Which players have appeared for both Quakers and Chester? Craig Stoddart investigates (This piece was in the Chester programme)

Striker Gregg Blundell joined Darlington from Chester, for whom his first two goals came against Quakers in a high-scoring draw early in the 2005-06 season.

It finished 4-4 at the Deva Stadium, Akpo Sodje scoring a hat-trick for David Hodgson’s team, but Darlington felt deflated having led 4-2 until the 89th minute.

Blundell had recently joined from Doncaster Rovers for a reported fee of £105,000, but he scored only another four goals for Chester in 2005-06. He did net nine times the following season before being recruited by Quakers in January 2007 by Dave Penney, who also had the Scouser in his team at Doncaster.

After leaving Quakers in 2009, Blundell had spells back at Chester and with Barrow, but is now working as physiotherapist for Liverpool. He was at Tranmere Rovers as their first-team physio for five seasons before becoming a full-time member of staff at Liverpool’s academy in 2016.

Tim Ryan, Ricky Ravenhill and Mark Albrighton, like Blundell, all had spells with both Chester and Darlington as well as under Penney at Doncaster.

Andy Crosby gave good service to Darlington for five years in the 1990s, a strong defender who was part of the which played in the play-off final at Wembley in 1996.

After over 200 appearances he joined Chester in 1998 but stayed there only a year before going on to play for Brighton, Oxford and Scunthorpe. Since hanging up his boots Crosby has been assistant manager to Nigel Adkins, who he worked under at Scunthorpe, and at various clubs, including Southampton, Reading, Sheffield United and Hull City.

Adam Griffin was a winger who joined Darlington from Stockport County in the summer of 2008, the season after losing to Rochdale in the play-offs, and played 22 games. Chester fans will be forgiven if they have forgotten he played for them – a solitary appearance as a substitute in January 2003.

Others to have played for both Darlington and Chester include: Taiwo Atieno, Fred Barber, David Brightwell, Drewe Broughton, Tom Feeney, Paul Futcher, Evan Horwood and Robbie Painter.

PICTURED: Gregg Blundell