Season 1995-96 may not have ended successfully for Darlington after losing a play-off final at Wembley, but that does not alter how fondly the campaign is remembered among supporters. On the weekend that the Quakers team from 20 years ago gets back together for a reunion match, Deputy Sports Editor Craig Stoddart looks back to the year when a club battling against relegation turned into promotion contenders

ENGLAND supporters this summer looked back 20 years to Euro 96, when the team transformed from unfancied outsiders into something to be proud of, when Terry Venables’ side came so close to success.

It is a feat remembered fondly despite their hopes of unlikely glory ending in agony at Wembley, and for Darlington supporters such nostalgia is all very familiar.

Twenty years ago a Quakers team of talented youngsters surpassed all expectations by enjoying a thrilling season which ended with involvement in the play-offs for the first time and a Wembley trip.

It was all very new and exciting for a club which had not graced the venue previously.

Under the Twin Towers, two weeks before England kicked off Euro 96 against Switzerland, Quakers lost to Plymouth Argyle. It was a sucker-punch, a cruel end to an otherwise fabulous year.

Yet, 1995-96 is remembered with a smile. Losing to Plymouth did not define the season.

“The abiding memory is the football we played, because we played some great stuff,” says Sean Gregan, then a young defender from Billingham who had come through ranks, and now back with Quakers as a coach after a lengthy playing career that reached the Premier League with West Brom.

“We had a group of tearaways, we had lads who had potential, older players like Gary Bannister and it all gelled together. It was probably the most enjoyable season I had in my career.”

Simon Shaw, another homegrown defender, played a huge part too.

“It was a bit of a shock to some of the players and the fans that we did so well,” he says. “Some seasons we would wonder if we were going to be in another relegation struggle, but everything seemed to fall into place.”

The fifth-place finish was Darlington’s highest since Brian Little’s tenure five years previously, since when there’d been a merry-go-round of managers.

Frank Gray, Billy McEwan, Alan Murray and others had come and gone during four turbulent seasons in which Darlington were 24th (relegated), 15th, 21st and 20th.

The arrival of David Hodgson and Jim Platt changed all that. Appointed by then chairman Steven Weeks and grandly titled joint Directors of Coaching, charismatic Hodgson was the greatest influence, cultivating a winning mentality and the players responded to him.

“Hodgy and Jim came in, brought some players in and completely turned it around,” said Robbie Painter, a crowd favourite who in 95-96 was into his third season at the club.

“They wanted to play the game the right way. Bannister signed, Matty Appleby, Sean Gregan and Robbie Blake were already there – it was a fantastic group of players.

“Hodgy brought everyone together and got the best out of everyone. Jim was his sidekick really, the driving force was definitely Hodgy.”

Aged 34 when he walked into Feethams, the former Middlesbrough and Liverpool striker had become a players’ agent after hanging up his boots three years previously, a role which enabled Quakers to recruit some important signings.

Among the arrivals were defenders Mark Barnard and Phil Brumwell, left-winger Anthony Carrs and forward Bannister, also 34, after a top-flight career with QPR and Sheffield Wednesday.

He played behind the front-pairing of Painter and Blake, his passing and movement just as important as his goals, while the first hint of Hodgson’s overseas connections came in the arrival of Portuguese pair Rui Neves and Pedro Paulo and Angolan Jose Quetongo.

None of them stayed for long, but dazzling 20-year-old Paulo was a supremely winger with every trick in the book, catching the eye against Sunderland.

He tragically died in a car accident in February 2000, and Painter said: “We had a friendly against Sunderland and Pedro was absolutely brilliant, it’s so sad what happened to him. Pedro was a great lad and what a player.”

Brought in on a free, Scottish club Hamilton saw enough in his six appearances to pay £75,000 for him.

Gregan added: “Pedro was unbelievably talented. He could be frustrating I suppose, but you’d let him off because of some of the things he could do.”

Paulo started the first game of the season away to Exeter City, as did Gregan and Shaw, when a 1-0 win thanks to Paul Olsson goal got Quakers off to a good start in their eye-catching new yellow and blue away kit.

The home kit was new too, broad black and white hoops, and the new-look signified the new era, but it took a while to find a winning formula. There were no victories in the nine games which followed Exeter and after losing at home to Scarborough in September Hodgson was furious.

