifth Round, 1967–68
- Most league points: 85, 1984–85 (three points for a win) 59, 1965–66 (two points for a win)
- Most league goals: 108, 1929–30
- Most league wins in one season: 25, 1965–66
- Best league win home: 9-2 v. Lincoln City, 7 January 1928
- Best league win away: 7-2 v. Durham City, 22 October 1921
- Best FA Cup win: 13-1 v. Scarborough, 24 October 1891
- Best league Cup win: 4-0 v. Halifax Town, 29 August 1966
- Best league run undefeated: 17, from 27 April 1968
- Undefeated league games home: 36, from 14 April 1923
- Undefeated league games away: 14, from 27 April 1968 and 9 December 1995
- Best run of league wins: 6, from 6 February 2000
- Best run of home League wins: 8 (three times)
- Longest run of league draws: 5 (three times)
Player
- Most league appearances: 439, Ron Greener (1955–67)
- Most league goals in total: 87, Alan Walsh (1978–84)
- Most league goals in one season: 39, David Brown (1924–25)
- Most international appearances: 7, Franz Burgmeier (Liechtenstein) (2008–09)
- Most league goals in a match: 4, David Cork 6-1 v. Boston United, 13 February 1990 & Billy Clarke 6-0 v. Macclesfield Town, 30 August 2008
- Youngest goalscorer: Curtis Main, 16 years, 246 days (2008–09)
Players
Current squad
- As of 19 January 2010.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Staff
- As of 29 October 2009.
- Chairman: Raj Singh
Administration
- Group Finance Director: Andy Wilson
- Managing Director: Graham Fordy
- General Manager: Phil Preston
- Business Development Manager: Alison Williamson
- Food, Beverage & Events Manager: Michael Robinson
- PR & Media Contact: Martin Walker
- Ticket Office Manager: Peter Cook
- Club Photographer: Les Hodge
- Head Chef: Helen Todd
- Safety Officer: Stephen Wood
- Deputy Safety Officer: Carol Barnett
Football
- First Team Manager: Steve Staunton
- First Team Assistant Manager: Kevin Richardson
- First Team Physiotherapist: Will Short
- Youth Team Physiotherapist: Ali Logan
- Head of Youth: Craig Liddle
- Centre of Excellence Manager: Neil Maddison
- Club Doctor: Dr R. S. Charlton
- Club Dental Surgeon: Nigel Kendrew
- Football Secretary: Lisa Charlton
- Groundsman: Gary Ventress
- Kit & Equipment Man: Andrew Thompson
- Football In The Community (FITC) Officer: Kevin Stonehouse
References
- ^ "Gascoigne in Quakers charity game". BBC Sport. 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
- ^ "No Buyer Found for Darlington FC". BBC Sport. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ "Quakers Forced to Release Players". BBC Sport. 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ "Houghton and Todd to lead Quakers". BBC Sport. 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ "Darlington out of administration". BBC Sport. 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Darlington part company with Todd". BBC Sport. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "Darlington name Staunton as boss". BBC Sport. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ "Captain Darlington skipper Steve Foster in contract row". BBC Sport. 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
- ^ "Foster: I want to stay". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ "Quakers boss hopes 2010 brings a new beginning". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ "Three new signings for Quakers". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ "Staunton frustrated as Keltie opts to join Imps". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
- ^ "White returns to Quakers". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
- ^ "Darlington make two more signings". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
- ^ "Staunton signs up Madden". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
- ^ "Game off verdict angers Quakers". The Northern Echo. 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2010-01-18.