Darlington FC 14/15

[Darlofan97]

I think I'll go to the Lancaster game given what is riding on it. What sort of numbers are you likely to take?

If we win on Saturday, then I'd expect 500/600 to make the trip. We brought around 350 there last season in October suffering a poor run of form.

 

[Modernist]

Darlofan, will the rugby club pay anything towards the new improvements of the ground and will they receive any money from your games?

 

[Darlofan97]

Darlofan, will the rugby club pay anything towards the new improvements of the ground and will they receive any money from your games?

The rugby club will be securing borrowed funding in order to upgrade the club-house and construct the car park. That is their share of things as far as I'm aware. They had to get a covenant lifted from the council in order to secure this funding.

Regarding them receiving any money from us, I'm not so sure. They may get a percentage of bar takings (as Bishop Auckland do). I'm not so sure how we'll sit on the ownership of the site, we may have to pay DRFC rent, but you would hope it's less than the £800 per game rent we pay Bishop Auckland. Costs of the site being split probably sounds realistic too, which will help them no end.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

You paid the cricket club rent for 100 years, Newcastle and Swansea rent thier grounds, as do Pools; being an owner isn't everything, look what happened last time you owned a ground

 

[Darlofan97]

We have raised £244,444 (excluding VAT) through 5 year season ticket sales, vice presidents packages, equity investments and donations. 287 packages have been sold, which means we will still get at least 250 season ticket holders per season IMO. This money will be used to upgrade the facilities at Blackwell Meadows.

 

[Darlofan97]

You paid the cricket club rent for 100 years, Newcastle and Swansea rent thier grounds, as do Pools; being an owner isn't everything, look what happened last time you owned a ground

We didn't own the Arena.

 

[Southern Shayman]

We have raised £244,444 (excluding VAT) through 5 year season ticket sales, vice presidents packages, equity investments and donations. 287 packages have been sold, which means we will still get at least 250 season ticket holders per season IMO. This money will be used to upgrade the facilities at Blackwell Meadows.

Are you not slightly worried that putting a lot of advanced revenue in to the stadium improvements could put you in a precarious cash position in future years?

Also, do you think it will have a negative impact on your playing budget? Which will be important in the coming years competing with the bankrolled clubs!

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

We didn't own the Arena.

Didn't Reynolds own the Arena AND Darlo, even just for a few days, then started to shift the debt onto the club?

 

[Darlofan97]

Are you not slightly worried that putting a lot of advanced revenue in to the stadium improvements could put you in a precarious cash position in future years?

Also, do you think it will have a negative impact on your playing budget? Which will be important in the coming years competing with the bankrolled clubs!

Slightly concerned, yes. However, on the basis of the factors below I'm not worried.

-287 5 year season tickets have been sold, meaning we can still rely on 250-350 season ticket sales a season (based on past sales figures). There will be increased season ticket uptake from the previous 3 seasons anyway due to moving back to Darlington so maybe more.

-I expect crowds will increase when we move back to Darlington. We currently average 1,025, there is no reason why we cannot average around 1,700 back in Darlington (so a 70% increase).

-Sponsorship, advertising and commercial revenue will also increase when we move back to Darlington. A number of businesses have indicated they will join us once the football club back in Darlington.

-By the start of the 2016/2017 season I anticipate that we will have no debt (currently stands at £44,100, was £360k at May 2012). So we'll be saving c£2,500 per month through that.

Overall, I expect that the increased footballing and commercial revenue plus no debt will offset an revenue lost out on by these 5-year season tickets. On this basis, I think that the club can sustain itself up to Conference North level.

 

[Southern Shayman]

Slightly concerned, yes. However, on the basis of the factors below I'm not worried.

-287 5 year season tickets have been sold, meaning we can still rely on 250-350 season ticket sales a season (based on past sales figures). There will be increased season ticket uptake from the previous 3 seasons anyway due to moving back to Darlington so maybe more.

