It would be impossible to do an extensive review of the
football season. But I have the pleasure of following three clubs in vastly
different situations, with different expectations for the season and in very
different places in the English football pyramid. Sunderland A.F.C. is in its
sixth consecutive season in the Premier League, their longest spell in the top
flight since first being relegated from Division One in 1957-8. York City F.C.
will be playing in Football League Two, after promotion last season through the
play-offs in the Conference Premier, their first season in the Football League
since 2003-04 when 75 years of membership came to an end. Darlington 1883 is
the continuation of the traditions of Darlington F.C. and will play in the
Northern League, the ninth step on the English football ladder. Darlington was
demoted four divisions after the last campaign because it was considered to be
a ‘new’ club by the Football Association (for a similar, more high-profile
case, see Glasgow Rangers). In this article I will preview these three clubs
with their different hopes and prospects for the season.
Darlington F.C.
With Darlington’s financial problems last season, football
itself took a backseat. The club almost went out of business, with the
administrator having announced to the players that it was to be liquidated when
at the last minute extra money became available. The club has survived thanks
to efforts of a dedicated few, such as administrator Harvey Madden, former
manager Craig Liddle and chairman of DFC1883 Denis Pinnegar. This year is the
club’s chance to start from scratch. They are no longer tied down to the white
elephant that is the Darlington Arena, built by former chairman and former
safe-cracker George Reynolds as nothing more than a status symbol for his own
ego. Instead they will ground-share with Bishop Auckland at Heritage Park. It
will be a long and hard road back to where the club belongs, in the Football
League. That target is five promotions away. But if it can be achieved it will
be one of the greatest fairy-tales in English football.
Darlington is my home town team and I have followed them
closely since 1998. My greatest memories of the Quakers were the teams of the
late 90s when Marco Gabbiadini was banging in goals for fun and, but for a late
season slump, Darlo would have won automatic promotion into what was then
Division Two. As it was, the team fell to a play-off final defeat to
Peterborough united. That Peterborough now plies its trade in the Championship
shows just how pivotal a day that may have been for both clubs.
It must still be taken one season at a time. The Northern
League is one of the strongest at that level of football in the country. Its
clubs have had significant and consistent success in the FA Vase, a competition
(to rub salt in the wound of a four-league demotion) Darlington has been
excluded from this season. But Darlington has gone about assembling a strong
team of established northern League players. The team has performed
exceptionally well in pre-season, with goals aplenty from across the team, Sean
Reay being particularly prolific. Darlington immediately becomes the big name
of the Northern League. The club has struggled with fluctuating support over
the years but it will certainly be the best supported club in the division by
far. These do not guarantee success, but they do help. Under the guidance of
new manager Martin Gray, Darlington 1883 is ready to take the first step back
towards what the club once took for granted: its place in the Football League.
York City F.C.
While Darlington are rebuilding, York City will look to
re-establish themselves as a Football League club. Last season was my first
following York, having begun studying at the city’s university two years ago. I
attended many of the games and I am a season-ticket holder for the coming year.
It was a great year to become a York supporter as the club had significant
success in league and cup. A consistent league season saw the club end up 4th
in the Conference Premier, good enough to earn a play-off spot. The team booked
two trips to Wembley in consecutive weekends. The first saw them triumph 2-0
over Newport County in the FA Trophy. However they will not defend that crown
this season after they won once again to earn promotion eight days later, 2-1
in the play-off final against Luton Town. It is difficult to know what to
expect from York this year. Many teams promoted from the Conference go on to
finish highly in their first League Two campaign, and promotion is not
unprecedented. City’s best chance is to try and recreate the free flowing
football which saw them challenge at the very top of the table earlier in the
season, before they receded into a more direct approach as the season went on.
Importantly for City, they have made a number of good
signings whilst keeping together the majority of the team which won promotion.
Jason Walker is a proven goal-scorer, who should be back to his best after an
injury last season, after which he struggled to recreate his early season form.
Matty Blair and Scott Kerr looked a class apart in the Conference at times last
year. Blair is a lively winger who can be found on either side of the pitch,
with a knack for scoring important goals, notably the winner in the FA Trophy
final, and the winners in both the semi-final second leg and final of the
play-offs. Kerr was absent in those games after a season-ending injury, but
prior to that was a quality central midfield player blessed with an eye for a
pass and a creative spark. With the core of the team back for another year,
City will be happy to consolidate this time around. Anything more would be a
bonus, but it’s not out of reach for York City to challenge for a high finish
this year.
Sunderland A.F.C.
The third club I will be following this season will be
Sunderland. I have been a Sunderland fan since I was introduced to the club by
my father in 1999. That was an historic season for the club as it won promotion
to the Premier League with a then record amount of points. In my years, I have
seen more than my fair share of triumph and disappointment. But Sunderland fans
enter this season with a rare mix of emotions. The replacement of the frankly
hapless Steve Bruce with Martin O’Neill, who transformed the club into one of
the most formidable in the league last season almost overnight, has created
both hope and expectation. O’Neill has a proved track record and is the kind of
man manager that has benefited youngsters like the excellent Jack Colback, and
loose cannons like Lee Cattermole.
But with the season beginning this week, there is still a
lot to be determined about Sunderland’s team for 2012/3. There have been no
major additions to the squad, and the team is two strikers short of where it
would hope to be. The pursuit of Steven Fletcher from Wolves has been a long
and, as yet, unresolved one. His arrival at Sunderland has seemed inevitable
all summer but as the start of the season closes in, neither Fletcher nor any
other forward has been signed. Sunderland has a strong and experienced defence
and a lot of good options in midfield, but at least one new striker is needed.
Football is a game about scoring goals and at the moment it’s not certain where
Sunderland’s goals will come from. Stephane Sessegnon is a class apart in the
side, one of the better creative players in the league, but not a prolific
goal-scorer. If O’Neill can successfully address this deficit then Sunderland
should be able to make the step up and challenge for Europe. Should it go
unresolved, and it will be a case of looking down instead of up. This is
something every Sunderland fan has experienced many times before, but not one
they would like to encounter. The weeks before 1 September, when the transfer
window closes, will be the most important for the Black Cats this season.
The football season is always a stressful experience, but it
is not one any fan would trade in for anything else. This year I have the
pleasure of following three great football clubs in very different situations.
No doubt all three will have their ups and downs, but here’s hoping it will be
one to remember (for the right reasons) for them all.
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