2009–10 Darlington F.C. season

The 2009–10 season was Darlington Football Club's 81st season in the Football League and their 18th consecutive season in the fourth tier of English football, Football League Two. It covered the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010.

Darlington
2009–10 season
ChairmanRaj Singh
Manager
League Two24th (relegated)
FA CupFirst round (eliminated by Barnet)
Football League CupFirst round (eliminated by Leeds United)
Football League TrophySecond round (eliminated by Leeds United)
Top goalscorerLeague: Tadhg Purcell (9)
All: Tadhg Purcell (9)
Highest home attendance2,744 (vs Bradford City, 5 December 2009)
Lowest home attendance1,296 (vs Aldershot Town, 23 March 2010)
Average home league attendance1,943

The season began with the club in administration, from which it exited just in time for the team to compete in the League Two season. After four matches they were bottom of the table, and bottom they remained for the rest of the season, with relegation to the Conference confirmed with six matches still to play. Three first-team managers took charge during the playing season, and there were two further managerial resignations and appointments during June 2010. The team lost in the first round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup and in the second round of the Football League Trophy.

Background and summary

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In February 2009, Darlington F.C. chairman George Houghton had placed the club into administration,[7] which obliged the Football League to impose a 10-point deduction.[8] The team finished the 2008–09 season in 12th place in League Two, only seven points below the promotion play-off places.[9] Despite closing the west stand at the Darlington Arena to cut costs,[10] and fund-raising projects, which included a match between the club's 1999-2000 play-off team and an All-Stars team featuring former Darlington players Bernie Slaven and Marco Gabbiadini under the captaincy of former England international midfielder Paul Gascoigne that attracted a crowd of over 3,000,[11] no buyer for the club was found by a 5 May deadline.[12] The "majority of the first-team squad" were made available on free transfers, and assistant manager Martin Gray and most of the coaching staff and administrative staff were laid off. Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison took caretaker charge of the team.[13]

On 20 May, Houghton returned as owner and chairman; he appointed former Middlesbrough manager Colin Todd as manager, and issued a statement confirming he was "not going to let the club die" so would continue funding until a buyer was found.[14] Shortly afterwards, a deal was agreed such that Raj Singh would become chairman with full control of club and stadium and he and Houghton would each own half of the surrounding land.[15] Darlington exited administration on 7 August, with approval from the Football League to participate in the 2009–10 League Two season.[16] On 3 August, 13 players were officially registered, several of whom had been with the club in 2008–09; a further 4 arrived before the end of the month.[17][18]

The team gained only two points from the first nine matches, and Todd left on 26 September. He and the chairman disagreed as to whose idea his departure was.[1] After two matches with Liddle as caretaker – both defeats – former Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton took over until the end of the season, with Kevin Richardson as his assistant.[19][a]

In early December it emerged that a dispute had arisen over a clause in the contract of captain Steve Foster, the club's highest-paid player. Foster had shown loyalty to the club by accepting a pay cut with a clause that guaranteed him the offer of a contract extension if he made 20 appearances during the season. With two matches to go, Staunton confirmed that Foster would not be selected unless he rescinded that clause – the club's financial state precluded making that sort of offer when they might not even be in the Football League next season – and underlined his resolve by naming Ian Miller as captain. Although both parties wanted the situation resolved, Foster stood his ground and was released at the end of February having made 19 appearances in 2009–10.[21][22][23]

In the January transfer window, Staunton brought in several Irish players on temporary or short-term deals, including St Patrick's Athletic midfielder Gary Dempsey, former Shamrock Rovers striker Tadhg Purcell,[24] teenage defender Simon Madden,[25] and former Inverness Caledonian Thistle defender Richie Byrne.[26] He also signed former Darlington defender Alan White on loan, and youngsters Gareth Waite, a midfielder from Spennymoor Town, and former Hibernian striker Patrick Deane on six-month deals.[25]

