Revenge mission comes 26 years on

DARLINGTON travel to AFC Telford this weekend in the FA Trophy, providing an opportunity for a revenge mission that has been in the making for almost 26 years.

In early 1985, Quakers had the incentive of a trip to Everton in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

But the lull of a tie at Goodison Park, home of the then FA Cup holders, proved insuffucient incentive for Cyril Knowles side as they suffered an ignominious exit from the competition, losing 3-0 to nonleague Telford.

Darlington were a Fourth Division side at the time and in the middle of their best season for two decades, with Knowles leading them to promotion.

Only a late loss of form late in the season would deny Darlington the title – eventually won by Chesterfield – but they were unable to transfer their league form into a tough replay at Telford.

Buoyed by a famous win over local rivals Middlesbrough in the previous round of the cup, which came after a replay, more than 11,240 squeezed into Feethams for the first meeting with the Gola League opposition.

It ended 1-1, with Mark Forster scoring for the Quakers, and that meant a second meeting, in Shropshire, on February 6, and an undoubtedly tricky tie.

During the Eighties, Telford became the most feared of giant-killers, drawing or beating 15 league clubs as they repeatedly upset the form books.

Darlington were to become their latest victim, ending Quakers hopes of writing a new chapter in their own history.

Darlington were bidding to reach the fifth round for the second time in their history.

The previous occasion came in 1958 when, in the fourth round, they beat Chelsea, Jimmy Greaves included, after a replay; but no such obstacle awaited this time.

However, Telford dominated the early proceedings and their persistence paid off with two goals before the break and the outcome was sealed only seconds after the restart with Quakers keeper Fred Barber conceding a third.

Darlington, who included the likes of Kevan Smith, Mitch Cook and Kevin Todd, tried to push forward.

The closest they came to scoring were efforts from Mike Angus and Garry Macdonald, both wayward, and soon the chance of gracing Goodison was gone.

Knowles sang the praises of the opposition, saying: “Telford played really well.

They deserved what they got.

“They were tremendous goals, particularly the free-kick, and the one just after half time killed us off completely.

We couldn’t do much about the free-kick, but the other two were due to mistakes by Phil Lloyd and Graeme Aldred.”

Telford went on to lose 3-0 at Everton, who won the league title three months later, but did themselves proud by defying Howard Kendall’s team for an hour on a day in which they were backed by 13,000 proud fans.

The club that Quakers played back then folded due to bankruptcy in 2004, though supporters quickly formed AFC Telford, who continue to play at a revamped Bucks Head.

Defeat on February 4, 1985, denied Darlington memories that would have lasted a lifetime, but they will have Wembley on their mind when they return to Telford on Saturday.

The gap between the clubs is a lot closer these days with Darlington only one division above promotion-chasing Telford, but Mark Cooper’s Quakers are keen to avoid the same embarrassment that Knowles’ men suffered.