STEVE
DARLINGTON TRIBUTE
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
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