The team had been bottom of the league since the fourth match of the season, and attendances were falling. The loss at home to Barnet on 20 March attracted a record low crowd of 1,463 and left the team 19 points from safety. Feeling there was no alternative, Singh sacked Staunton the next day,[2] recognising that "a lot of fans voted with their feet" – the attendance record fell to 1,296 at the next match – and he needed to appoint a manager to prepare for a promotion season in the Conference.[27] Former Barnsley manager and Darlington player Simon Davey was appointed on 1 April,[3] and despite two wins in his first four matches, relegation was confirmed on 13 April with six matches still to play.[28] For the final fixture, he selected three youth-team players in the starting eleven and used a fourth, the 16-year-old Jordan Marshall, as a second-half substitute.[29]

Having begun to build a squad for the coming season, Davey quit on 16 June.[4] His assistant, Ryan Kidd, signed a two-year contract before having second thoughts, and Mark Cooper, who had been Singh's first choice to replace Staunton, signed a one-year deal on 29 June.[5][6]

League table (part)

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
20 Lincoln City 46 13 11 22 42 65 −23 50
21 Barnet 46 12 12 22 47 63 −16 48
22 Cheltenham Town 46 10 18 18 54 71 −17 48
23 Grimsby Town (R) 46 9 17 20 45 71 −26 44 Relegation to Conference National
24 Darlington (R) 46 8 6 32 33 87 −54 30
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: football-league.co.uk
(R) Relegated

Match results

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General source:[30] Match content not verifiable from these sources is referenced individually.

Date League
position[31]
Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A
Scorers Attendance
8 August 2009 20th Aldershot Town A L 1–3 Dowson 85' 2,866
15 August 2009 23rd Bury H L 0–1 2,310
18 August 2009 23rd Crewe Alexandra H L 0–1 1,821
22 August 2009 24th Port Vale A L 0–1 4,561
29 August 2009 24th Cheltenham Town H D 1–1 Gall 71' 1,840
5 September 2009 24th Lincoln City A L 0–3 3,005
11 September 2009 24th Accrington Stanley A L 1–2 Gall 59' 3,228
19 September 2009 24th AFC Bournemouth H L 0–2 1,999
26 September 2009 24th Grimsby Town A D 1–1 Main 81' 4,014
29 September 2009 24th Rochdale H L 0–2 1,748
3 October 2009 24th Macclesfield Town H L 0–1 1,763
10 October 2009 24th Dagenham & Redbridge A L 0–2 1,981
17 October 2009 24th Shrewsbury Town H W 2–1 Devitt 26', Thomas 56' 1,958
24 October 2009 24th Barnet A L 0–3 2,313
31 October 2009 24th Hereford United A L 1–2 Collins 72' 2,238
14 November 2009 24th Burton Albion H W 1–0 Main 7' 2,404
21 November 2009 24th Chesterfield A L 2–5 Collins 59', Hogg 87' 3,460
28 November 2009 24th Morecambe H L 0–4 1,698
1 December 24th Notts County A L 0–4 4,606
5 December 2009 24th Bradford City H L 0–1 2,744
12 December 2009 24th Torquay United A L 0–5 2,434
19 January 2010 24th Rotherham United A W 2–1 Purcell 47', G. Smith 63' 3,234
23 January 2010 24th Crewe Alexandra A L 0–3 3,717
26 January 2010 24th Northampton Town H L 1–2 Purcell 29' 1,694
6 February 2010 24th Rotherham United H W 2–0 Purcell 19', Waite 52' 2,231
9 February 2010 24th Lincoln City H D 1–1 Dempsey 38' 1,697
13 February 2010 24th Morecambe A L 0–2 1,741
20 February 2010 24th Chesterfield H L 2–3 Purcell 27', 53' 2,209
27 February 2010 24th Bradford City A L 0–1 11,532
2 March 2010 24th Port Vale H L 1–3 Purcell 6' 1,582
6 March 2010 24th Torquay United H L 1–3 Main 54' 1,819
9 March 2010 24th Bury A D 1–1 Purcell 32' pen. 2,123
13 March 2010 24th Northampton Town A L 0–2 4,755
20 March 2010 24th Barnet H L 1–2 Breen 57' o.g. 1,463
23 March 2010 24th Aldershot Town H L 1–2 Arnison 85' 1,296
27 March 2010 24th Shrewsbury Town A W 2–0 Purcell 8', Diop 87' 5,081
3 April 2010 24th Burton Albion A W 2–1 Gray 22', White 32' 2,779
5 April 2010 24th Hereford United H L 0–1 2,131
10 April 2010 24th Accrington Stanley H D 0–0 1,545
13 April 2010 24th Rochdale A W 1–0 Mulligan 35' 5,371
17 April 2010 24th AFC Bournemouth A L 0–2 6,464
20 April 2010 24th Cheltenham Town A D 3–3 Purcell 2', Eastham 5' o.g., Diop 27' 2,836
24 April 2010 24th Grimsby Town H L 0–2 1,911
27 April 2010 24th Notts County H L 0–5 2,112
1 May 2010 24th Macclesfield Town A W 0–2 Miller 9', M. Smith 79' 1,716
8 May 2010 24th Dagenham & Redbridge H L 0–2 2,720

