In the latest of our memories from the Farewell to Feethams book, Dave Barton recalls his time at Feethams

Darlington manager Billy Elliott signed Dave Barton originally on loan in February 1982, along with his Newcastle team mate Kevin Todd.

He stayed for just over a year, before an injury at Bristol City ended his professional career.

But he nearly didn’t stay at Feethams after his loan ended.

“We used to go into training and play table tennis or snooker,” says Dave. “I couldn’t understand that, so Kevin and I used to do our training in Newcastle, and join up with Darlington for matches.”

At the end of the 1982-83 season, Dave returned to Newcastle at the end of his loan, but was given a free by Magpies manager Arthur Cox.

“I was ready to go to Carlisle with Alan Shoulder, but Cyril Knowles, who had just taken over at Darlington, asked me to sign for them. He gave me a few minutes to think about it, and I signed the following day.”

As a centre half, Dave didn’t score many goals, but he scored a memorable goal at Chester in a 3-2 win on February 19, 1983 from 45 yards.

The Northern Echo reported: “Chester keeper Phil Harrington was totally bemused as the ball flew under the bar.”

The most unsettling trip to an away game for Dave was the journey to Plymouth for the 4^th round FA Cup tie in January 1984.

Because of the long distance involved and the importance of the game, Quakers decided to fly to Exeter, and then travel the remaining forty miles by bus.

But Dave wasn’t impressed by the trip. “We were travelling that slowly along the runway at Teesside Airport, that we were picking daffodils. It seemed to take ages to get there – we thought the pilot was following the M1.

“Before the trip back, me, Kevan Smith and Dave McLean all decided to have a few drinks, and when we were going home, I’m sure that Cyril Knowles said that we could have a couple of days off, which meant that we didn’t need to be in training until the Wednesday.

“So I told Fred Barber the same thing. Unfortunately, Cyril said Tuesday when all the lads, apart from me and Fred, turned up for training. We were both fined, and I paid Fred’s fine for getting him into trouble.”

Quakers lost that cup tie 2-1, the Pilgrims scoring a late goal.

“The ball must have bobbled half a dozen times before it went into the net, and seemed to bounce away from Fred Barber,” said Dave.

“The game seemed to be petering out for a draw. We took the lead and they equalised, but you sometimes you get the feeling that a game is going to be a draw. Unfortunately, we were wrong."

Dave was skipper of Cyril Knowles’ side in the 1983-84 season, the year before Quakers won promotion to the old Third Division.

“Cyril wore his heart on his sleeve,” says Dave.

“He used to go ballistic if we thought we were playing badly. There was no grey area with Cyril, because deep down he cared.

“I remember one day we played at Halifax, and we were the better side in the first half, even though it was goalless at half time.

“We walked into the dressing room, and Cyril told us all to sit down. He suddenly went crackers with us all, and I asked him if he’d been watching the same game.

“John Craggs was next to me, and I could feel his knee pressing against mine. Cyril just smiled, and John told me later that it was Cyril’s way of winding us up for the second half. It worked, because Alan Walsh scored twice.”

Dave was forced to retire from the professional game because of a knee injury, picked up in a 1-0 defeat at Bristol City on March 10^th, 1984