List_of_Darlington_F.C._seasons

List of Darlington F.C. seasons

List of Darlington F.C. seasons

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Darlington Football Club is an English association football club founded in 1883 and based in the town of Darlington, County Durham. Its first team played in the Northern League from 1889 to 1908 and then in the North-Eastern League until becoming a member of the newly formed Football League Third Division North in 1921. They won that division's title in 1925, and their 15th place in the Second Division in 1926 remains their highest ever league finish, but most of their Football League history was spent in the bottom tier. The club lost its Football League status briefly in 1988 and again in 2010, since when the team has competed in non-league football.

The team's first success in a nationally organised cup competition came in the 1934 Third Division North Cup. They reached the last 16 of the FA Cup twice, and the quarter-final of the League Cup once, in 1968. In the early 1990s they won successive titles, in the Conference in 1990 and the Fourth Division in 1991. In 2011 they won the FA Trophy.

History

Darlington Football Club was founded in 1883 to address the local newspaper's view that there was "no club, urban or rural, sufficiently powerful to worthily represent" the town of Darlington.[1] In their second season, the club's first team won the major regional trophy, the Durham Challenge Cup,[2] and the following season they entered the FA Cup for the first time, only to lose 8–0 to Grimsby Town.[3] In 1889, Darlington were one of the founder members of the Northern League; they won the league title in 1896 and 1900, and reached the semi-final of the FA Amateur Cup in the same two seasons.[4] The club turned professional in 1908 and joined the North-Eastern League. The 1910–11 season saw Darlington reach the last 16 of the FA Cup, progressing through five qualifying rounds to lose to Swindon Town in the third round proper.[3] They won the North-Eastern League in 1913 and 1921,[4] and were invited to join the newly formed Football League Third Division North.[5]

Runners-up in their first season in the Football League, Darlington were Third Division North champions three years later, thus winning promotion to the Second Division. Their 15th-place finish in 1926 remains, as of 2021, their best League performance; they were relegated back to the Third Division in 1927, where they remained until the Second World War put an end to competitive football. They came third in 1929–30, but twice had to apply for re-election to the League, in 1932–33 and 1936–37, after finishing in last place in the section.[4] In 1934, they enjoyed their first success in a nationally organised cup competition, defeating Stockport County 4–3 at Old Trafford to win the Football League Third Division North Cup,[3] and reached the final again two years later.[6] In the 1957–58 season, the club equalled their previous best FA Cup run, reaching the last 16 by defeating Chelsea, Football League champions only three years earlier, in the fourth round.[7] When the regional sections of the Third Division were merged in 1958–59 to form two national divisions, Darlington were placed in the fourth tier.[4]

Darlington won promotion to the Third Division in 1965–66, but for one season only.[4] Their most successful season in the League Cup came in 1967–68: drawn away to Brian Clough's Derby County in the quarter-final, they took the lead, only to lose 5–4. During the 1970s the club had to apply for re-election to the League five times.[8] Darlington spent two seasons in the Third Division in the 1980s; their 13th-place finish in 1986 was a record high since the introduction of the four-division structure.[4] Darlington were relegated from the Football League in 1988–89 after 68 years of continuous membership. They made an immediate return as Conference champions, then won the Fourth Division title in 1990–91, but spent only one season in the third tier before relegation followed.[4]

Darlington lost in both the second and the third rounds of the 1999–2000 FA Cup.[9] Manchester United's decision to play in the FIFA Club World Championship rather than the FA Cup left a space in the third round which the organisers filled by drawing lots from among the 20 teams eliminated in the second. Darlington were the "lucky losers", and were beaten 2–1 by Aston Villa in the third round after losing 3–1 to Gillingham in the second.[4][9] They came close to a return to the Third Division via the play-offs in 1996 and 2000,[4] and a period of administration in 2008–09 resulted in a 10-point deduction,[10] without which they would again have reached the play-offs. The following season they were relegated to the Conference for the second time, and went on to reach the 2011 FA Trophy Final, in which Chris Senior scored the only goal of the game in the last minute of extra time to defeat Mansfield Town.[11]

In 2011–12, another period of administration forced the termination of players' contracts before a last-minute injection of funding enabled Darlington to complete the season.[12] The new owners' failure to secure a Company Voluntary Arrangement before exiting administration meant the Football Association treated the club as a new club, placed it in the Northern League, required a change of playing name – Darlington 1883 was chosen – and barred it from entry to national competitions.[13] The new club won the 2012–13 Northern League title by a 13-point margin to gain promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One North for 2013–14,[14] followed two years later by consecutive promotions: first to the Premier Division via the play-offs,[15] then to the National League North as 2015–16 Northern Premier League champions.[16] They were unable to make it three in a row when, despite finishing in the playoff positions in 2016–17, ground grading issues prevented their participation.[17]

The table details their achievements in senior first-team competitions from their first appearance in the FA Cup in 1885–86 to the end of the most recently completed season.

Key

Details of the abandoned 1939–40 Football League and 2020–21 National League North seasons are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons

More information Season, League ...