FA Cup

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FA Cup match details
Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A
Scorers Attendance Refs
First round 7 November 2009 Barnet A L 1–3 Diop 73' 1,654 [32]

Football League Cup

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League Cup match details
Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A
Scorers Attendance Refs
First round 10 August 2009 Leeds United H L 0–1 4,487 [33]

Football League Trophy

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Football League Trophy match details
Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A
Scorers Attendance Refs
First round 1 September 2009 Lincoln City H W 1–0 Thorpe 27' 828 [34]
Second round 6 October 2009 Leeds United A L 1–2 Convery 45+1' 8,429 [35]

Appearances and goals

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Source:[36]
Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
Players with name and squad number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Darlington.
Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players included in matchday squads
No. Pos. Nat. Name League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals    
2 DF   ENG Paul Arnison 17 (1) 1 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 20 (1) 1 4 0
21 DF   ENG Rikki Bains 3 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (1) 0 3 (2) 0 0 0
26 FW   ENG Corey Barnes 4 (2) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 6 (2) 0 1 0
28 DF   ENG Moses Barnett * 4 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 5 (0) 0 0 0
11 MF   ENG James Bennett 3 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (1) 0 3 (2) 0 0 0
3 DF   ENG Mark Bower 12 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 14 (1) 0 0 0
31 DF   ENG Dan Burn 2 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (2) 0 0 0
33 DF   IRL Richie Byrne 2 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (2) 0 2 0
19 MF   ENG Jamie Chandler 12 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 14 (2) 0 6 1
25 MF   SCO Ross Chisholm 2 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (1) 0 0 0
23 FW   IRL James Collins 5 (2) 2 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 6 (2) 2 3 0
18 MF   ENG Mark Convery 9 (12) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (1) 1 11 (13) 1 0 0
23 FW   ENG Jordan Cook * 4 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 4 (1) 0 0 0
22 MF   ENG David Davis * 5 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 6 (0) 0 3 0
29 FW   SCO Patrick Deane 0 (10) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (10) 0 0 0
11 MF   IRL Gary Dempsey 24 (0) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 24 (0) 1 3 0
22 MF   IRL Jamie Devitt * 5 (1) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 6 (1) 1 2 0
30 FW   FRA Mor Diop 18 (5) 2 0 (1) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 18 (6) 3 3 0
20 FW   ENG David Dowson * 6 (4) 1 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (1) 0 7 (5) 1 0 0
5 DF   ENG Steve Foster 15 (1) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 18 (1) 0 0 0
24 FW   WAL Kevin Gall 9 (1) 2 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 11 (1) 2 1 0
20 DF   ENG Stuart Giddings 22 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 22 (0) 0 3 0
12 MF   ENG Josh Gray 10 (17) 1 0 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 10 (18) 1 2 0
