DARLO

Darlington Football Club would be one of those clubs that most kids in my childhood would say, "Yeh I like them, I like the name." Their major rivals are Hartlepool United and along with Accrington Stanley were well known by us youngsters who saw these clubs as constant under achievers. Re-election was a word we knew.

Founded in 1883, the club originally played at Darlington Cricket Club until 2003 when the club's last league match was against Leyton Orient (another under achiever?).
I visited the ground one day and it was one of those "big" spaces with the cricket pitch lurking to one end of the ground. Much has changed. the Cricket Club still exists, the football "stadium" has been knocked down.

Having played in local leagues, "Darlo" were founder members of the North Eastern League in 1889 and turned professional in 1908. The club then joined the Football League, Third Division North, in 1921. The club is associated with the Quaker movement and steam trains, hence the club badge. I think there was a bit of coal mining involved too.

Darlo played in the Football League until 1989 when they were relegated to the Conference, returning to the FL in 1990, winning the Fourth Division title in 1991. There have been various financial complications which has "stunted their growth".

The club was dissolved in 2012 and came back under supporter loyalty as Darlington 1883 and by then had moved to Blackwell Meadows, their present ground, having been to other "homes" in between.

The club was reformed in 2011-12 like Chester City and Halifax Town have been, rising like the Phoenix.

They played in the Northern League, won promotion to the Evo-Stick First Division North, then Premier and eventually won promotion to the National League North in 2016 and recently were allowed to refer to their original club name having become financially secure.They are in the play offs spot at the moment. BUT......

Inevitably the FA's National Ground Grading Category B steps in the way of Darlington's further promotion, stating that the club's ground has to have a minimum of 500 covered accommodation places of which 250 must be seated, including committee and press seats! Blackwell Meadows does not meet requirements. No encouargement for the Quakers then.

In the National League South, Hungerford Town and Poole Town have suffered similar fates and will not be in the play-offs unless their appeal is successful. It's all a bit of a mess.