“All 11 players are up for sale,” he told The Northern Echo at the time. “I have protected them, built them up and said they were the best thing since sliced bread for too long. But I don’t think they are good enough for this club. Every player at this club is available.”

The mind games worked. A fortnight later at Lincoln City, and after a change in formation to 3-5-2, Quakers hit their stride, winning 2-0 and going on to put five wins in a row together, a club record, including one over league leaders Gillingham at Feethams.

“It all came together when we played Lincoln,” said Shaw. “Hodgy played three at the back for the first time with me and Mark Barnard as wing-backs. From that moment onwards the team picked itself.”

The three solid centre-backs were Andy Crosby, Gregan with the skilful Appleby playing as a sweeper, all with the club the previous season, as were nine of the 13 most used players in 95-96.

Painter added: “Hodgy was a very good man-manager, he knew how to get the best out of us and the training sessions were more upbeat.

“I’d had an injury, was just coming back and he made you want to play for him. He was a good communicator, very confident, and the lads wanted to play for him, that’s what he brought to squad.”

November saw a 4-2 FA Cup win at Hartlepool United, featured on that night’s Match of the Day, as well as a surprise 4-1 loss at Chester City – Darlington’s only league away defeat. But it was nowhere near as a big shock as what was to follow.

On December 2 Hodgson resigned on the day of an FA Cup second round tie at Rochdale. The board hoped he would perform a u-turn, but Hodgson was frustrated with the sale of goalkeeper Mike Pollitt – £75,000 to Notts County – and his mind was made up.

That left Northern Irishman Platt, a former Middlesbrough goalkeeper, in sole charge. With the team and tactics well established, however, there were few changes.

“We were so surprised and shocked when Hodgy walked out,” said Shaw. “But we didn’t let it derail us. We knew we were a decent side and if everyone stayed fit we would have a decent season.”

With a trip to Liverpool in the third round awaiting, the Cup replay at Feethams was lost 1-0 – Rochdale were thumped 7-0 at Anfield – but in the league Quakers went from strength to strength, their unlikely promotion charge gathering momentum.

“It was a quality team, we were on a roll and, no disrespect to Jim, we just continued what we were doing anyway,” said Painter. “The team almost picked itself and we went on a really good run.”

From February 3 onwards Darlington lost only once in 20 matches and attendances grew.

Only 1,502 had watched the defeat to Doncaster in January, but almost 4,500 saw the 1-0 win over Hartlepool on February 27, Steve Gaughan scoring a belter from outside the penalty area.

The following Saturday it was Robbie Blake’s turn to score from long-range, the Middlesbrough-born striker rifling home in a win at Doncaster Rovers. It was his breakthrough the season having scored goals for fun in the reserves, and within a year he’d joined Bradford City for £300,000 and go on to play in the Premier League with Burnley.

“I think he could’ve played for England, he was that good,” says Painter. “What a player. He could strike the ball so well, right foot or left foot, no back-lift, pure quality. He was a goalscorer, simple as that.”

Blake scored twice more in the next match at Fulham on March 5 in another draw, which was a failing of Quakers. While they lost only once on the road they drew too often, 12 times in total, more than any other club in Division Three.

“There were times we probably should’ve won,” admitted Shaw. “Every time we went away we just knew we weren’t going to lose and in all likelihood were going to win. We drew at Preston the day they opened their Tom Finney stand and they had a big crowd, and I hit the bar with my left foot from 30 yards. It’s little things like that you look back on and wonder how much they cost you.”

Three weeks after the Deepdale draw, however, for a second time Quakers took three points off fellow promotion contenders Plymouth. In front of almost 9,000 at Home Park, Painter scored the winner against a side managed by managed by Neil Warnock, who had just spent £200,000 on Cambridge’s Carlo Corazzin.

By contrast, Darlington had sold midfielder Gary Himsworth to York City not long after cashing in on Pollitt.

Appleby was to be sold too, joining Barnsley at the season’s end. He scored in another away draw, 1-1 at Wigan, to leave Darlington fourth, just outside the automatic promotion places with four games to go.

“We have by far the hardest run-in,” Platt told the Northern Echo. “It has been in our own hands as far as third place is concerned, but it isn’t quite now because Bury have gone four points ahead of us.”