16 MF   ENG Danny Groves 8 (8) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 9 (8) 0 1 0
32 DF   ENG Danny Hall * 3 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 3 (0) 0 2 0
33 MF   ENG Paul Harsley * 3 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 3 (0) 0 2 0
28 MF   ENG Jonathan Hogg * 5 (0) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 5 (0) 1 1 0
25 GK   ENG Russell Hoult * 6 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 6 (0) 0 0 0
25 GK   ENG Ashlee Jones 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 0
33 DF   NIR Tony Kane * 4 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 4 (0) 0 1 0
1 GK   ENG David Knight 7 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 9 (0) 0 0 0
13 GK   ENG Nick Liversedge 13 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 15 (0) 0 0 1
8 MF   ENG Chris Lumsdon 2 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 3 (0) 0 0 0
22 DF   IRL Simon Madden 13 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 13 (2) 0 2 0
15 FW   ENG Curtis Main 12 (14) 3 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 12 (17) 3 2 0
25 FW   ENG Jordan Marshall 0 (3) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (3) 0 0 0
27 MF   ENG John McReady 3 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 3 (1) 0 0 0
6 DF   ENG Ian Miller 40 (0) 1 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 43 (0) 1 3 0
19 DF   SCO Andrew Milne 12 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 12 (1) 0 0 0
9 MF   ENG Chris Moore 8 (3) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 8 (3) 0 0 0
24 MF   ENG Nathan Mulligan 10 (6) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 10 (6) 1 3 0
4 DF   ENG Matty Plummer 5 (3) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (1) 0 2 (0) 0 8 (4) 0 0 0
22 MF   ENG Nathan Porritt * 4 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 5 (1) 0 0 0
19 FW   IRL Tadhg Purcell 22 (0) 9 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 22 (0) 9 2 0
23 GK   IRL Shane Redmond * 19 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 19 (0) 0 1 0
14 MF   ENG Gary Smith 32 (2) 1 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 36 (2) 1 5 0
7 MF   ENG Jeff Smith 22 (2) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (1) 0 25 (3) 0 0 0
32 FW   ENG Michael Smith 3 (4) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 3 (4) 1 0 0
29 FW   ENG Simon Thomas * 7 (0) 1 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 8 (0) 1 2 0
9 FW   ENG Lee Thorpe 7 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 1 9 (1) 1 3 0
28 MF   ENG Gareth Waite 14 (0) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 14 (0) 1 2 0
10 FW   ENG Noel Whelan 2 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (1) 0 0 0
4 DF   ENG Alan White * 23 (1) 1 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 23 (1) 1 5 0
10 FW   ENG Dean Windass 3 (3) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (1) 0 3 (4) 0 1 0

Transfers

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The Football League approved the club's exit from administration only in August 2009, so although deals had been agreed with a number of players, some of whom had appeared in pre-season matches, these players were not officially registered until 3 August 2009. These registrations also included those of players whose contracts could not be renewed until the club came out of administration.

