THIS evening's meeting between Spennymoor Town and Darlington will be the eighth since 2012, the clubs having played playing some important matches during a time in which both have progressed and soared up the leagues. Craig Stoddart looks back on the seven games so far.

November 14, 2012

Northern League Cup second round: Darlington 0 Spennymoor Town 2 (Stephenson, Richardson)

THE first and least important of the meetings between the teams, a Northern League Cup tie for which each side rested some first-team players, particularly Darlington with manager Martin Gray making nine changes.

He gave debuts to JJ Hooper, a 19-year-old signed on loan from Newcastle, and centre-back Carl Jones, though neither played again for the club.

Andrew Stephenson and Steven Richardson goals put Spennymoor into the third round in front of 683 spectators at Heritage Park, and it would prove to be significant as Moors went on to win the cup final at the season’s end, beating Newcastle Benfield.

Darlington (4-4-2): Norton; Read, Jones, Arjun Purewal, Richardson (Mitchell 52); Emms, Keltie (Johnson 69), Clough, Smith; Hooper, Reay. Subs (not used): Porter (gk), Brown, Gott

Spennymoor Town (4-4-2): Dean; Groves, Ryan, Mason, Capper 6; Walton, Stephenson (Ellison 77), Dodds, Peacock; Richardson, Rae 7 (Davison 84). Subs (not used): Moore, Phillips, Cogdon

December 19, 2012

Northern League, Division One: Darlington 0 Spennymoor Town 0

THE second meeting a months later was of much more significance, Moors going into the match unbeaten, and Darlington were left to rue missing chances as on this occasion the teams could not be separated.

Gray said afterwards: “We were playing against the team that have won the league for the past three seasons and we've controlled the match and had chances to score but not taken them.”

The draw meant Jason Ainsley’s team remained seven points behind Quakers, but with five games in hand.

“I don't think you've seen the real Spennymoor tonight,” he said. “The defenders outshone the attackers. We started off really brightly, but then Darlington had a good spell and I think they shaded the game if I'm honest.”

Darlington: Bell; Harrison, Brown, Tait, Scott; Emms (Thomas 71), Galbraith, Gott (Davis 81), Thompson; Dowson, Amar Purewal. Subs (not used): Porter (gk), Arjun Purewal, Nicholls

Spennymoor Town: Dean; Griffiths, Laws, Mason, Capper; C Moore (Ruddy 52), D Moore, Graydon, Peacock (Phillips 83); Davison (Rae 62), Cogdon. Subs (not used): Richardson, Stephenson

February 16, 2013

Northern League, Division One: Spennymoor Town 1 (Cogdon pen) Darlington 3 (Galbraith, Dowson, Nicholls)

THE night that momentum swung in Quakers’ favour, a game heralded as a turning point in the 2012-13 season.

On a much-anticipated evening with 2,400 in attendance at the Brewery Field, the highest Northern League attendance since the 1950s, Gavin Cogdon celebrated with his trademark handstand after putting Moors ahead with a first-half penalty after being felled by Leon Scott.

The goal was just reward too, Moors had been the better team, until Terry Galbraith struck from long-range, a tremendous strike to level the scores and Darlington did not look back.

In the final 13 minutes they scored twice more through David Dowson and Adam Nicholls, Spennymoor suffering defeat for the first time in 12-13, leaving Darlington 18 points clear.

Gray said: “It's a great night for the football club and a proud night, to come here and beat the league champions. They hadn't been beaten all season and they take some beating, believe me, because they're a top team.

“We didn't have a team six months ago and now we're 18 points clear of the champions.”

Ainsley admitted his side's failure to build on their 1-0 lead was costly, saying: “The disappointing thing is that we didn't kill the game off because Darlington couldn't get out of their own half. We were superb in the first half, we got into great areas and knocked the ball about well.

“We got the penalty at the right time, but to be fair to Darlington they were the better side in the second half.

“All credit to them, they've turned us over and my lads know that we didn't compete in the second half.”

Spennymoor Town (4-4-2): Dean; Griffiths, Mason, Moore, Capper; Walton (Ruddy 76), Graydon, Dodds, Phillips (Rae 83); Davison (Richardson 83), Cogdon. Subs (not used): Ryan, Ellison

Darlington (4-4-2): Bell; Harrison, Brown, Tait, Scott; Emms (Nicholls 65), Gott (Davis 89), Galbraith, Thompson; Dowson, Purewal (Johnson 77). Subs (not used): Porter (gk), Richardson

August 19, 2014

Northern Premier League Division One: Spennymoor Town 0 Darlington 2 (Armstrong 2)

THE clubs did not meet in 2013-14, but they renewed rivalries early in ’14-15, the first midweek of the season seeing Martin Gray’s side travel to the Brewery Field and again an away win was the outcome.

Graeme Armstrong, signed that summer from Whitby Town, scored both goals on an evening Quakers put in an excellent performance, setting a high standard for the remainder of the season.

