"Bucks aiming to bounce back at Darlington"

Match Date : August 25th, 2025 3:00 pm
Competition : National League North
Ground : Blackwell Meadows
Kick Off : 15:00

Kevin Wilkin’s men will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats, as the Bucks round out the bank holiday weekend with a lengthy trip to Darlington.

The Quakers finished eight points outside of the playoff places in 11th place last season. But while Darlo have tended to finish in and around that spot, last season marked their highest points total since they finished 5th in the 2016/17 season.

The man in charge at Blackwell Meadows is former Gateshead and Chester boss, Steve Watson. Appointed in December 2023, Watson has raised expectations at the County Durham club, who could well be in the playoff mix this time around.

And Watson has kept much of his squad the same but has strengthened with a number of youthful arrivals. Of the Quakers’ 10 summer signings, seven are aged 22 or under. In fact, the only arrival aged over 25 was keeper Peter Jameson, who signed for Gateshead in the summer as a player coach but returned to Darlo on a season-long loan. The Bucks will have to keep a close eye on goal-getting midfielder Will Hatfield, who has three goals so far this campaign, while Cedric Main is likely to prove a handful.

Darlo have lost both of their opening home games this season, going down 3-2 to 10-man Chorley and 3-1 to AFC Fylde. However, the Quakers had the division’s 7th-best home record last year, picking up 42 of the 69 points on home soil, and are likely to be a tricky proposition on their own patch again.

The Bucks have a decent enough overall record against Darlington, but the Quakers have won three out of the last four encounters, including both of the last two match ups at Blackwell Meadows.

Kevin Wilkin’s men will be looking to get their campaign back on track, after successive defeats to Bedford and Buxton leaves the Bucks still searching for a first win of the season.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Website: darlingtonfc.co.uk

Ground Address: Blackwell Meadows, Grange Road, Darlington, DL1 5NR