Fylde v Darlington Match Preview

By Max O'Hara & Harvey Richards

Sep 26, 2025

Darlo prepare for the third qualifying round of the FA Cup

⚽ FA Cup third qualifying round

AFC FYLDE 🆚 DARLINGTON

📅 Saturday, September 27^th, 3 pm

🏟️ Mill Farm

🎟 https://afcfylde.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/afc_fylde_v_darlington_fac

🔥 Match Preview

The Quakers return to FA Cup action and make the journey to Lancashire in order to meet AFC Fylde in the third qualifying round.

Darlo come into this game after a 1-1 draw at home with Chester, when a last-minute equaliser from Josh Scott helped Quakers earn a point.

The last round of the FA Cup for Darlington was an away trip to Bootle, where, after trailing at half-time, the Quakers came back thanks to two goals from Will McGowan and a goal from Tom Allan.

Darlington’s opponents, Fylde, have been very strong this season and come into this game after their game against Leamington was abandoned after 60 minutes, but The Coasters were up 4-0 when the game was called off.

Craig Mahon’s Fylde have started this season very well, with only one loss in the league, with 20 goals scored and 10 goals conceded. They are 4th in the league with a game in hand.

Previously in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup, Fylde walked out 4-1 winners against Bamber Bridge, with goals from Danny Ormerod, Tom Whelan, George Wilson, and Luca Thomas proving to be too much for the Northern Premier League Premier Division side.

The two teams have already met this season in the league, when Fylde took an early lead thanks to Danny Ormerod, but an Elliot Forbes header helped bring the game level. A late surge from the Coasters, with goals from Jonathan Ustabasi and Alex Healy-Byrne, meant they left Blackwell Meadows with all three points.

📰 Team News

Alfie Myers-Smith continues to be out with a knee injury but is close to a return.

Matty Cornish is steadily improving, and is aiming to be back in a fortnight.

Tom Allan and Ellis Stanton, who both missed last week's game v Chester, will both have fitness tests.

👤 Player Spotlight

The top scorer for The Coasters this season is youngster Danny Ormerod, who scored against Darlington in the most recent game and has six goals to his name in the league. He scored a brace in their most recent league fixture against Peterborough Sports.

Danny Mayor has six goal involvements already this season and has shown he can be utilised off of the bench as well as starting. He started the season coming off the bench, and in his first two games, he scored twice. Then, against the Quakers, he came off the bench and set up Jon Ustabasi to put the visitors in the lead.

📈 Recent results

🏁 Darlington

20^th September 2025: Darlington 1 (Scott) Chester 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eub0NDxlW0Q&t=10s
13^th September 2025 FA Cup 2QR: Bootle 1-3 Darlington (McGowan x2, Allan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyVW54KYx6Y
6^th September 2025: Darlington 1 (Maskell) Hereford 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eycBXH71b4&t=161s
2^nd September 2025: Marine 1-4 Darlington (Allan, Maskell x2, McGowan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCEjS-0kLA&t=150s
30^th August 2025: Macclesfield 2-1 Darlington (Maskell)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BArZYjgdYhM&t=131s

⚪️ Fylde

20^th September 2025 Game Abandoned: Fylde 4 (Thomas, Taylor, Colclough x2) Leamington 0
13^th September 2025 FA Cup 2QR: Fylde 4 (Whelan, Wilson, Ormerod, Thomas) Bamber Bridge 1
6^th September 2025: Peterborough Sports 0-5 Fylde (Ormerod x2, Thomas, Mayor x2)
2^nd September 2025: Fylde 2 (Ormerod, O’Kane) Chester 2
30^th August 2025: Fylde 1 (Thomas) Bedford 0