Bury headed to Feethams on April 20, a must-win match for Quakers. And that they did – Darlington dismantled Bury 4-0 with the two Robbies, Painter and Blake, on target, as was new signing Matt Carmichael, a utility player.

A week later and Darlington did it again, this time winning 3-1 against a Chester side who had play-off hopes, and it set-up a finale at Scunthorpe: Win and promotion would be secured, draw and they’d be hoping Bury slipped up.

But Bury didn’t slip, and Darlington did. Around 2,000 fans headed for Glanford Park, where Quakers had been relegated from the Football League seven years earlier, and with so much at stake Platt’s youngsters froze, going 2-0 behind.

They dramatically fought back to 2-2, Appleby converting a penalty and Blake equalising, but in a tense and thrilling contest, Andy McFarlane restored the home side’s lead three minutes from time and although Quakers levelled again through Barnard, it was to be the play-offs and two games with Hereford for crestfallen Quakers.

Painter summed up the mood, saying: “Scunthorpe was the lowest point of the season. To get so close to promotion, one game away, it was complete devastation.”

Shaw had more reason than most to feel disgruntled. The right-back had made 41 appearances but the night of the Scunthorpe match was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Darlington. A broken jaw sustained outside the Mardi Gras nightclub meant his season was cruelly over.

Carmichael replaced him in both matches against Hereford, terrific occasions for Quakers, both 2-1 wins.

“I didn’t score many, but I got one in the plays-offs,” says Gregan, looking back on the first leg played on a sunny Sunday at Edgar Street. “Me and Blakey both scored. Dean Smith – he’s the manager at Brentford now – scored for Hereford after about four minutes and you’re thinking here we go. But we won and we scored early in the second leg too, that was a great night.”

Three days later the club’s highest gate for five years - 6,584 – crammed into Feethams to see Darlington seal their first ever trip to Wembley, Painter and Appleby making it a comfortable and joyous occasion.

“Beating Hereford was the highlight of the season,” added Painter. “I scored a scruffy goal, there were great scenes on the pitch afterwards and then we were in the cricket club – it was packed with players and supporters.

“That was a good achievement after what had happened at Scunthorpe.”

Wembley fever hit the town. Unofficial memorabilia traders were on High Row and, Quakers cashed in with a new kit and around 13,000 supporters bought tickets for the trip to the national stadium on Saturday, May 25.

Big-spending Plymouth knew they would have more support, making up most of the 43,431 attendance, and had finished one place above Darlington on goal difference, but had lost twice to Platt’s side in the league, just as Hereford had done.

Yet, Darlington were disappointing on the big day. There are no hard luck stories, they were at full-strength but did not do themselves justice.

Darlington had taken points off every team in the top seven and earned plaudits for their football. But they fell just short, first at Scunthorpe and then at Wembley.

Painter explained: “A lot of the lads were excited about just being there, seeing the changing rooms and the pitch. You walked out for the warm-up and it was amazing. I couldn’t wait to strike the ball in the net. It’s your wildest dream to play at Wembley.

“I think the game got lost in all of that. Don’t take anything away from Plymouth though, they played well. But the occasion got to us, a lot of the lads were overawed.”

Gregan said: “If we’d kept hold of Hodgy then we probably would’ve gone straight up, it’s disappointing that we didn’t finish the job off. There’s probably a lot of frustration that we didn’t go up automatically.”

Shaw added: “Preston won the title but we were the better side in both matches. I remember Graham Turner, the Hereford boss, saying he didn’t want us in the play-offs.

“It looks like we overachieved because of what happened in the previous seasons, but we probably underachieved – we were the best team in the league.”

*Members of the 1995-96 squad get back together tomorrow for a reunion match against a Quakers Select XI, played at Northallerton Town (2pm).

Among the former favourites playing will be Robbie Painter, Steve Gaughan, Sean Gregan, Matty Appleby, Mark Barnard, Anthony Carrs, Gary Twynham, Andy Toman, Lee Ellison and Roger Wicks, while David Hodgson will be managing one of the teams.

The game was the idea of Painter and the former Quakers striker has arranged it alongside Darlington supporters Ian Carter and Paul Hodgson.

Admission is £5 adults, £2.50 children with all proceeds going to charity. Profits will be split 50/50 between the Back To Darlo Fund and The Percy Hedley School in Newcastle for disabled children.