⚽ Matchday 23

🆚 Darlington vs Scarborough Athletic

📅 Thursday, December 26th, 3:00 PM
📍 Blackwell Meadows

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🤝 Matchball Sponsor: Queen Street Shopping Centre

🔥 Match Preview

On Boxing Day, the Quakers will be hoping for a late Christmas present as they host rivals Scarborough Athletic.

After this game, the one-year anniversary of Steve Watson and Terry Mitchell will be upon us.

Darlington have lost three of the four league games since Scarborough gained promotion with a 1-0 loss at home last season and losing 2-0 at the Flamingo Land Stadium in Josh Gowling’s last game in charge.

In the season prior, the Quakers lost 3-2 at home, conceding to a late Michael Coulson goal. However, in the reverse fixture which happened on January 2nd, 2023, the Quakers battered Scarborough 5-2 with doubles from both Mark Beck and Jacob Hazel, with a Jack Lambert wonder goal wrapping up a five-star performance from the Quakers.

The Quakers will be hoping for their first Boxing Day win in five years, when they beat Spennymoor 2-1 at Blackwell Meadows.

The Seadogs find themselves 14th in the league after 22 games played. Away from home, Scarborough have done alright with 14 points gained in their 12 away games, which puts them in 11th in the league on away form. In their 12 away games, they have won three, drawn five, and lost four.

Scarborough have had success scoring goals away from home with 14 goals scored, which is the 7th most for goals scored away from home. Defensively, they’ve been about the same with 16 goals conceded when playing away, which has them 9th for most goals conceded away from home.

At the weekend, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Peterborough Sports, with former Darlington player Kaine Felix getting an early goal for the visitors, then in the second half a Lewis Maloney penalty shared the points between the two sides.

A player of interest for Quakers fans will be Alex Purver who made 81 appearances for the Quakers across his 2 seasons at the club. During his time here, he found the net three times with his most notable goal being an equaliser in a contentious 2-2 against Gloucester City in the 21/22 season. As Quakers fans are aware he likes to dictate the game by playing in a pivot role at the base of midfield and loves a strong tackle.

📰 Team News

• Caden Kelly returns after missing last weekend due to illness.
• Scott Barrow has recovered from a head injury.
• Andrew Nelson is back in full training.

👤 Player Spotlight

• Dom Tear – Scarborough’s top scorer with seven league goals this season, including a hat-trick on the opening day. His pace and skill on the wing will be key for the Seadogs.

• Alex Purver – Former Quakers midfielder, Purver is known for his strong tackling and ability to dictate play from a deep midfield role.

• Michael Woods – Recently signed from Blyth, Woods adds experience and depth to Scarborough’s midfield.

📈 Recent Results

🔴 Darlington

• 21st December v Needham Market (Away) – Won 1-0 (Hatfield)
  🔗 Watch Highlights

• 14th December v Oxford City (Home) – Drew 1-1 (Maskell)

• 10th December v Hereford (Home) – Won 2-1 (Lambert, Hatfield)
  🔗 Watch Highlights

• 7th December FA Trophy v York City (Away) – Lost 1-3 (Cornish)

• 30th November v Radcliffe (Away) – Won 4-1 (Hatfield, Kelly, Griffiths, Main)

• 26th November v Scunthorpe (Home) – Drew 0-0

• 16th November FA Trophy v Buxton (Home) – Won 1-0 (Main)

🟦 Scarborough Athletic

• 21st December v Peterborough Sports (Home) – Drew 1-1 (Maloney)

• 17th December v Hereford (Away) – Lost 0-1

• 14th December v Rushall (Away) – Won 2-1 (Green, Maloney)

• 7th December v King’s Lynn (Away) – Lost 0-1

• 30th November v Needham Market (Away) – Drew 1-1 (Own Goal)

• 26th November v Warrington (Home) – Drew 0-0

• 16th November FA Trophy v Stockton Town (Away) – Lost 1-3 (Tear)

📊 League Records

🏁 Darlington

• Position: 11th
• Played: 22
• Wins: 8
• Draws: 9
• Losses: 5
• Goals For: 26
• Goals Against: 21
• Goal Difference: 5
• Points: 33

🕹 Home Form: 8th in the league

• Played: 11
• Won: 5
• Drawn: 5
• Lost: 1
• Points: 20

🏁 Scarborough Athletic

• Position: 14th
• Played: 22
• Wins: 7
• Draws: 8
• Losses: 7
• Goals For: 25
• Goals Against: 25
• Goal Difference: 0
• Points: 29

🚐 Away Form: 11th in the league

• Played: 12
• Won: 3
• Drawn: 5
• Lost: 4
• Points: 14

🤝 Recent Games Between the Two Clubs

• December 2023 Darlington 0 Scarborough 1 (Green)
  🔗 Watch Highlights

• December 2023 Scarborough 2 (Rutledge, Green) Darlington 0

• September 2023 FA Cup Darlington 1 (Hatfield) Scarborough 2 (Mulhern, Maloney)

• January 2023 Scarborough 2 (Coulson 2) Darlington 5 (Beck 2, Hazel 2, Lambert)  🔗 Watch Highlights

• December 2022 Darlington 2 (Hazel, Beck) Scarborough 3 (Glynn, Tear, Coulson)

• April 2016 Scarborough 1 (Blott) Darlington 2 (Hatch, Cartman)

🔗 Advice on conduct

Advice on supporter conduct

📻 Follow the Game

You can follow the game on Darlo Fans Radio, X, and the official website.