List of Darlington F.C. seasons

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 2024, 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] since when they have remained in the National North.

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

List of seasons, including league division and statistics, cup results and top scorer
Season League[4] FA Cup[18][a] League Cup[4][b] Other[4][6][22] Top league scorer(s)[23]
Division[c] P W D L F A Pts Pos Competition Result Name Goals
1885–86 — — — — — — — — — R2 — — — — —
1886–87 — — — — — — — — — R1 — — — — —
1887–88 — — — — — — — — — R3 — — — — —
1888–89 — — — — — — — — — QR1 — — — — —
1889–90 Northern[d] 18 7 6 5 46 20 20 5th QR1 — — — Not known —
1890–91 Northern 14 7 0 7 25 29 14 5th QR4 — — — Not known —
1891–92 Northern 16 2 3 11 17 49 7 9th QR4 — — — Not known —
1892–93 Northern 10 2 1 7 11 37 5 6th QR4 — — — Not known —
1893–94 Northern 14 7 1 6 25 20 15 4th QR1 — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1894–95 Northern 18 11 0 7 56 30 22 4th QR3 — FA Amateur Cup R2 Not known —
1895–96 Northern 16 10 4 2 53 24 24 1st Prelim — FA Amateur Cup SF Not known —
1896–97 Northern 16 10 2 4 54 35 22 2nd QR4 — FA Amateur Cup R2 Not known —
1897–98 Northern 1[e] 16 8 2 6 41 31 18 3rd QR3 — FA Amateur Cup QF Not known —
1898–99 Northern 1 16 10 3 3 50 29 23 2nd QR3 — FA Amateur Cup QF Not known —
1899–1900 Northern 1 16 12 3 1 42 16 27 1st QR1 — FA Amateur Cup SF Not known —
1900–01 Northern 20 11 2 7 55 37 24 3rd QR2 — FA Amateur Cup QF Not known —
1901–02 Northern 18 9 4 5 37 22 22 3rd Prelim — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1902–03 Northern 24 10 3 11 34 50 23 6th QR1 — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1903–04 Northern 24 11 3 10 48 49 25 6th QR3 — FA Amateur Cup R2 Not known —
1904–05 Northern 24 9 6 9 38 38 24 4th QR4 — FA Amateur Cup QF Not known —
1905–06 Northern 26 12 7 7 47 47 31 4th QR4 — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1906–07 Northern 22 9 2 11 30 37 20 7th QR1 — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1907–08 Northern 22 9 2 11 39 41 20 9th QR4 — FA Amateur Cup R1 Not known —
1908–09 North East 34 15 8 11 76 73 38 8th QR3 — — — Tommy Charlton 16
1909–10 North East 32 16 5 11 59 54 37 5th QR3 — — — Alec Fraser 17
1910–11 North East 34 19 5 10 79 40 43 4th R3[f] — — — Alec Fraser 17
1911–12 North East 36 23 8 5 84 34 54 3rd R2 — — — Ginger Owers 19
1912–13 North East 38 31 4 3 116 23 66 1st QR5 — — — Dick Healey 41
1913–14 North East 38 20 10 8 72 43 50 4th QR5 — — — Aaron Travis 21
1914–15[g] North East 38 25 4 9 109 38 54 4th R1 — — — Aaron Travis 40
1919–20 North East 34 24 1 9 93 44 49 2nd R2 — — — Dick Healey 21
1920–21 North East 38 28 4 6 76 29 60 1st R1 — — — Bill Hooper 17
1921–22 Division 3N 38 22 6 10 81 37 50 2nd R1 — — — Bill Hooper 18
1922–23 Division 3N 38 15 10 13 59 46 40 9th QR6 — — — Bill Hooper 16
1923–24 Division 3N 42 20 8 14 70 53 48 6th R1 — — — David Brown[24] 27 ♦
1924–25 Division 3N ↑ 42 24 10 8 78 33 58 1st R1 — — — David Brown[24] 39 ♦
1925–26 Division 2 42 14 10 18 72 77 38 15th[h] R2 — — — Mark Hooper 18
1926–27 Division 2 ↓ 42 12 6 24 79 98 30 21st R4 — — — Tom Ruddy 25
1927–28 Division 3N 42 21 5 16 89 74 47 7th R3 — — — Bob Gregg 21
1928–29 Division 3N 42 13 7 22 64 88 33 19th R3 — — — Billy Eden 11
1929–30 Division 3N 42 22 6 14 108 73 50 3rd R1 — — — Maurice Wellock 34
1930–31 Division 3N 42 16 10 16 71 59 42 11th R1 — — — Maurice Wellock 23
1931–32 Division 3N 40 17 4 19 66 69 38 11th R3 — — — Maurice Wellock 14
1932–33 Division 3N 42 10 8 24 66 109 28 22nd R4 — — — Bob Johnson 15
1933–34 Division 3N 42 13 9 20 70 101 35 16th R1 — Football League Third Division North Cup[i] W Tom Alderson 16
1934–35 Division 3N 42 21 9 12 80 59 51 5th R2 — Football League Third Division North Cup R1 Jerry Best 31
1935–36 Division 3N 42 17 6 19 74 79 40 12th R3 — Football League Third Division North Cup[i] F Jerry Best 19
1936–37 Division 3N 42 8 14 20 66 96 30 22nd R4 — Football League Third Division North Cup SF Albert Brallisford 26
1937–38 Division 3N 42 11 10 21 54 79 32 19th R1 — Football League Third Division North Cup R1 Reg Chester 10
1938–39 Division 3N 42 13 7 22 62 92 33 18th R2 — Football League Third Division North Cup R1 Wilf Feeney 13
1939–40 Division 3N 3 2 1 0 5 2 5 —[j] — — — — Wally Odell 2
1945–46 — — — — — — — — — R2[k] — — — — —
