Darlington Reserves - One For the Older Ones

[spen666]

Looking on the website Football Clubs Historic Database,https://www.fchd.info/DARLING2.HTM, it shows that from 1921/2 season up to 1966/7 season there was a reserve team.

Then from 1982-3 to 1985/6 a reserve team played in the Northern League.

Between 1967 and 1982, did Darlington have a reserve side? if not, how did the club cope when injuries etc hit as presumably they would only have a small squad and were a full time professional club playing in the EFL

[Maurice_Peddelty]

I remember Darlo's Reserves won the Wearside League in 1968/69. I don’t remember whether the Reserves continued in the Wearside League until they joined the Northern League.

[spen666]

I remember Darlo's Reserves won the Wearside League in 1968/69. I don’t remember whether the Reserves continued in the Wearside League until they joined the Northern League.

Thanks for that - from my attempts to look at Wearside League in subsequent seasons, I find no mention of Darlington Reserves.

Assuming there was no reserve team in the 70s, did the club operate with only 15 or so players? Was there a youth team or an u21 or u23 side?

[Wiseacre]

I lived in York for a while in the 70's and Quakers were often dubbed t'City reserves on account of Seal, Stone et al. I don't know if there was a reserve side at Feethams then but there was certainly one in the early 80's - I remember watching them at Feethams with Fred Barber in goal just before he made it into the first team. Jeff Thompson and Dave Young were two other young lads that day who made it into the first team. The crowd that day can't have numbered more than 100 paying customers but it was a decent game.

[Vodka_Vic]

I thought our reserves played in the Central League after that, then in the Conference season, played in some Durham Village league, then back to the Central League