LATEST : DARLO SIGNS FOR FARNBOROUGH !!!!
STEVE DARLINGTON FACTFILE
Name: Steve Darlington (Darlo)
Age: 27
Position: Forward/Striker/Centre Forward/Goal Poacher…..
Career Record:
Staines Town - 30 goals
Wokingham Town - 41 goals
Kingstonian -
Enfield -
Steve joined Wokingham Town in the pre-season of the 1995-1996 season from Staines Town, signed by then joint managers Derek Cotterell and Wayne Wanklyn. Steve made an immediate impression upon the fans, with dazzling pre-season friendly games. Nicknamed ‘Darlo’, his goals during the 1995 season for Town earned him Player of the Season and also the club’s record for the most goals in a season.
Steve scored no less than two hat-tricks and 8 doubles during the memorable ‘95-’96 season and his goal in the last minute of the Berks. & Bucks. Cup against Aylesbury will be one that Town fans shouldremember for years to come.
His strike partner that year, Richard Newbery, signed from Woking, helped Darlo as they reached a magnificent partnership total of 56 for the year. Steve only missed two games of the 1995-1996 season (through family commitments) and was Town’s most regular player in a team that finished a disappointing eleventh in the league.
Unfortunately Darlo left under controversial circumstances, wanted by Kingstonian after his contract expired, Wokingham tried to get a realistic figure from the Premier Division club. Despite the Wokingham efforts to keep him, a tribunal set the fee at £5000 after Kingstonian refused to pay the £60,000 asking price and Darlo moved on.
The 1996-1997 season saw distraught Wokingham fans and officials alike search for a replacement to the mighty Darlo, but in vein. A monumental effort from Andy Gray (now of Hampton) failed to reach even half of Darlo’s goals for the previous season. Not even the goal tally for the entire team reached the target set by Darlington the season previous.
Wokingham Town still hold out hope that one day the living God Steve Darlington might one day return to grace the Finchampstead Road turf for another season, maybe even just one game. Never to be replaced in the history of Wokingham Town, his presence might have left us but his memory never will.
Steve Darlington Record 1995-1996
Appearances:
League
- 40
F.A. Cup
- 2
F.A. Trophy
- 1
Guardian Insurance
Cup - 3
Berks. & Bucks.
Cup - 3
County Cup
- 1
Total
- 50
Goals:
League
- 28
F.A. Cup
- 2
F.A. Trophy
- 3
Guardian Insurance
Cup - 1
Berks. & Bucks.
Cup - 6
County Cup
- 1
Total
- 41
Steve Darlington
Stats:
Appearances:
50
Goals:
41
Goals/Game Ratio:
0.82 (Goal every 1.21 games)
% Goals Scored
in Team: 46%
Darlo stats,
information, graphics and pictures supplied by Edward Balch. Email:
ebalch@bigfoot.com
