The club is very sad to hear of the passing of long standing supporter, Chris Willsden.

Chris, who was 70, was a lifelong supporter of the Quakers, and even though he moved to Texas, remained a fervent supporter and formed a Darlington FC fan club in Bandera, which regularly sponsored our matches in some way.

Chris also backed many of our fundraising initiatives and keenly followed affairs off the field.

Darlington chief executive David Johnston said; “It was a great pleasure to have known Chris. Whenever I saw him at a game, we always had a catch up and I would keep him up to date. He was very supportive of what we are doing at the club.”

His long time friend John Tempest said; “I’ve known Chris since he ran the Bay Horse in Hurworth many years ago. He was a real dedicated fan who always came up with sales and sponsorship ideas at home and from afar in Texas.

“I drove him to the infamous Barrow game and he didn’t stop talking from picking him up to arriving at the game talking about ideas -- I was exhausted!!  Chris was also a regular at Darlington Rugby Club and introduced me to their Burns Suppers which were always good nights.

“Walking into a pub Chris would always know someone and he will be sadly missed by many, many people.”

Chris once provided his memories of the 2011 FA Trophy final, which he described as "the best day of my life."

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/chris-willsden-winning-at-wembley-was-the-best-day-of-my-life

Everybody at Darlington FC would like to express their sincere condolences to Chris’ family and friends.