But it didn't take long for the day to take a nasty turn - we lingered at the platform in Peterborough for about ten minutes and were told there were signal problems ahead between Grantham and Newark. Then came the news that our train was cancelled!
Martin hadn't even noticed as he was too engrossed working out his bets for the day but we dutifully de-trained and waited for more news. I feared the worse, worried my drinking would be severely curtailed, and was looking to give it up as a bad job and head back to London.
I called Liz - at home today - and asked her to check online - buses were being sent to take us north so we walked over towards the main entrance. As we did so, the tannoy announced the 9am departure from KX on platform 3 would take us onwards. We were just above it so were in a great position to get on before everyone else and bagged a couple of seats.
We eventually left 45 minutes behind schedule but the journey from then on was peaceful - save for a noisy baby in front of us - and it was noon as we arrived. A brief visit to the covered market - family sized quiche and fruit pie for the journey back today - and then into the Quaker.
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| Pickford collects |
Steve Wilkinson, another exile from Darlo, had also made the journey but since he is now safely retired, he'd come up the night before and missed all the fun this morning.
Unfortunately the Ram Tam had gone by the time I got there but they had Titanic Iceberg, Titanic 1912 (underwhelming), Brakspears Bitter & Kelham Island Bete Noir Stout.
The massed ranks of DAFTS all took taxis to the ground but we were a bit late getting there and hadn't time to get my 50/50 tickets. At press reception I bumped into my uncle Ray from Catterick who is still helping his mate Eric.
Down on the pitch, injuries had forced a bit of a reshuffle after Kris Taylor injured himself in training - something behind his knee went pop according to his tweet - and I feared that would leave us up against it today, even against the worst team in the division.
However we didn't start too badly and started to pass the ball around and even exerted some pressure on their defence. John McReady slipped through the central defenders to give himself a great chance but the keeper got a foot to his shot.
Bath had some decent possession of their own but failed to force Pickford into any major exertion other than to collect the odd high ball.
And then Haydn Hollis bolstered lingering hopes when he put Darlington ahead on 34 minutes.
The centre-back found himself in the penalty area after going forward for an Aaron Brown free-kick. It was not cleared, Adam Rundle played the ball back into the penalty area where Hollis, on loan from Notts County, took a touch before turning and shooting past Glyn Garner.
That was one of the few notable moments during a moderate first half lacking in any real incident.
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| Haydn Hollis shoots and scores |
But Darlington had clearly been the better side, improving as the half wore on against the part-time opposition.
The second half was similar, though neither keeper seriously tested for lengthy spells, but what appeared to be a match-clinching second goal came on 81 minutes.
It was a smart strike too, Adam Rundle volleying home from inside the penalty area after meeting a cross by teenage winger Danny Lambert.
Lambert had just come on as substitute, replacing Neil Wainwright who was carrying a calf strain as was Paul Arnison who returned to the side at right-back.
The two-goal cushion meant victory looked assured and, with relegation rivals Newport and AFC Telford unable to win, the fight against the drop looked likely to continue.
But within two minutes of Rundle’s goal, Bath pulled one back through Alex Russell.
The ball fell kindly to him outside the penalty area and he connected well with a lob that drifted over Jordan Pickford’s head.
The goal rocked Darlington and invigorated Bath who sensed blood and they got it in the dying minutes.
Murray dribbled towards the back-peddling defence, cut inside from the left and delivered a low strike beyond Pickford to salvage a draw and sink Darlington.
That Murray celebrated the goal by running across with the width of the pitch to goad some home supporters appeared wholly unnecessary, and hardly the conduct expected of an experienced player.
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| Adam Rundle celebrates Darlo's second goal |
But his reaction was not among Darlington’s major concerns on a very sad day for the football club as they dropped into the Conference North for the first time in our history.
As is often the case with such results, everyone felt like we'd been beaten as we trooped along Newsham Road.
It was all a bit subdued on the way home and we just got stuck into our pastries and pondered the future games next season (including the lack of southern games).
We were back at King's Cross for a respectable time and we found the place was full of Liverpool fans celebrating their semi-final win over Everton. Thankfully there were none to be send around the Euston Tap when I got there.
I settled in for the rest of the night with some excellent beers - De Molen Vur &Vlam, Bristol dry-hopped Independence and,Californian, Summer Wine Teleporter and finally a collaboration from Steel City and Arbor Ales called DCLXVI which came in at 6.66%.
Also enjoying a few beers was the Masterchef 2011 winner - Tim - who used to work at the Tap. A little worse for wear on this occasion. He and the staff were enjoying grass-based liqueur cocktails with a half-piny lager chaser - very odd.
As I left I handed the remnants of our pies to the staff who were feeling a bit peckish. I headed off and caught one of the last tubes homeward. Unfortunately I slept beyond my stop and woke up at Barking with no further tubes running. Thankfully there was a bus outside to take me not far from my doorstep. Phew!
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