1946–47 Division 3N 42 15 6 21 68 80 36 17th R2 — — — Harry Clarke 17
1947–48 Division 3N 42 13 13 16 54 70 39 16th R1 — — — Harry Clarke 14
1948–49 Division 3N 42 20 6 16 83 74 46 4th R3 — — — Albert Quinn 23
1949–50 Division 3N 42 11 13 18 56 69 35 17th R1 — — — Albert Quinn 17
1950–51 Division 3N 46 13 13 20 59 77 39 18th R1 — — — Harry Yates 14
1951–52 Division 3N 46 11 9 26 64 103 31 23rd R1 — — — Harry Yates 15
1952–53 Division 3N 46 14 6 26 58 96 34 21st R1 — — — Ken Murray 8
1953–54 Division 3N 46 12 14 20 50 71 38 21st R1 — — — Les Robson 14
1954–55 Division 3N 46 14 14 18 62 73 42 15th R3 — — — Dickie Davis 16
1955–56 Division 3N 46 16 9 21 60 73 41 15th R2 — — —
14
1956–57 Division 3N 46 17 8 21 82 95 42 18th R2 — — — Bill Tulip 32
1957–58 Division 3N 46 17 7 22 78 89 41 20th R5[f] — — — Ron Harbertson 15
1958–59 Division 4[l] 46 13 16 17 66 68 42 16th R3 — — — Dave Carr 15
1959–60 Division 4 46 17 9 20 63 73 43 15th R2 — — — Bobby Baxter 14
1960–61 Division 4 46 18 13 15 78 70 49 7th R2[m] R3 — — Bobby Baxter 16
1961–62 Division 4 44 18 9 17 61 73 45 13th R1 R1 — — Lance Robson 17
1962–63 Division 4 46 19 6 21 72 87 44 12th R1 R2 — — Lance Robson 18
1963–64 Division 4 46 14 12 20 66 93 40 19th R1 R1 — — Ken Allison 15
1964–65 Division 4 46 18 6 22 84 87 42 17th R3 R2 — — Jimmy Lawton 25
1965–66 Division 4 ↑ 46 25 9 12 72 53 59 2nd R2 R4 — — Bobby Cummings 23
1966–67 Division 3 ↓ 46 13 11 22 47 81 37 22nd R2 R2 — — Bryan Conlon 13
1967–68 Division 4 46 12 17 17 47 53 41 16th R1 QF[n] — — Bobby Cummings 12
1968–69 Division 4 46 17 18 11 62 45 52 5th R2 R2 — — Allan Gauden 15
1969–70 Division 4 46 13 10 23 53 73 36 22nd R1 R2 — — Ken Hale 8
1970–71 Division 4 46 17 11 18 58 57 45 12th R2 R2 — — Alan Harding 17
1971–72 Division 4 46 14 11 21 64 82 39 19th R2 R1 — — Peter Graham 20
1972–73 Division 4 46 7 15 24 42 85 29 24th R1 R1 — — Peter Graham 11
1973–74 Division 4 46 13 13 20 40 62 39 20th R1 R2 — — Colin Sinclair 9
1974–75 Division 4 46 13 10 23 54 67 36 21st R2 R1 — — Stan Webb 16
1975–76 Division 4 46 14 10 22 48 57 38 20th R1 R3 — — Colin Sinclair 21
1976–77 Division 4 46 18 13 15 59 64 49 11th R3 R2 — — Eddie Rowles 13
1977–78 Division 4 46 14 13 19 52 59 41 19th R1 R1 — —
7
1978–79 Division 4 46 11 15 20 49 66 37 21st R3 R3 — —
9
1979–80 Division 4 46 9 17 20 50 74 35 22nd R2 R1 — — Alan Walsh 15
1980–81 Division 4 46 19 11 16 65 59 49 8th R1 R1 — — Alan Walsh 22
1981–82 Division 4 46 15 13 18 61 62 58[o] 13th R1 R1 — — David Speedie 17
1982–83 Division 4 46 13 13 20 61 71 52 17th R1 R1 — — Alan Walsh 18
1983–84 Division 4 46 17 8 21 49 50 59 14th R4 R2 Associate Members' Cup R2(N) Alan Walsh 10
1984–85 Division 4 ↑ 46 24 13 9 66 49 85 3rd R4 R1 Associate Members' Cup QF(N) Carl Airey 16
1985–86 Division 3 46 15 13 18 61 78 58 13th R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup QF(N) Garry MacDonald 16
1986–87 Division 3 ↓ 46 7 16 23 45 77 37 23rd R2 R1 Associate Members' Cup Group David Currie 12
1987–88 Division 4 46 18 11 17 71 69 65 13th R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup QF(N) David Currie 21
1988–89 Division 4 ↓ 46 8 18 20 53 76 42 24th[p] R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup R1(N) Gary Worthington 12
1989–90 Conference ↑ 42 26 9 7 76 25 87 1st R3 —
John Borthwick 19
1990–91 Division 4 ↑ 46 22 17 7 68 38 83 1st R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup R1(N) John Borthwick 10
1991–92 Division 3 ↓ 46 10 7 29 56 90 37 24th R2 R1 Associate Members' Cup Group Lee Ellison 10
1992–93 Division 3[q] 42 12 14 16 48 53 50 15th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Steve Mardenborough 11
1993–94 Division 3 42 10 11 21 42 64 41 21st R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Robbie Painter 11
1994–95 Division 3 42 11 8 23 43 57 41 20th R2 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Robbie Painter 9
1995–96 Division 3 46 20 18 8 60 42 78 5th[r] R2 R1 Football League Trophy Group Robbie Blake 11
1996–97 Division 3 46 14 10 22 64 78 52 18th R2 R2 Football League Trophy R1(N) Darren Roberts 16
1997–98 Division 3 46 14 12 20 56 72 54 19th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R1(N) Darren Roberts 12
1998–99 Division 3 46 18 11 17 69 58 65 11th R2 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Marco Gabbiadini[24] 23 ♦
