Darwen F.C.
 | |||
| Full name | Darwen Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Salmoners[1] | ||
| Founded | 2009 | ||
| Ground | Anchor Ground,Darwen | ||
| Capacity | 4,000[2] | ||
| Chairman | Sarah Hindle | ||
| Manager | Kenny Langford | ||
| League | North West Counties LeagueDivision One North | ||
| 2023–24 | North West Counties LeagueDivision One North, 9th of 18 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
Darwen Football Clubis afootballclub fromDarwen,Lancashire,England.The club was formed in 2009 as A.F.C. Darwen, a successor to the originalDarwen club,which had been wound up. They currently play in theNorth West Counties LeagueDivision One North and are based at the Anchor Ground.
History
[edit]On 22 December 2003Carlsberg Tetleytried to wind up Darwen Football and Social Club. Although the club, then playing in Division One of the North West Counties League, avoided liquidation on that occasion, another winding up petition was brought byThe Beeradio station on 14 April 2008 in respect of £8,000 owed for advertising. Plans were made forBlackburn with DarwenCouncil to buy the Anchor Ground. However, following two further petitions for liquidation brought byThwaites BreweryandING Lease UKand their refusal of an offer of 25p in the pound, the 134-year old Darwen Football Club was wound up in theHigh Courton 14 May 2009.[3]
Almost immediately, there were plans for a new Darwen football club to be formed. This was achieved before the start of the 2009–10 season, with AFC Darwen created, taking over the Anchor Ground from the dissolved club. However, the new club had to start at step 7 (level 11) of thefootball pyramid.They successfully applied for admission to theWest Lancashire League,and were placed in the Premier Division. After finishing eighth in their first season, they were promoted to Division One of the North West Counties League.[4]In2014–15the club won the Division One Trophy with a 3–1 win overAtherton Collieriesin the final, also finishing third in Division One and qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beatingChadderton2–1 in the semi-finals, they defeatedHanley Town5–3 in the final, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[4][1]
The2017–18 seasonsaw AFC Darwen finish bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation to Division One North. In June 2022 the club was renamed Darwen Football Club.[5]
Honours
[edit]- North West Counties League
- Division One Trophy winners 2014–15
- Martin Vizzard Memorial Trophy
- Winners 2016
Records
[edit]- BestFA Cupperformance: Extra-preliminary round, 2015–16, 2016–17[4]
- BestFA Vaseperformance: Third round, 2022–23[4]
- Record attendance: 982 vsBury AFC,North West Counties League Division One, 9 October 2021[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abBIG SATURDAY INTERVIEW: Chairman Wayne Wild reflects on AFC Darwen’s sensational seasonLancashire Telegraph, 6 June 2015
- ^Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2023).Non-League Club Directory 2023/24.p. 590.
- ^Final bid to save Darwen FC fails after High Court hearingLancashire Telegraph, 14 May 2009
- ^abcdAFC Darwenat theFootball Club History Database
- ^Darwen days are here againThe Non-League Football Paper, 12 June 2012
- ^Thank You to all who attended yesterday. Your support was massively appreciatedAFC Darwen on Twitter
External links
[edit]- Official websiteArchived10 May 2021 at theWayback Machine