Mid-Season Musings

As we pass the mid-way point of our first season in the Northern League, we are top of the table though we've played more games than Spennymoor. 

Defeats at the hands of Guisborough and Team Northumbria - games where we should have expected to have done much better - have meant that we're going to rely on Spennymoor to drop more points.

I think that everyone at the club can pat themselves on the back for progress so far on all fronts - things could have been a lot worse and it is heartening to see the great attendances we've had through the gates of Heritage Park.

Away fixtures have also seen Darlo fans travelling in numbers and having a really good time as they go back to their roots.

I'm sure those in charge at the club won't be complacent though - there is still a long way to go and plenty of games to be fitted into the fixture list. And of course the issue of how and when the club returns to Darlington remains a hot topic of debate.

On the negative side and from a personal perspective, I've not made it to as many matches as I would have  liked -  only three games so far compared to the sixteen I'd attended at the same point last season.

I'd intended to attend several more games but fixture rearrangements, the odd boycott and staying at home for building work meant it has been the poorest start for me for many a year.

What is more surprising though is that I haven't really missed attending games - I've certainly not missed having to travel to the north-east for each game, especially given the spate of postponements due to bad weather.

Now I'm sure the fact that we're doing pretty well in the league has had something to do with it but it is no coincidence that London is now brimming with excellent pubs and this has more than filled the gap left by the football.

I suspect that I will make more games in the second half of the season, especially those that will allow me to visit Newcastle as the pre-match drinking choice there is so much better than the likes of Shildon and West Auckland.