1999–2000 Division 3 46 21 16 9 66 36 79 4th[s] R3[t] R1 Football League Trophy R1(N) Marco Gabbiadini[24] 24 ♦
2000–01 Division 3 46 12 13 21 44 56 49 20th R2 R2 Football League Trophy QF(N) Glenn Naylor 11
2001–02 Division 3 46 15 11 20 60 71 56 15th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Ian Clark 13
2002–03 Division 3 46 12 18 16 58 59 54 14th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R1(N) Barry Conlon 15
2003–04 Division 3 46 14 11 21 53 61 53 18th R1 R2 Football League Trophy R1(N) Barry Conlon 14
2004–05 League 2 46 20 12 14 57 49 72 8th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R1(N) Clyde Wijnhard 14
2005–06 League 2 46 16 15 15 58 52 63 8th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R1(N) Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu 10
2006–07 League 2 46 17 14 15 52 56 65 11th R2 R2 Football League Trophy SF(N) Julian Joachim 7
2007–08 League 2 46 22 12 12 67 40 78 6th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(NE) Tommy Wright 13
2008–09 League 2 46 20 12 14 61 44 62[u] 12th R1 R2 Football League Trophy SF(N) Liam Hatch 9
2009–10 League 2 ↓ 46 8 6 32 36 87 30 24th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R2(N) Tadhg Purcell 9
2010–11 Conference 46 18 17 11 61 42 71 7th R2 — FA Trophy W[v] Liam Hatch 11
2011–12 Conference ↓ 46 11 13 22 47 73 36[w] 22nd QR4 — FA Trophy R1 Ryan Bowman 10
2012–13 Northern 1[x] ↑ 46 40 2 4 145 34 122 1st — — — — Amar Purewal[28] 24
2013–14 NPL 1N 42 28 6 8 101 37 90 2nd[y] — — FA Trophy QR1 Stephen Thompson[30] 24
2014–15 NPL 1N ↑ 42 28 7 7 99 37 91 2nd[z] QR1 —
Graeme Armstrong[32] 22
2015–16 NPL ↑ 46 33 5 8 106 42 104 1st QR1 —
Nathan Cartman[34] 19
2016–17 National N 42 22 10 10 89 67 76 5th[aa] QR2 — FA Trophy QR3 Mark Beck[35] 18
2017–18 National N[ab] 42 14 13 15 58 58 55 12th QR2 — FA Trophy QR3
11
2018–19 National N 42 12 14 16 56 62 50 16th QR2 — FA Trophy QR3 Jordan Nicholson[35] 11
2019–20 National N 33 14 6 13 43 50 48 10th[ac] R1 — FA Trophy R2 Adam Campbell[35] 15
2020–21 National N 11 4 1 6 17 11 13 19th[ad] R2 — FA Trophy QF
4
2021–22 National N 42 14 11 17 57 58 53 13th QR2 — FA Trophy R2 Luke Charman[35] 12
2022–23 National N 46 18 13 15 72 64 67 10th QR3 — FA Trophy R4 Jacob Hazel[35] 19
2023–24 National N 46 16 8 22 52 72 56 16th QR3 — FA Trophy R2 Cameron Salkeld[35] 9

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, Small Heath's first season in the Football League, there were only three rounds proper before the semifinal, as compared with the current six.[19][20]
  2. ^ The Football League Cup competition started in the 1960–61 season.[21]
  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.[21]
  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][21]
  18. ^ In their first appearance at Wembley, lost 1–0 to Plymouth Argyle in the 1996 Third Division play-off final.[26]
  19. ^ Lost 1–0 to Peterborough United in the 2000 Football League Third Division play-off final.[27]
  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.[29]
  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.[36] 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.[37] Darlington's 61.091 points per game placed them tenth.[38]
  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.[39][40]

References

  1. ^ "Feethams' football glory days recalled". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 7 May 2003. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Durham Challenge Cup Winners". Dunston Federation F.C. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d e "History in brief". Darlington F.C. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Darlington". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Division 3 1920/21". Footballsite. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Football League Division Three North Cup Summary – Contents". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Darlington's three quick goals". The Times. 30 January 1958. p. 12.
  8. ^ "Darlington FC 125th Anniversary 42–83". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 25 April 2009. p. 4 – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ a b c "Lucky Darlington land Villa trip". BBC Sport. 1 December 1999. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Darlington enter administration". BBC Sport. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b "FA Trophy final: Darlington 1–0 Mansfield Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Darlington put in administration for third time". BBC Sport. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
