© Photos: Les Hodge
Recommended among a dozen independent football fans' websites, for having "variety, depth, strong writing, original design and history" - When Saturday Comes
Following Darlo 1 9 9 4
- 2 0 1 0 
© Photos: Les Hodge
Recommended among a dozen independent football fans' websites, for having "variety, depth, strong writing, original design and history" - When Saturday Comes
Following Darlo 1 9 9 4
- 2 0 1 0 |
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DAFTS DIARY
Two steps forward...
Some positive
noises at the recent fans' forum at the club, in the absence of any football.
Then after six weeks, with six team changes, it's back to action with
a surprise but hard-earned win at Rotherham. Then another away match and
more of a routine, a 3-0 defeat at Crewe. Game over in a 10 minute spell.
Two steps forward, another quite large one back.
DAFTS are planning to meet up for the beer festival weekend in Darlo (March 19-20, to coincide with Barnet at home) and are planning a long weekend in Bournemouth already (April 16-18)
Here are a list of our forthcoming matches, including rearranged
games:
Going meekly to the trapdoor Mr Blobby was behind the goal at Torquay. Well, he may as well have been in the centre of defence and could probably have provided more level-headedness and a commanding presence. Darlo took another pounding, and those who bothered to go, especially those who bothered to dress up (do we have to go in disguise now?) deserve credit. Or their bumps felt. Perhaps the stewards at Rotherham can all wear white coats instead of reflective jackets and take the dwindling number into a quiet, padded area, for their own protection. Darlo fans with a long memory remember some dross, but the class of 2009 (many of the squad of 40 we've used so far at least) have reached a level of ineptitude which many younger fans won't recall. Never has so much been let in, by so many, in front to so few. And we never quite made it... Possibly our fault for lingering
a little too long in the pre-match pub in Plaistow, but we never quite
made it.
We got onto the platform at the Tube station just as the Barking train's
doors closed, and we never quite made it.
Another one eventually came, and then we went in search of the replacement
bus to Dagenham. It never quite made it.
Fifteen minutes later, the bus arrived and the 15 minute journey took
25 minutes. As we walked to the ground, the texts came in with news of
the Daggers' two goals. Our defence, again, didn't quite make it.
We
got to the away turnstiles (closed) and were directed around the ground
to the only open turnstile. But the news didn't quite make it, and we
were told by the stewards there to go back to the away turnstiles.
It was getting on for half time now, and frustrated and sensing it was
not quite our day, we decided to go to the "away" pub up the road instead.
We made it this time (as closing time was midnight, we had a chance),
but lack of food and the proximity of a pie and mash shop was too good
to resist. But sorry, they'd run out of pies. They obviously didn't quite
make enough.
Back to central London for a pint or two. Guest ale was Brains. That's
250 miles for a pint I could get down my local! Still, despite the frustrations,
the awful result, we saved the admission price and had a good day. And
I just about made it back.
There have been at least
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Darlo's 'winter break' is hard to take There was very little "Ho, ho, ho" around over Christmas; and absolutely no football if you were a Darlo fan, with six straight postponements. So instead, a few recent pics - including Brian in familiar repose and the guys outside the stadium.
Is it that time of the season already? DAFTS' pub of the year
The simple criteria is that the pubs must welcome visiting football fans
and also serve good real ale, before we get down to the nitty-gritty and
sub-catergories of crunchiest pork scratchings and Scotch egg availability.
The shortlist 2009 was:
Neil Blockley, RIP
He had even called his house in Hertfordshire "Feethams" and
his house was full of Darlo memorabilia, including prized framed shirts.
He had been a member of DAFTS and in the past, the Trust. His family said
in a tribute of his Darlo devotion: "Neil was devastated at their constant
misfortune at play-off games and his happiest moment was when they were
saved from administration earlier this year." Another personal highlight
was his own guided tour around the stadium in July.
We send his family
and friends all our best wishes and condolences. Here is a brief tribute
from his London friends, fans of many clubs, who adopted Darlo as their
second team:
"Our beloved friend Neil Blockley passed away last night, he succumbed
to cancer. He was a lifelong supporter of the club and spread the Darlo
gospel throughout London. He was a true gent, a wonderful man and Darlo
through and through. He educated us southerners about the Monkey Hangers
and persuaded us to go to Darlo's away games if they were close to home.
" He will be greatly missed by many people and I cannot stress how many
lives he touched. We are Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U,Milwall etc but
we all went to Darlo, because of 'Blockey'. I hope you can help his many
friends celebrate the life of a great man and a great fan.
"The friends of Darlo's number one fan."
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| © www.dafts.co.uk 2010
Words and pictures used by permission. E-mail
DAFTS
DAFTS ARE a social group of exiled and far-flung
fans of Darlington FC, set up in 1994, who follow the fortunes of the League
Two club at home and especially away. As you'd expect, the contents of this
website in no way express the views of the club or anyone at Darlington FC.
For any queries about this site, the webmaster is Steve
Duffy and about DAFTS generally, the DAFTS organiser is Neil Johnson. Thanks
to Ted Blair for most of the (decent) photos. Why not use the DAFTS
Travel messageboard to get in touch with other travelling fans, beg or offer
lifts or discuss travel arrangements? It can also put fans in touch with others
living in their area.
Quick essential links:
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A W A Y G U I D E S M A P
Click on the clubs above for links
to DAFTS' away guides, including public transport and coach travel, driving directions, ticket details, and full guide to recommended pubs near the ground.
NB: These are being updated for League 2 and Cup trips
for 2009-2010 but some others are out of date or in old templates
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Darlington fans have received the sad
news, passed to us from the friends of Neil Blockley, a southern-based
Darlo fan, who was known to DAFTS in the London area in particular. North
Yorkshire-born Neil died shortly after his 61st birthday, after a long battle
with bone marrow cancer.