-I expect crowds will increase when we move back to Darlington. We currently average 1,025, there is no reason why we cannot average around 1,700 back in Darlington (so a 70% increase).

-Sponsorship, advertising and commercial revenue will also increase when we move back to Darlington. A number of businesses have indicated they will join us once the football club back in Darlington.

-By the start of the 2016/2017 season I anticipate that we will have no debt (currently stands at £44,100, was £360k at May 2012). So we'll be saving c£2,500 per month through that.

Overall, I expect that the increased footballing and commercial revenue plus no debt will offset an revenue lost out on by these 5-year season tickets. On this basis, I think that the club can sustain itself up to Conference North level.

No fair enough! Looks like it's all sorted nicely, just remember the trouble Rangers got themselves in with advanced season ticket style offers. All of this seems very sensible though so good luck to you

 

[WeAreDarlington]

Darlington 3-1 Mossley

(Adam Mitchell 4', 14', Graeme Armstrong 37')

Attendance: 1,233.

Another very good win, the first-half performance was excellent.

We face Lancaster (A) next Saturday.

 

[Gulliball]

Lancaster are on pretty good form at the monent. Just a shame it didnt start a bit earlier in the season.

 

[Destruction]

Looking forward to it next Saturday.

Watched Bamber Bridge beat Spennymoor 2-1 today.

 

[WeAreDarlington]

A strong win for Bamber Bridge. They seem to have hit a good run of form recently, whereas Spennymoor have hit a very poor patch, they'll no doubt hit the play-offs this season although with the money available it does put into perspective the good job Gray did in having us finish 2nd last season.

 

[Dave-Vale]

Come on Darlo!

 

[DeepdaleRudge]

Its a tough league is the evo 1nth, I thought Lancaster would have escaped at the first chance.
I wish Darlo every sucess, had a couple of trips there with PNE in the early 90's when we were in the 4th division. Loved Feethams, the away stand to the left should have been listed. I visited Darlo last year with work on a couple of occasions, the first time I noticed a sign still up where feethams was, (behind sainsburys), the following visit two weeks later I m sure it had all disappeared.. I take it your moving to the Rugby club which is situated by the roundabout on the way in?
Still got a few copies of mission impossible, the great fanzine from the 90's..

 

[WeAreDarlington]

Lancaster 0-0 Darlington.

Gutted, absolutely gutted. It just wouldn't go in for us today with too many chances wasted. Good performance and clean-sheet but the result most certainly wasn't what we were after.

This all but hands the title to Salford. Next up is Warrington (A) on Tuesday.

 

[Destruction]

I went to Lancaster v Darlo today. I have to say, I watched Bamber Bridge beat Spennymoor last week and I would say Brig are twice the side Darlo are. Awful today IMO, and probably should have lost right at the death.

Great numbers from Darlington mind.

 

[Dave-Vale]

No idea what your problem with Darlington is...

Saying that they aren't as good as a side they've beaten twice and are 7 points ahead of in the league is a bit silly.

 

[Vanni]

Yeah mate. Darlo have done a great job, and their fans certainly deserve to have a side competing, at the very least, in the conference.

 

[WeAreDarlington]

I went to Lancaster v Darlo today. I have to say, I watched Bamber Bridge beat Spennymoor last week and I would say Brig are twice the side Darlo are. Awful today IMO, and probably should have lost right at the death.

Great numbers from Darlington mind.

Granted we didn't take our chances, but we played on the front-foot for the majority of the game. Lancaster had one or two spectacular efforts and went through once in the 90th minute directly from a goal-kick. That's it.

I find your comment quite ludicrous in all honesty, particularly when you mentioned that your judgement is based on the games you have mentioned. Remember we have beat Bamber Bridge 4 times in the previous two years, done the double over Spennymoor this season and also defeated Lancaster 3-0 just over a month ago.

With that said, I know what'll happen, we'll play Spennymoor or Bamber Bridge in the play-offs and get knocked out, despite having an 100% record against both teams up to now.

