Thanks to the "Darlo's On The Up" book, we're serialising the account of the 1984-85 promotion-winning campaign.

Today is the third part,  here's the previous part.

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/the-story-of-the-1984-85-season-part-2

This part covers the drive towards the top of the table, and the two FA Cup ties against Middlesbrough in January 1985.

On November 10^th 1984, Quakers beat Wrexham 2-1 and went top of the league. They’d won six and drawn two of their previous eight matches.

Steve Butterworth wrote in the Despatch; “Twelve months ago and 16 matches into Cyril Knowles’ managerial reign, Quakers were fourth bottom of the league and stumbling along on gates of 1,000.

“Today, Quakers are proudly on top of the Fourth Division and fans are flocking back to Feethams.” The crowd was 3,985, three times the crowd that saw the corresponding game in the previous season.

Carl Airey scored after 2 minutes, winning an aerial challenge with a defender and coolly tucking his shot past the keeper from just inside the penalty area.

Airey got the second after 70 minutes when he was left with a free run on goal, his left foot shot spun in the air off the keeper’s legs but he reacted first to head the rebound home.

If the first encounter with Chester in the League was a pulsating affair, then the second in the FA Cup first round on November 17^th was even better, with Quakers just holding on to win 3-2.

Steve Butterworth wrote in the Despatch; “Darlington and Chester produced an action-packed thriller which typified all the magic and excitement that goes hand in hand with the FA Cup.”

Carl Airey put Darlington into the lead with a looping header from a free kick, then Kevin Todd flicked on a David McLean corner for Garry MacDonald to pounce on at the far post.

Chester, who included future Arsenal and England player Lee Dixon, pulled one back, and after Peter Johnson cleared one off the Quakers’ line, Carl Airey made it 3-1 from a Mitch Cook corner. There was still time for Chester to score again in a storming finish.

Cyril Knowles pointed out; “If any of the fans haven’t enjoyed that, then I don’t know what they’ll enjoy.”

Quakers faced a big test to their unbeaten away record at Peterborough’s London Road ground on November 24^th, but they hung on to a point in a 1-1 draw.

“A dressing room lecture by Cyril Knowles helped Quakers hold on to their proud unbeaten away record,” wrote Steve Butterworth. “Knowles’ young lions had looked only a shadow of the team which had moved to the top of the Fourth Division.”

Darlo went a goal down early on, but improved in the second half and David McLean, who was celebrating his 27^th birthday, equalised in the 74^th minute direct from a corner.

Cyril Knowles said; “I was pleased with our second half performance. If we’d produced that form in the first half we’d have taken Peterborough to the cleaners.”

They were now unbeaten in eleven league and cup games.

Quakers switched their home game with Swindon to a Sunday, December 2^nd, and the move paid rich dividends with a big crowd of 6,099, the highest in the division so far in the season, and three points from a 1-0 win. Before the game, Cyril Knowles was presented with the manager of the month award, a bottle of whiskey.

Cyril Knowles said; “We started off a bit cautiously, but we could have snatched a couple more goals towards the end if not for their keeper.”

Quakers took the lead when Kevin Todd crossed from the right, Carl Airey’s header went past the keeper and Garry MacDonald tapped in. David McLean had a penalty saved by Swindon keeper Scott Endersby.

Carl Airey was booked following a clash with Lou Macari, the Swindon player manager.

Darlo were third, a point behind leaders Chesterfield and Bury, with Hereford a point behind Darlo. There was a gap of five points between fourth and fifth.

South Yorkshire side Frickley, who were going well in the Alliance Premier League (now the Conference), arrived at Feethams for their second round FA Cup tie on December 8th, but Phil Lloyd’s goal put them out of the competition, and Darlo into the third round for the second season running. The Monday lunchtime draw gave Quakers a plum derby away tie at Middlesbrough in the next round, and in the evening, the Despatch headline was; “Darlington’s centre half is unlikely to ever score a more important goal.”

19 year old Lloyd knew some of the Frickley players, because he had trained with them the previous summer. Cyril Knowles said; “I was very disappointed with our performance and the lads know it.”

There was an added edge to the Boro cup draw with so many former Boro players in the Darlo team, and of course Cyril was a former Boro coach.