Notes

  1. Beginning with the 1925–26 season, the FA Cup was structured so that the third round proper contained 64 teams. Prior to that date, the structure had varied, so rounds are not directly comparable to the round of the same name after 1925. For example, in 1892–93, there were only three rounds proper before the semi-final, as compared to the current six.[18]
  2. The Football League Cup competition started in the 1960–61 season.[19]
  3. Before the 1921–22 season, when Darlington were first admitted to the Football League, divisions are sorted alphabetically. From that season onwards, divisions are sorted according to their level within the English football league system, and separately from the pre-Football League divisions. Thus the 2012–13 Northern League is sorted separately from the 19th-century Northern League.
  4. Darlington were founder members of the Northern League in the 1889–90 season.[4]
  5. From 1887–88 to 1889–1900, the Northern League had two divisions, before reverting to the single-division format.[4]
  6. Club's best performance in the FA Cup, reaching the last 16.[3][18]
  7. This was the last season before the North-Eastern League and FA Cup were suspended for the remainder of the First World War.
  8. Club's best League finishing position.
  9. Darlington won the inaugural Football League Third Division North Cup, defeating Stockport County 4–3 at Manchester United's ground, Old Trafford.[3] Two years later they reached the final again, this time losing at Feethams, their home ground, to Chester by a score of 2–1.[6]
  10. The 1939–40 Football League season was abandoned with three matches played when the Second World War began, and the Football League and FA Cup remained suspended for the duration.[4]
  11. Although the Football League did not resume until the 1946–47 season, the FA Cup was contested in 1945–46. From the first round proper to the sixth round (quarter-final), results were determined on aggregate score over two legs.[4][18]
  12. Darlington were placed in the Football League Fourth Division when the regional sections of the Third Division were amalgamated into national Third and Fourth Divisions.[4]
  13. Lost to Hull City only after four replays.[18]
  14. Club's best performance in the League Cup, reaching the quarter-final stage.
  15. The 1981–82 season saw the introduction of three points for a win instead of two.[19]
  16. Relegated from the Football League for the first time since their admission to it in 1922.
  17. When the newly formed FA Premier League split from the Football League, the remaining divisions of the Football League were renumbered upwards, so Darlington were relegated from the old Third Division into the new Third Division.[4][19]
  18. In their first appearance at Wembley, lost 1–0 to Plymouth Argyle in the 1996 Third Division play-off final.[24]
  19. Lost 1–0 to Peterborough United in the 2000 Football League Third Division play-off final.[25]
  20. Knocked out in the second round, Darlington progressed to the third round as a "lucky loser" as the FA Cup organising committee drew lots from among the second-round losers to fill the gap in the third-round draw left by Manchester United playing in the FIFA Club World Championship instead.[9]
  21. A period spent in administration resulted in a deduction of 10 League points, without which Darlington would have finished in the playoff positions.[10]
  22. Defeated Mansfield Town to win the 2011 FA Trophy Final in their first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium. Chris Senior scored the only goal of the game in the last minute of extra time.[11]
  23. A further period spent in administration resulted in a deduction of 10 League points and confirmed the club in the relegation positions.[12]
  24. The first season under the name Darlington 1883, after failure to secure a Company Voluntary Arrangement before exiting administration caused the Football Association to regard it as a new club, requiring a change of name and placing it in the ninth tier of English football.[13]
  25. Lost the playoff semi-final to fifth-placed Ramsbottom United.[27]
  26. Promoted via play-offs after beating third-placed Bamber Bridge 2–0 in the final.[15]
  27. Finished in the play-off positions but denied participation because of ground grading issues.[17]
  28. First season playing again under the name Darlington F.C.
  29. The 2019–20 football season was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National League was suspended in mid-March 2020 and the clubs voted six weeks later to end the regular season programme.[34] Teams had not all played the same number of matches, so it was agreed to construct final league tables on an unweighted points per game basis.[35] Darlington's 61.091 points per game placed them tenth.[36]
  30. After the 2020–21 season was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic-related issues, including matches being played behind closed doors, testing requirements, and a perceived lack of adequate government support, the National League clubs voted on whether to continue their season. As a result, the National Leagues North and South were declared null and void in February 2021, at which point the northern clubs had played between 11 and 18 matches.[37][38]

References

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    "Darlington's three quick goals". The Times. 30 January 1958. p. 12.
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    Willis, Joe (21 June 2012). "Quakers lose FA appeal over drop into Northern League". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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    For seasons from 2000–01 to 2011–12 select via dropdown menu: "Darlington: Player Appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
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    Ross, James M. (2 September 2021). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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    Rollin, Jack, ed. (1990). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990–91 (21st ed.). Queen Anne Press. p. 919. ISBN 0-356-17911-7.
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    Metcalf, Rupert (26 May 1996). "Pilgrims progress". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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    "Division One (League Only) Top Goalscorers 1213". Northern Football League. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
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    "2013/14 Season Archive: Goal scorers First Division North". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
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    "National League clubs vote to end regular season immediately". BBC Sport. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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    "National League North and South clubs vote to null and void season but National League to continue". Sky Sports. 18 February 2021. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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    "Vanarama National League North table: 2020/21 season". The National League. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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