The first came on ten minutes, a volley following a pinpoint right-wing cross by Gary Brown, and then second came on 27 minutes after a free-kick from Terry Galbraith to the far post where Armstrong nodded in.

Spennymoor Town: Hayes, Groves, Tait, Johnson, Capper, McReady, Dodds, Graydon, Peacock, Henderson, Roberts. Subs: Taylor, Mason, Stephenson Cogdon, Lynch

Darlington: Jameson, Brown, White, Hunter, Galbraith, Dowson, Mitchell, Scott, Portas, Purewal, Armstrong. Subs: Hopson, Bell, Reed, Hatch, Fisher

November 5, 2014

Northern Premier League Division One: Darlington 1 (Armstrong), Spennymoor Town 0

GRAEME ARMSTRONG was again the match-winner, his header after only 35 seconds proving to be the difference in, but Quakers needed goalkeeper Peter Jameson to make a number of important saves.

Martin Gray said: “To do the double over a strong Spennymoor side – and they were really good tonight – and get six points before Christmas against a team that will be contending for promotion is magnificent, especially against your local rivals.”

Ainsley knew his team had ran Quakers close, and he said: “I thought we dominated the game in the second half. Peter Jameson was the man of the match, he pulled off two worldies and we had two cleared off the line. We put some very good balls into their box. We deserved to get at least a point out of the game.”

In the Moors starting line-up was striker Nathan Fisher, who had started the season with Darlington.

Darlington: Jameson, Brown, White, Hunter, Watson, Mitchell, Scott, Portas, Purewal, Armstrong, Thompson. Subs: Dowson, Bell, Galbraith, Cocks, Lovegreen

Spennymoor Town: McHugh, Griffiths, Mason, Dodds, Tait, Capper, Stephenson, Henry, Henderson, Robert, Fisher. Subs: Johnson, McReady, Peacock, Atkinson, Groves

April 29, 2015

Northern Premier League Division One, play-off semi-final: Darlington 3 (Armstrong, Hatch, Dowson), Spennymoor Town 2 (Tait, Roberts)

ONE of the most compelling games Darlington have had since 2012, with a dramatic ending that went in their favour.

With Salford City winning the title, Quakers had to be content with a place in the play-offs, though having lost at this stage 12 months earlier to Ramsbottom United they avoided a repeat, but only just.

A terrifically entertaining encounter at Heritage Park saw both teams hold the lead at different stages, Armstrong again putting Quakers ahead just before the break with a header and, again, it came from a Brown cross.

But second-half goals by Joe Tait on the hour after a goalmouth scramble, and on 76 minutes by Micky Roberts, who expertly lifted the ball over Peter Jameson, swung the tie in Spennymoor’s favour.

Only for two Darlington substitutes to intervene in dramatic circumstances.

With his first touch Liam Hatch headed home at a corner to level, and in the 89th minute David Dowson found the corner of the net, the ball slipping under stand-in goalkeeper Gareth Young to send Heritage Park into raptures, with ecstatic manager Martin Gray running on to the pitch with a clenched fist after the full-time whistle.

“It was the best victory we’ve had since I came to the football club,” he said Gray. “I probably over-celebrated because all we’ve done is win a semi-final, but it was because of the way the game went, the way we got back in front, the character we showed.

“I apologise if I offended anyone. It was just my emotions, my passion for the club which came through, which comes through in the dressing room and it came through out there tonight.”

The game could easily have had a different ending, however, as at 2-2 Moors right-back Kallum Griffiths hit the crossbar with a stunning 40-yard volley.

Four days later Darlington won promotion by beating Bamber Bridge, a routine win which featured little of the epic semi-final’s drama.

Darlington: Jameson, Brown, Galbraith, White, Hunter, Portas, Mitchell, Scott, Armstrong, Cartman, Thompson. Subs: Dowson, Bell, Watson, Hatch, Mota.

Spennymoor Town: Young, Griffiths, Mason, Dodds, Tait, Johnson, Stephenson, Henry, Henderson, Fisher, Cogdon. Subs: Roberts, Briggs, Capper, Groves, Ward

August 28, 2017

National League North: Darlington 1 (Brown) Spennymoor Town 1 (Foley)

AFTER a two-year break, with both clubs by now having elevated to the National League North, the teams met in August with Moors making their first visit to Blackwell Meadows.

David Foley, signed last summer from South Shields, fired high into the net in front of the Tin Shed when he side-stepped Liam Marrs, giving Moors a lead they held until the second half.

But Quakers took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Dan Lowson, who misread a kick downfield by Adam Bartlett, the ball sailing over his fingertips and into the path of Gary Brown who gleefully took advantage of the empty net.

Darlington: Bartlett, Marrs, Ferguson, Galbraith, Collins, Brown, Thompson, Turnbull, Beck, Syers, Gillies. Subs: Wheatley, Wilczynski, Portas, Caton, Fenwick

Spennymoor Town: Lowson, Griffiths, Chantler, Chandler, Tait, Curtis, Hall, Ramshaw, Taylor, Johnson, Foley. Subs: Mason, Henry, Anderson Orrell, Porter