Before the big cup tie, Quakers had to concentrate on the league and holding on to their position at the top of the league On December 15^th, they went to Port Vale and won 2-0.

The Despatch headline was “Cyril Knowles’ youngsters proved that they can cope with life at the top.”

Cyril said; “It was one of our best team performances away from home. We are all thinking when is the bad run going to start, but we keep on doing the job. I think the lads stood up to the pressure very well.”

Darlo went a goal up on 28 minutes when a David McLean corner was flicked on by Kevin Todd for Kevan Smith to score his first goal of the season from close range, and Carl Airey got the second when he pounced on a poor headed back pass and beat the keeper. Quakers were now unbeaten in 14 league and cup games.

Quakers extended their unbeaten away league record to eleven games when they drew 0-0 at Stockport County on December 21^st. Steve Butterworth wrote in the Despatch; “It was a good result as every team that Quakers visit are now gunning for that record.”

Midfielder David McLean said; “We weren’t satisfied with a point. We had enough chances in the last 15/20 minutes to have won, and from our point of view it was two points dropped rather than a point gained.”

In their last game of 1984 on Boxing Day, midfielder Micky Angus unexpectedly returned after injury for the home game against Tranmere Rovers, and he was part of the team that won 2-1 in front of a 6,108 crowd.

The Evening Despatch said; “It needed a brilliant display by Fred Barber and a late goal to beat the spirited visitors.”

Cyril said; “These kind of games will always crop up, it’s nice when you get three points from them.”

Darlo took the lead when Mark Forster met Kevin Todd’s cross to the near post with a firm header for his third goal of the season. Tranmere equalised and after Barber made three good saves, sub Steve Tupling and Graeme Aldred combined to leave Todd with time and space to score at the far post.

Quakers were now joint top of the table with Bury, with Hereford third and Blackpool fourth.

However, the excellent unbeaten away record came to an end when Darlo lost 2-0 at Mansfield on New Year’s Day 1985.

Steve Butterworth wrote; “Darlington’s worst attacking display of the season. Quakers threw away their record by squandering a glut of scoring chances and handing Mansfield two simple goals.”

At least the players escaped a rollicking from Cyril Knowles immediately after the game, because he went to watch Middlesbrough ahead of the forthcoming FA Cup tie. He said later; “We’re disappointed to lose our away record, but it had to end sooner or later.”

Maybe they had their minds at Ayresome Park and Middlesbrough, who were sixth bottom of the Second Division going into the game, and had lost their previous home game to Oxford United. There was the sniff of a giantkilling in the air.

The Ayresome Park game on January 5^th certainly fired the imagination, with 19,084 in the ground, and Quakers battled in the mud to a glorious 0-0 draw – and nearly won it. Kevin Todd grazed the post with a 25 yarder, and Garry MacDonald had a shot cleared off the line, although the centre forward claimed that the ball was over the line before Boro defender Mick Saxby got it away. Fred Barber made a good save from an Irving Nattress header.

“Just inches away from cup glory” was the headline in the Evening Despatch. “Ayresome Park was no place for the faint hearts. Quakers threw themselves heart and soul into the confrontation with their midfield men in particular, reveling in the mud. David McLean can rarely have had such a commanding influence. He was rarely away from the thick of the action.”

A triumphant Cyril Knowles said; “This place is buzzing at the moment. We have already had a remarkable season. If we carry on where we left off on Saturday in the replay then we have a good chance. Our attitude was tremendous over the 90 minutes and I thought we created enough chances to have won. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but it has given me more joy than anything to come away with a draw. I don’t feel frightened of them. We have proved we can battle.”

Middlesbrough manager Willie Maddren was generous with his praise. “Give Darlington a bit of credit. They got about their business better than we did, especially in the first half."

The replay three days later produced one of the most dramatic nights in the club’s history in front of a 14,237 crowd, the biggest since the 1965-66 promotion campaign. Quakers won 2-1, with two former Boro players, Phil Lloyd and Garry MacDonald, scoring the goals.

Garry Mac put Darlo into the lead when there was a mix up between Boro keeper Kelham O’Hanlon and defender Tony McAndrew, and he took advantage and tucked the ball home.