Date Pos Player Club Fee Ref
3 August 2009 DF Paul Arnison Bradford City Free [18]
3 August 2009 MF James Bennett Hull City Free [18]
3 August 2009 DF Mark Bower Bradford City Free [18]
3 August 2009 DF Mark Convery Newcastle Blue Star Free [18]
3 August 2009 DF Steve Foster Free [18]
3 August 2009 GK David Knight Mansfield Town Free [18]
3 August 2009 GK Nick Liversedge Free [18]
3 August 2009 MF Chris Lumsdon Free [18]
3 August 2009 DF Ian Miller Free [18]
3 August 2009 DF Matty Plummer Free [18]
3 August 2009 MF Gary Smith Free [18]
3 August 2009 MF Jeff Smith Free [18]
3 August 2009 FW Lee Thorpe Free [18]
10 August 2009 DF Dan Burn Free [18][A]
14 August 2009 DF Rikki Bains Free [18]
21 August 2009 FW Kevin Gall Free [37][B]
24 August 2009 FW Curtis Main Free [18]
9 October 2009 FW Noel Whelan Free [38][C]
22 October 2009 FW Serigne Diop SE Eivissa-Ibiza [39]
29 October 2009 GK Ashlee Jones [40]
29 October 2009 MF Nathan Mulligan Norton & Stockton Ancients [40]
7 January 2010 MF Gary Dempsey St Patrick's Athletic Free [24]
7 January 2010 FW Tadhg Purcell Shamrock Rovers Free [24]
14 January 2010 DF Simon Madden Shamrock Rovers Free [25]
15 January 2010 MF Gareth Waite Spennymoor Town [25]
15 January 2010 FW Patrick Deane Hibernian Free [25]
1 February 2010 DF Richie Byrne Free [26]
2 March 2010 MF Ross Chisholm Shamrock Rovers Free [41]
11 March 2010 MF Chris Moore Whitley Bay [42]
  1. ^ Registered as scholar
  2. ^ Signed on monthly contract
  3. ^ Signed on non-contract terms

Loans in

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Date Pos Name From Length Notes
7 August 2009 MF Jamie Chandler Sunderland Three months [A]
7 August 2009 FW David Dowson Sunderland Three months [B]
17 August 2009 MF Nathan Porritt Middlesbrough One month [47]
18 August 2009 FW Jordan Cook Sunderland One month [C]
15 September 2009 MF Jamie Devitt Hull City One month [50]
16 September 2009 GK Russell Hoult Notts County One month [51]
17 September 2009 DF Tony Kane Carlisle United One month [52]
9 October 2009 DF Moses Barnett Everton One month [53]
16 October 2009 FW Simon Thomas Crystal Palace Three months [54]
22 October 2009 FW James Collins Aston Villa Three months [39]
22 October 2009 MF David Davis Wolverhampton Wanderers Two months [39]
19 November 2009 MF Jonathan Hogg Aston Villa Six weeks [55]
26 November 2009 DF Andrew Milne Leeds United Five weeks [56]
26 November 2009 MF Paul Harsley Chesterfield Five weeks [56]
26 November 2009 DF Danny Hall Chesterfield Five weeks [56]
15 January 2010 DF Alan White Luton Town End of season [25]
26 January 2010 GK Shane Redmond Nottingham Forest One month [57]
5 March 2010 DF Andrew Milne Leeds United End of season [58]
  1. ^ Chandler's initial 28-day loan was extended to January 2010 under Todd's management, but was terminated by Staunton in late November.[43][44][45]
  2. ^ Dowson's initial 28-day loan was extended to January 2010 under Todd's management, but was terminated by Staunton.[43][44][46]
  3. ^ Cook's five-month loan was terminated early following an ACL injury.[48][44][49]
Date Pos Name To Fee Notes
22 October 2009 FW Kevin Gall York City Contract expired [59]
8 December 2009 GK David Knight Histon Mutual consent [60][61]
8 December 2009 MF James Bennett Ossett Town Mutual consent [60][62]
8 December 2009 DF Matty Plummer North Ferriby United Mutual consent [60][63]
16 February 2010 GK Ashlee Jones Mutual consent [64]
27 February 2010 DF Steve Foster Blyth Spartans Mutual consent [64][65]
27 February 2010 FW Lee Thorpe Fleetwood Town Mutual consent [64][65]
19 March 2010 MF Jeff Smith Contract cancelled [66]
5 April 2010 FW Noel Whelan Released [67]
12 April 2010 MF Ross Chisholm Released [68]
12 April 2010 FW Patrick Deane Released [68]