You can quote me on that too.

 

[Dave-Vale]

If it goes that way I hope you bury anybody in the play offs.

 

[Darlofan97]

I went to Lancaster v Darlo today. I have to say, I watched Bamber Bridge beat Spennymoor last week and I would say Brig are twice the side Darlo are. Awful today IMO, and probably should have lost right at the death.

Great numbers from Darlington mind.

How can you say we "probably should have lost right at the death"?!

We 'probably should have' scored about 5 today, and on another day it would have been 5 with the chances we created!

Lancaster rarely threatened, and their best chance came through a 20 yard strike at a CB in goal after Jameson was sent off. Lancaster time-wasted from the first minute, even at 0-0 they were getting the ball in the corner!

 

[Destruction]

No idea what your problem with Darlington is...

Saying that they aren't as good as a side they've beaten twice and are 7 points ahead of in the league is a bit silly.

I've no problem at all with Darlington, I stood with the fans in both halves today and went along hoping they would win and go on to beat Salford to the title. How many times have you been to see them this season Dave?

 

[Destruction]

How can you say we "probably should have lost right at the death"?!

We 'probably should have' scored about 5 today, and on another day it would have been 5 with the chances we created!

Lancaster rarely threatened, and their best chance came through a 20 yard strike at a CB in goal after Jameson was sent off. Lancaster time-wasted from the first minute, even at 0-0 they were getting the ball in the corner!

You had a couple of good chances that were either fluffed due to very poor play/finishing and the Lancaster keep made the odd decent (not outstanding) save. I expected far better considering your league position.

And of course you should have lost right at the death. Not only did your keeper bring down the Lancaster player when one on one, but your outfield player who went in nets then pulled off the save of the game. In the end you were lucky to have come away with a point.

 

[Darlofan97]

Howay man Dessy, you ain't fooling anybody by saying "we were lucky to come away with a point". We were unlucky to not come away with all three.

Lancaster maybe should have scored at the end, but we should also have scored several well earlier in the game and had great chances after that. So to say we created "a couple of chances" isn't a fair reflection really is it? Dowson and White both wasted good chances in the first half. Tom Portas arguably had a better chance than when Lancaster went through, all he had to do would have been to put his laces through it! We then had one cleared off the line in the last minute and a goal chalked off for offside.

There'll be a team feeling lucky with coming away with a point out of this match, and it won't be Darlington.

 

[WeAreDarlington]

I've no problem at all with Darlington, I stood with the fans in both halves today and went along hoping they would win and go on to beat Salford to the title. How many times have you been to see them this season Dave?

We all know you have an axe to grind, you've made that no secret previously.

I've just watched the highlights, (yes, I went down Lancaster yesterday too) and their goalkeeper pulled off 3 several good saves, on top of us squandering chance after chance and having a goal chalked off for offside.

It's a sickener that we didn't win yesterday, but after the run we've been on recently I have no complaints.

Onto the play-offs once we have taken on Warrington (A) on Tuesday and New Mills (H) next Saturday.

 

[Destruction]

Hmm...couldn't even beat Warrington tonight as Salford are crowned champions.

Wonder if any of the resident Darlo fans will now hold their hand ups and admit my analysis of them was spot on?

 

[WeAreDarlington]

Warrington 1-1 Darlington

(Gary Brown 39')

Tonight was a good performance by all accounts but that's the title gone to Salford now. Can't really complain, we left ourselves a little too much to do in the end, although we are currently unbeaten in 8.

Next up is New Mills (H) on Saturday before we take on Spennymoor (H) on either Tuesday evening or Wednesday evening.

 

[WeAreDarlington]

Hmm...couldn't even beat Warrington tonight as Salford are crowned champions.

Wonder if any of the resident Darlo fans will now hold their hand ups and admit my analysis of them was spot on?

Upon reflection, tonight widens the gap to 8 points between Darlo and Bamber Bridge along with a +32 GD.

So no.