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 256th and most recent different league opponent, Bishop's Stortford, for the first time in the 2023–24 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 1 July 2024, the first day of the 2024–25 National League North regular season.
David Paul Challinor is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of EFL League One club Stockport County.
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Herbert Bertie Hobson MM was an English professional footballer who played as a full back in the Football League for Sunderland and Darlington. He was a Sunderland player from 1912 to 1922, of which four years were lost to the First World War, and made 160 First Division appearances without scoring.
John Richard Peverell is an English former professional footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League for Darlington, playing primarily at right back. His total of 465 appearances in all competitions for the club is second only to Ron Greener's 490. He was part of the team that won promotion to the Football League Third Division in 1966, and was selected as a member of the Darlington all-time "Dream Team" in 2003.
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.
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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.
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Arsenal Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Holloway, London. The club was formed in Woolwich in 1886 as Royal Arsenal before it was renamed Woolwich Arsenal in 1893. They became the first southern member admitted into the Football League in 1893, having spent their first four seasons solely participating in cup tournaments and friendlies. The club's name was shortened to Arsenal in 1914, a year after moving to Highbury. In spite of finishing fifth in the Second Division in 1915, Arsenal rejoined the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur when football resumed after the First World War. Since that time, they have not fallen below the first tier of the English football league system and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the top flight. The club remained in the Football League until 1992, when its First Division was superseded as English football's top level by the newly formed Premier League, of which they were an inaugural member. In 2003–04, Arsenal completed a league season without a single defeat, something achieved only once before in English football, by Preston North End in 1888–89.
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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.
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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.
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Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional association football club based in Selhurst, South London, England. Founded in 1905, the club first played in the Southern League, and competed in this league for eleven seasons before being elected to play in the Football League in 1920 as members of the Third Division. Palace won the Third Division in their first season immediately gaining promotion to the Second Division. The team achieved their highest league placing in the 1990–91 season when they finished in 3rd place of the First Division. In 1992 the 22 teams in the First Division broke away from the Football League to form the Premier League, Palace were relegated from the inaugural season in 20th place, level on points with 19th place Oldham Athletic but with an inferior goal difference. The team would rejoin the Premier League and be relegated after one season in 1994, 1997 and 2004. They won the 2013 Football League Championship play-off final to once again be promoted into the Premier League where they currently compete.
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.
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