Loans out

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Date Pos Name To Length Notes
6 November 2009 DF Rikki Bains Blyth Spartans Two months [69]
15 January 2010 DF Rikki Bains Gateshead End of season [70]
29 January 2010 MF Dan Riley Billingham Town One month [26]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Staunton's appointment was announced on 5 October 2009, but Liddle took the team for the following day's fixture.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Darlington part company with Todd". BBC Sport. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Darlington part company with manager Steve Staunton". BBC Sport. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Simon Davey named as new Darlington manager". BBC Sport. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Simon Davey quits job as Darlington manager". BBC Sport. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Ryan Kidd appointed as Darlington manager". BBC Sport. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Stoddart, Craig (29 June 2010). "Cooper revealed as Darlington manager". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Darlington enter administration". BBC Sport. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Darlington in administration". The Football League. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Final 2008/2009 Football League Two Table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Quakers shut stand to save costs". BBC News. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Gascoigne in Quakers charity game". BBC News. 3 May 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ "No buyer found for Darlington FC". BBC News. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Darlington put squad up for free". BBC Sport. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Houghton and Todd to lead Quakers". BBC Sport. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Singh set to seal Quakers control". BBC Sport. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Darlington out of administration". BBC Sport. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Darlington (old) 2008/09 Player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/08/2009 and 31/08/2009" (PDF). The Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Maddison expects Quakers interest". BBC Sport. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Darlington name Staunton as boss". BBC Sport. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Captain Darlington skipper Steve Foster in contract row". BBC Sport. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  22. ^ Stoddart, Craig (4 January 2010). "Foster: I want to stay". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Foster and Thorpe leave Darlo". Sky Sports. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  24. ^ a b c "Staunton snaps up Irish duo". Darlington F.C. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  25. ^ a b c d e f "Third signing of the day for Staunton". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  26. ^ a b c "Staunton signs Irish left-back". Darlington F.C. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  27. ^ Stewart, Rob (23 March 2010). "Darlington chairman Raj Singh prepares for non-League future after Steve Staunton exit". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Rochdale 0–1 Darlington". BBC Sport. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  29. ^ Stoddart, Craig (10 May 2010). "Darlington 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Darlington football club match record: 2010". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020. Click on match for details.
  31. ^ "Clubs: Darlington: 2009/10: Season results". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  32. ^ "Barnet 3–1 Darlington". BBC Sport. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  33. ^ "Darlington 0–1 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  34. ^ "Darlington 1–0 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  35. ^ "Leeds United 2–1 Darlington". BBC Sport. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  36. ^ "Darlington 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  37. ^ "Port Vale v Darlington". Darlington F.C. 21 August 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  38. ^ "Staunton brings in Whelan". Darlington F.C. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  39. ^ a b c "New signings". Darlington F.C. 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  40. ^ a b "Darlington sign duo". Sky Sports. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  41. ^ "Scottish midfielder joins the ranks". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  42. ^ "Winger Moore signs for Quakers". Darlington F.C. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  43. ^ a b "Quakers snap up Black Cats". Sky Sports. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  44. ^ a b c Richardson, Andy (29 August 2009). "Todd hopes to tame the 'Mad Dog' pack". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  45. ^ Richardson, Andy (28 November 2009). "Chandler believes Quakers can survive". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  46. ^ Stoddart, Craig (13 June 2012). "Dowson's arrival makes it a dozen new signings". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  47. ^ "Quakers sign Boro starlet Porritt". Darlington F.C. 17 August 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012.
  48. ^ Stoddart, Craig (18 August 2009). "Agony for Darlington as Crewe score late winner". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  49. ^ "Cook recalled from Darlo loan". Sunderland A.F.C. 18 September 2009. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  50. ^ "New signing". Darlington F.C. 15 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  51. ^ "New keeper signs". Darlington F.C. 16 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  52. ^ "New signing". Darlington F.C. 17 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  53. ^ "Quakers sign Everton youngster on loan". Darlington F.C. 9 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
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