UP NEXT:
Buxton return to action in midweek as they travel north to face Darlington on Tuesday 10th March, with kick-off at 7:45pm.
The Bucks
At the weekend Buxton lost 3-1 to Kidderminster Harriers at the TSS.
Reflecting on the game, manager John McGrath said:
Kidderminster are a good side and they’re where they are for a reason. They’ve got good players, a strong starting XI and a very good squad.
But I think we showed them too much respect. In the first half it looked a little bit like men against boys. We were stuck between jobs and didn’t pass the ball like we know we can. Although we got back into it through an own goal, it took us a while to grow into the game.
Then we conceded a really sloppy goal just before half-time, which was a big blow. It shows a bit of immaturity and inexperience. We should clear our lines and do better in that situation. We give the ball away on the halfway line when we’re 45–50 minutes into the game and at that point you just have to see it out.
We went into half-time a goal down and made a change, and in the second half we at least got a reaction. I thought Connor Kirby was superb when he came on and really led the charge. We were full of energy.
But it shouldn’t take me at half-time to have a go to get the boys going. As a player, that’s your chance to play against a really good side like Kidderminster, and unfortunately we only did that for 45 minutes.”
Opposition facts
Darlington are managed by Steve Watson, who took charge in December 2023. He previously had spells in charge of Chester, York City and Gateshead, and has won three Manager of the Month awards at this level.
As a player, he made over 200 appearances for Newcastle United, finishing as an FA Cup runner-up with the club in the 1997–98 season. The previous campaign, he was also named Newcastle’s Player of the Year.
They play their games at Blackwell Meadows which has a capacity of 3300 and used by the Rugby club as well.
Their nickname is The Quakers or Darlo.
They were founded in 1883 and were one of the founding members of the Northern League.
Their best ever finish was in the 1925-26 season when they finished 15th in the Football League Second Division.
In the FA Cup they have reached the last sixteen twice. Once in 1910-11 when they were defeated by Swindon Town and then in 1957-58 where they lost to Wolverhampton Wanders.
In the FA Trophy, they have won it once in the 2010-11 season when they beat Mansfield Town in the final. Chris Senior scored in the 120th minute of the game to see the side pick up the trophy at Wembley.
Their record holder for appearances is Rob Greener who played 439 times. Alan Walsh holds the record for the most league goals scoring 87 in a six year period between 1978 and 1984.
They won promotion to this league in 2016 when they won the NPL Premier Division title.
The club finished 11th in the league last season on 69 points.
Looking at recent form, Darlington sit 6th across the last ten games, with Buxton in 17th.
In the home form guide, they are 12th with 26 points from their 16 games at Blackwell Meadows.
Darlington are in 7th place in the league after 35 games and have 56 points.
At the weekend they suffered a late 2-1 loss against Chester.
One to Watch: Will McGowen
McGowen is in his third loan spell with the club and has scored seven goals in the league so far this season.
He joined parent club Gateshead from Blyth Spartans and has also previously played for South Shields.
In his youth career the midfielder played for Sunderland and Doncaster Rovers.
Last time they faced
Tai Sodje scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Buxton when the sides met earlier on in the season.
It was a Buxton 1-0 win last time at Blackwell Meadows as well with Luke Brennan scoring a decisive penalty after 12 minutes.
