Darlington Football Club, an English association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, was founded in 1883. [1] For their first six years, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. In 1889, Darlington joined the newly formed Northern League, and moved into the North-Eastern League in 1908. They were founder members of the Football League Third Division North in 1921, and spent two seasons in the Second Division in the mid-1920s. Thereafter, they remained in the lower divisions of the Football League until 1989, when they were relegated for one season to the Football Conference. After another 20 years in the Football League, they were again relegated to the Conference. [2] Two years later, financial issues stemming from administration forced a demotion of four divisions and a change of name: Darlington 1883 was chosen. [3] [4] Five years later, after three promotions, they reverted to their original name. [5]
Darlington's record against each club faced in first-team league competition is summarised below. The opening match of the inaugural Northern League season pitted them against Newcastle East End, [6] their first Football League match was against Halifax Town, [7] and they met their 257th and most recent different league opponent, Oxford City, for the first time in the 2024–25 National League North season. [8] The team that Darlington have played most in league competition is Hartlepool United, whom they first met in 1908 in the North-Eastern League. The 152 encounters between the teams have produced 59 wins and 62 defeats, which are club records. Rochdale have drawn 38 league meetings with Darlington, which is more than any other opponent.
All statistics are correct up to and including the match played against Farsley Celtic on 2 November 2024.
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
Philip Turnbull is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northern Premier League Division One East club Dunston UTS.
Cardiff City Football Club is a professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded in 1899, the club competed in local amateur leagues before turning professional in 1910, moving into the English football league system by joining the Southern Football League. Ten years later, they were elected into the Second Division of the Football League, winning promotion to the First Division in their first season. They achieved their highest ever position during the 1923–24 season, finishing in second place of the First Division but lost the league title on goal average to Huddersfield Town. They were relegated from the First Division in 1929. Since then, they have spent a further nine seasons in the top tier; the most recent return was a one-year spell in the 2018–19 season.
Robert Douglas Cummings was an English professional footballer who scored 33 goals from 63 appearances in the Scottish League for Aberdeen and 69 goals from 170 appearances in the Football League playing for Newcastle United, Darlington and Hartlepools United. He played as a centre forward or outside right. He also played in the South African National Football League for Port Elizabeth City.
Birmingham City Football Club, an English association football club based in the city of Birmingham, was founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance. For their first thirteen years, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. In 1888, Small Heath joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised, and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Small Heath were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889, and three years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They topped the table in their first season, though failed to win promotion via the test match system then in operation, but reached the top flight for the first time in 1894. Since that time, they have not fallen below the third tier of the English football league system, and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time for the 2002–03 season.
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in York, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1922, the club was elected to play in the Midland League, and competed in this league for seven seasons before being elected to play in the Football League in 1929 as members of the Third Division North. York were promoted to the Second Division for the 1974–75 season, which saw the team achieve their highest league placing after finishing in 15th place. York became the first team to reach 100 points in a Football League season after winning the 1983–84 Fourth Division championship with 101 points, the club's only league title. York were relegated to the Football Conference in 2004 after they finished at the bottom of the Third Division, ending 75 years of League membership. York returned to the Football League after eight years with victory in the 2012 Conference Premier play-off final, but were relegated to the National League four years later.
Jordan Richards is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Curzon Ashton.
The 2013–14 season in English football is the 46th season of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and the seventh season of the Northern Premier League Division One North and South. The League sponsors for 2013–14 are Evo-Stik.
Reuben Vine was an English footballer who scored 11 goals from 48 appearances in the Football League playing as an outside left for Darlington between 1929 and 1931. He was on the books of Gateshead without playing for their League team, and played non-league football for Stanley United and Eden Colliery Welfare.
The 2014–15 season was the 47th season of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and the eighth season of the Northern Premier League Division One North and South. The league sponsors for 2014–15 were Evo-Stik.
Reginald Nevison Siddle was an English footballer who made 31 appearances in the Football League playing at inside right or right half for Darlington. He went on to play non-league football for Spennymoor United.
Charles Coates was an English footballer who made 46 appearances in the Football League playing as a left-sided forward for Darlington in the 1930s. He also played non-league football in the north east of England, for Hamsteels, Spennymoor United and Horden Colliery Welfare.
John Bennison Wildsmith was an English footballer who played as an inside right or outside right in the Football League for Darlington. He also played for Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, Spennymoor United and City of Durham.
Alex William Purver is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League North club Scarborough Athletic.
Tyrone O'Neill is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Northern League Division One club Shildon. O'Neill made his Football League debut for Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship in 2019, but that was his only first-team appearance. He spent time on loan at National League club Hartlepool United and Darlington before being released in 2021 and joining Scunthorpe United. He returned to Darlington on loan in 2022 before leaving Scunthorpe at the end of the season and signing for Stockton Town.
Port Vale Football Club, an English association football club based in the town of Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, was founded in the late 1870s. In the club's early history, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. The club changed its name to Burslem Port Vale in 1884. In 1888, Burslem Port Vale joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League, which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised, and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Burslem Port Vale were founder members of the Midland League in 1890, and two years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They failed re-election in 1896 and spent two seasons in the Midland League before winning re-election back into the Football League Second Division. However, they struggled and folded in 1907. At this stage, North Staffordshire Church League champions Cobridge Church sought permission from the Football Association to change the club's name to Port Vale and bought the old club's ground. This was the start of a 12-year process that saw the newly formed club work its way through the North Staffordshire Federation League, North Staffordshire & District League and The Central League to secure election into the Football League in October 1919. The club have remained in the Football League since that time, winning the Third Division North in 1929–30 and 1953–54 seasons and the Fourth Division title in 1958–59.
David Leslie Robson is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for National League club Rochdale and the Wales under-21 national team. He also spent time on loan at non-league clubs East Yorkshire Carnegie, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Tadcaster Albion, Gainsborough Trinity (twice), Farsley Celtic and Darlington, as well as at Crawley Town of EFL League Two, for whom he made his Football League debut.
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