Lloyd made it 2-0 on 76 minutes, when Kevan Smith and Micky Angus challenged for the ball inside the Boro penalty area, and it fell for him to beat O’Hanlon. “The ball fell nicely for me, and I hooked it over the line,” he said.

Lloyd’s goal sparked a pitch invasion which prompted referee Norman Wilson to take the players off the field for a few minutes. Objects, one of them a chisel according to the Despatch, were thrown at Darlington keeper Fred Barber when play restarted. There were 16 arrests and 72 people evicted from the ground throughout the evening.

Boro pulled one back through McAndrew – who later became youth team coach at Darlington under Brian Little – but Quakers held on for a real giantkilling victory.

Garry Mac said; “I’m delighted for the town and the supporters. All the management have put in a lot of hard work and now we’re starting to reap the rewards their efforts have deserved. Promotion is the main goal for us and these games are just a bonus.”

The Evening Despatch headline was: “Knowles revels in night of cup glory.”

Cyril admitted; “That has got to be the highlight of the season and of my time here. I don’t often get worked up, but I hardly had any sleep after Saturday’s match and it’s nice to be able to sit back now and look at the two games.

“I thought the lads were tremendous and thoroughly deserved to win over the two games. We didn’t have any problems apart from the last few minutes. The break after the crowd incident let Willie get them re-organised and he pushed the big defenders up to try and unsettle us.”

Willie Maddren said; “I will have to get my tin helmet on. We gave away a sloppy opening goal and in fact both goals were scrappy. I thought we should have had a penalty in the closing stages when Heine Otto was brought down.”

The reward for Quakers was a home tie against renowned cup fighters Telford United from the Alliance Premier. It was the second successive season Quakers had got through to the fourth round, they had lost to Plymouth Argyle the year before.

Bad weather interrupted football though for most of January, and Quakers had an enforced break of three weeks before they played Telford on January 29^th, with the prize for the winners an away game against holders Everton.

There were 11,240 in the ground this time to see a 1-1 draw, Mark Forster scoring for Quakers.  The Evening Despatch headline was; “Quakers lucky to get a second chance.”

Cyril Knowles was relieved, and said; “I’m thankful we’ve got another bite at the cherry. I was disappointed that we never got going and in the end, I think we were a bit fortunate to get a replay. It was a like a gluepot out there, and mistakes were always likely to crop up. But we tried to go right through the middle instead of playing the ball out to the wide men. We have been playing our best football away from home, and the tie is far from over.”

Quakers weren’t helped when Kevan Smith went off with a dislocated shoulder (again) early in the game, so Kevin Todd replaced him in defence and Garry MacDonald came on as sub.

Colin Williams put Telford into the lead, but Quakers levelled when David McLean’s free kick was headed on by Phil Lloyd and Mike Angus for Mark Forster to knock past the keeper from close range.

Before the replay, Quakers played Aldershot at Feethams on February 2^nd and drew 1-1, Carl Airey scoring after nine minutes in a game that Quakers dominated.

“Finishing is a problem and is letting us down at the moment,” said Cyril Knowles.

Because of their FA Cup run and the bad weather, Quakers had dropped to seventh, three points behind the top four.

Steve Butterworth wrote in the Despatch; “The draw maintained Aldershot’s jinx over Quakers, they haven’t lost in their last six visits to Feethams.”

Surprisingly, Kevan Smith returned for the FA Cup replay at Telford, just a week after dislocating his shoulder. “Kev beats the pain barrier for Quakers” was the Despatch headline.

Considering that Quakers had only lost once away from home all season in the league, it was a big disappointment to lose the replay at the Buck’s Head by 3-0.

“Outclassed, outplayed and out of the FA Cup” was the Despatch headline. “The Darlington defence couldn’t cope with the long punts upfield from Telford keeper Kevin Charlton.”

It was a contrast to the Boro game when Cyril Knowles thought that he had experienced the best night of his career. “That was the worst night of my career as a manager and a player. Our overall performance was disappointing, but full marks to Telford,” he fumed. “To lose like that was sickening, especially when we couldn’t even give them a game. I wouldn’t have minded going out in the next round because everybody would have expected us to lose to Everton. I just wonder if the pressure has got to some of the players.” He also locked the players in the dressing room for 30 minutes after the game.

Part four of series will be on the website tomorrow