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Darlington Football Club are an English football team based in the English town of Darlington, currently playing in League Two. The club's nickname is the Quakers, in reference to the religious movement that had a historic influence on the town. Darlington are currently[update] sponsored by local company Darlington Building Society.
Nicknamed the Quakers, Darlington have remained in the bottom tier of the league since 1992; they are the division's second-longest inhabitants after Rochdale. Their local rivals are Hartlepool United and, from a little further afield, Carlisle United and York City.
History
Darlington Football Club was founded at Darlington Grammar School in 1883. In 1889 it 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 look 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 Second Division but were relegated two seasons later.
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 League and the end of the Third 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 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.
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 which Darlington-s best ever team would be. The top 11 players that made the team were: Mark Prudhoe, Ron Greener, Craig Liddle, Kevan Smith, John Peverell, Andy Toman, Alan Sproates, David McLean, Alan Walsh, Marco Gabbiadini and Colin Sinclair. Marco Gabbiadini won the overall award and was voted Darlington's Greatest Ever Player. 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.
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 eighth place in 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 team player Sean Reay in the squad. After, a great start to the season, Quakers faded and again found themselves scrapping for a play-off place. For the second season in a row they finished eighth.
Expectations were high for the 2006-07 season following the signings of experienced players such as Martin Smith, Michael Cummins and Gaetano Giallanza. 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 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 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. 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 Quakers had finished in the top half of the table 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 and Ryan Valentine, and youth team player Wayne Clarke was added to the squad. They also signed goalkeepers Andy Oakes, Przemyslaw Kazimierczak and Nick Liversidge, midfielders Rob Purdie, Kevin McBride, Xavier Barrau and strikers Pawe- 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, Curtis Main, Richie Foran and Kevin Gall. Darlington's main aim last season was to be promoted to Coca-Cola 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. The plans for the new training ground and leisure complex are still in the mix, with the go-ahead expected later in 2008.
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 League Two club. The following second, third, fourth and fifth Quakers signings were Clayton Fortune, Adam Griffin, David Poole and Adam Proudlock as well as putting reserve team player Simon Todd in the squad. Since then he and Sean Reay have gone out on loan for the season to gain first-team football experience with Blyth Spartans. Then Penney signed Brentford goalkeeper Simon Brown on loan for four months to act as cover for injured goalkeeper Andy Oakes. Then on August 8, 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. Then on August 21, 2008, Penney signed international Liechtenstein midfielder Franz Burgmeier making that his seventh summer signing in this years transfer window. Then on August 28, 2008, Penney also signed out of favour Peterborough United striker Liam Hatch on loan for three months. Then on September 2, 2008 defender Tim Ryan went out on a loan like Simon Todd and Sean Reay but to Harrogate Town for a month in an attempt to regain his full fitness. On November 1, 2008 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. Then on 6 November 2008 defender Clayton Fortune went out on loan like Simon Todd and Sean Reay but to Rushden & Diamonds for a month in an attempt to regain his full fitness. Then on 7 November 2008 striker Adam Proudlock went out on loan like Clayton Fortune, Simon Todd and Sean Reay but to Grimsby Town for two months in an attempt to get some more first-team football than he was originally. Then on 27 November 2008 striker Gregg Blundell went out on loan to Accrington Stanley for a month in an attempt to get more first-team football. Huddersfield Town midfielder Michael Flynn came in for the same amont of time on loan. On 28 November, midfielder Sébastien Carole signed a permanent deal for the club after being released from Leeds United in the summer.
Grounds
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The club plays at The Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena, a 25,500-seat stadium that opened in 2003 and has been previously known as the Reynolds Arena, the New Stadium, the Williamson Motors Arena and the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena. The club previously played at Feethams, which is located close to the historic town centre.
George Reynolds had built such a huge stadium - one of the largest outside the Championship and the biggest in League Two - because he was intent on bringing Premiership football to Darlington. But he had failed to invest enough money in players to achieve even promotion from Division Three (now League Two). Following his resignation as chairman, Reynolds was arrested and charged with offences relating to irregularities in his personal finances, which later saw him imprisoned for over a year.
From 1883 to 2003 the club played at Feethams, which has since been demolished.
Honours
- Winners, Durham Senior Cup, 1883
- Champions, Northern League, 1895-96
- Champions, Northern League, 1899-00
- Champions, North Eastern League, 1912-13
- Champions, North Eastern League, 1920-21
- Runners-up, Third Division (North), 1921-22
- 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 place, Fourth Division, 1984-85
- Champions, GM Vauxhall Conference, 1989-90
- Champions, Fourth Division, 1990-91
Records
Club records
- Best League performance: 15th, Second Division, 1925-26
- Best FA Cup performance: Last sixteen, 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)
- Best run of League draws: 5 (three times)
Player records
Players
- As of 28 November 2008.
Current squad
Out on loan
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