Darlo look to open the season with a win at home

⚽ Matchday 1 

Darlington🆚 Worksop Town 

📅 Saturday, 8th August, 3 pm 

🏟️ Blackwell Meadows 

🎟  https://yourclub.darlingtonfc.co.uk/match-tickets  

🔥 Match Preview 

The Quakers look to begin the National League North season with a win at home as they welcome Worksop Town to Blackwell Meadows. 

Darlo will hope to start their season with a win after having a mixed run of results in pre-season, with valuable minutes against Football and National League sides, including a behind-closed-doors friendly against Premier League side Newcastle United. 

Last season for the Quakers saw the side compete for the year and disappointingly fall short of the playoffs around the end of the season, but will be hoping to reach them this season after adding to the side over the summer including the likes of a returning Mark Beck and Darlo local Bobby Jones and promising young talents like Max Howells on a permanent as well as numerous new and old faces. 

Darlington’s opponents, Worksop Town, are in their second year back in the National League North and will look to improve on last season and have made some solid signings over the summer, including experienced NLN players in Rollin Menayese and Max Dearnley, both from Macclesfield and have added Kian Harratt, who brings Football League and National League experience to the side up top. 

Last season for The Tigers saw them finish 16th in the league with 16 wins and nine draws in 46 games, with 66 goals scored and 74 conceded for a total of 57 points. During pre-season, Worksop went unbeaten in their eight games with wins over a Sheffield United and Barnsley XI respectively. 

The two sides met twice last season, with the most recent being a 1-1 draw away from home, with Cedric Main getting the only Quaker goal of the night. The last time the two sides met at Blackwell Meadows saw Darlo walk away 5-1 winners with five different goal scorers, including Aidan Rutledge, Will McGowan, Max Howells, Charlie Lennon and Jack Maskell, to cap off a brilliant team performance. 

 

📰TEAM NEWS 

Will Hatfield is still on the road to recovery and will hopefully be involved sometime soon

All the new signings are in line to make their competitive debut for the Quakers 

 

👤 Player Spotlight 

Rollin Menayese and Max Dearnley are two new faces for The Tigers who both joined from Macclesfield and will strengthen the Worksop backline as they look to solidify their National League North status.  Dearnley was in the game when Macclesfield famously knocked then FA Cup holders Crystal Palace out of the third round. 

Oliver Greaves was a player who energised the Worksop midfield last season and helped them push on at the end of the season. He was their star man when they ran out 8-0 winners against relegated side Peterborough Sports. 

 

  

📈 Recent results 

🏁 Darlington 

  • 1st August 2026 Pre-Season: Dunston 2-0 Darlington 
  • 28th July 2026 Pre-Season: Darlington 0-2 Rotherham United  
  • 24th July 2026 Pre-Season: Darlington 4 (Platt, Stephenson, Howells, Beck) Middlesbrough U21s 1  
  • 21st July 2026 Pre-Season: Darlington 2 (Hedley, Beck) Carlisle United 4  
  • 18th July 2026 Pre-Season: Newcastle United 3-0 Darlington  
  • 14th July 2026 Pre-Season: Stockton Town 1-3 Darlington (Beck x2, Stephenson)  
  • 11th July 2026 Pre-Season: Redcar Athletic 0-4 Darlington (O.G., Stephenson, Stanton, Trialist)  

 

 🟡Worksop Town 

  • 1st August 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 3 (Waldock, Starcenko, Wilde) Sheffield United XI 1 
  • 28th July 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 1 (Whitman-Brown) Mickleover 0 
  • 25th July 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 4 (Whitham x2, Whitman-Brown, Trialist) Garforth Town 0 
  • 19th July 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 1 (Waldock) Barnsley XI 1 
  • 14th July 2026 Pre-Season: South Normanton 3-4 Worksop Town (Trialist x3, Waldock) 
  • 11th July 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 3 (Waldock, Starcenko, Tomlinson) Ilkeston Town 1 
  • 7th July 2026 Pre-Season: Retford 0-3 Worksop Town  
  • 4th July 2026 Pre-Season: Worksop Town 4 (Redford, Whitham, Waldock, Whitman-Brown) Hallam 2 

 

📊 League Records  

🏁 Darlington (last season 25/26) 

  • Position: 9th  
  • Played: 46 
  • Wins: 20 
  • Draws: 9 
  • Losses: 17 
  • Goals For: 78 
  • Goals Against: 68 
  • Goal Difference: 10 
  • Top Scorer: Main (20) 
  • Points: 69 

HOME FORM (LAST SEASON): 

  • Position: 12th  
  • Played: 23 
  • Wins: 9 
  • Draws: 5 
  • Losses: 9 
  • Goals For: 42 
  • Goals Against: 35 
  • Points: 32 

🟡Worksop TOWN (LAST SEASON 25/26): 

  • Position: 16th  
  • Played: 46 
  • Wins: 16 
  • Draw: 9 
  • Losses: 21  
  • Goals For: 66 
  • Goals Against: 74 
  • Goal Difference: -8 
  • Top Scorer: Martin (13) 
  • Points: 57 

AWAY FORM (LAST SEASON): 

  • Position: 17th  
  • Played: 23 
  • Wins: 7 
  • Draws: 4 
  • Losses: 12 
  • Goals For:  26 
  • Goals Against: 40 
  • Points: 25 

 

🤝 Recent Games between the clubs  

  • 27th January 2026: Worksop 1-1 Darlington (Main) 
  • 4th November 2025: Darlington 5 (Rutledge, McGowan, Howells, Lennon, Maskell) Worksop 1 

 

🔗 Advice on conduct  

 https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/darlington-v-worksop-advice-to-fans  

📻 Follow the Game 

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