    Fraser, Paul (17 January 2012). "No players – but sacked Liddle carries on". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
    "Fans group given time to raise Darlington rescue funds". BBC Sport. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Darlington to appeal Northern League demotion with FA". BBC Sport. 31 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
    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.
  14. ^ "Ebac Northern League Division One 1213". Northern Football League. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  15. ^ a b Stoddart, Craig (2 May 2015). "Darlington delight after winning promotion play-off final". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  16. ^ Wilson, Scott (22 April 2016). "No horror show as Quakers clinch the league title and promotion in style". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  17. ^ a b Breen, Julia (26 April 2017). "Darlington's promotion dreams are dashed after FA appeal rejected". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d "Results Archive". The Football Association. Retrieved 25 April 2023. Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.
  19. ^ "1892–93 FA Cup". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  20. ^ "1925–26 FA Cup". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  21. ^ a b c "History of the Football League". The Football League. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011.
  22. ^ Samuel, Richard (2003). The Complete F.A. Amateur Cup Results Book. Soccer Books. pp. 5–15. ISBN 1-86223-066-8.
  23. ^ For seasons from 1908–09 to 1999–2000: Tweddle, Frank (2000). The Definitive Darlington F.C. Nottingham: Soccerdata. pp. 18–96. ISBN 978-1-899468-15-7.
    For seasons from 2000–01 to 2011–12 select via dropdown menu: "Darlington: Player Appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  24. ^ a b c d 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.
  25. ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1990). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990–91 (21st ed.). Queen Anne Press. p. 919. ISBN 0-356-17911-7.
  26. ^ Metcalf, Rupert (26 May 1996). "Pilgrims progress". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Posh pull it off at Wembley". BBC Sport. 26 May 2000. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Division One (League Only) Top Goalscorers 1213". Northern Football League. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  29. ^ Stoddart, Craig (1 May 2014). "Play-off hoodoo goes on for deflated Darlington". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  30. ^ "2013/14 Season Archive: Goal scorers First Division North". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  31. ^ "2014/15 Season Archive: The Doodson Sport Cup 14–15 – First Round: Darlington 1883 3–3 Whitby Town". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  32. ^ "2014/15 Season Archive: Goal scorers First Division North". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  33. ^ "2015/16 Season Archive: Match centre: The Integro Doodson League Cup 15–16 – Third Round Ossett Town 3–1 Darlington 1883". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  34. ^ "2015/16 Season Archive: Goal scorers Premier Division". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h "Darlington FC". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 21 April 2024. Select season via dropdown menu.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ Osborn, Oliver (17 June 2020). "National League Statement: Ordinary Resolution supported by clubs". The National League. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  38. ^ "Vanarama National League North table: 2019/20 season". The National League. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  39. ^ "National League: 17 clubs group together to call for season to be curtailed unless Covid funding is found". Sky Sports. 29 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
    "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.
  40. ^ "Vanarama National League North table: 2020/21 season". The National League. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.