Darwen F.C.
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Darwen F.C. are a football club from Darwen in the north west of England. The team, formed in 1870, currently play in the Second Division of the North West Counties League.
Darwen F.C. was established as a football and cricket club, and began to play by Association rules in 1875. They were a Football League club between the years 1891 and 1899, in total spending eight seasons in league football. Six of these were in the Second Division, and only two in the top flight. They are famous chiefly for having suffered 18 consecutive league defeats, during their last season as a league club in 1898-99. Sunderland narrowly managed to avoid equalling this unwanted record in 2003, when they beat Preston North End 2-0 at Deepdale.
Darwen also hold the record for the heaviest league defeat in a First Division match: 12-0 away to West Bromwich Albion in the 1891-92 season. They are also believed to be the first club to install electric floodlights as well as employing football's first two professional players.
History
- 1880-81 - F.A. Cup semi-finalists (aftger beating Romford 15-0 in quarter-finals)
- 1889-90 - Founder member of Football Alliance
- 1891-92 - Elected into Football League
- 1892-93 - Not re-elected into First Division, but elected as a founder member of Football League Division Two. Promoted after Test Match
- 1893-94 - Relegated after Test Match
- 1899 - Did not seek re-election to Football League
- 1899-00 - Joined Lancashire League
- 1901-02 - Lancashire League Champions
- 1902-03 - Lancashire League runner-up (on goal average)
- 1903-04 - Joined Lancashire Combination Division One
- 1905-06 - Lancashire Combination runner-up
- 1909 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1914 - Left Lancashire Combination
- 1920-21 - Rejoined Lancashire Combination
- 1930-31 - Lancashire Combination Champions
- 1931-32 - Lancashire Combination Champions (2nd time)
- 1963 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1965-66 - Promoted to Division One
- 1967 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1967-68 - Lancashire Combination Division Two runner-up
- 1971-72 - Lancashire Combination Champions (3rd time)
- 1973-74 - Lancashire Combination runner-up (on goal average)
- 1974-75 - Lancashire Combination Champions (4th time)
- 1975-76 - Joined Cheshire County League
- 1982-83 - Founder members of North West Counties League
- 1984 - Relegated to Division Two
- 1984-85 - Escaped relegation due to Padiham having 2 points deducted
- 1986-87 - Promoted to Division One
- 1998 - Demoted to Division Two due to ground gradings
- Best league position: 14th (of 14) in (only division) Football League, 1891-92; or 15th of 16 in 1893-94 in the 1st Division of the Football League.
- Best (post-war) league position: 5th in North-West Counties League (then level 8), 1988-89
- Best FA Cup performance: semi-final, 1880-81. (Post-war: 4th qualfiying round, 1946-47)
- Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round replay (three times) in 1972-73, 1978-79 and 1981-82.
- Best FA Vase performance: 3rd round 1990-90
Source: Football Club History Database (http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/)
Honours
- Lancashire Combination champions 1931, 1932
- Lancashire League champions 1902
External link
- Darwen Football Club, the early years (http://www.btinternet.com/~dajaca/earlyyears.htm)