Darlington Football Club would like to announce that we have today appointed Steve Watson as our new manager.

Steve has a huge amount of managerial experience in this division, having managed York City and Chester, as well as Gateshead in the division above. He was on the brink of promotion with York three seasons ago until Covid intervened. He has also coached at Birmingham City and Macclesfield.

Since he left Chester in April 2022, he has been coaching at Newcastle United’s Academy.

As a player, he made 557 appearances, scoring 38 goals, for Newcastle United, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. He played for Newcastle in the Champions League, Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup, as well as the Premier League.

Steve has signed a contract for the rest of the season.  You can watch an interview with Steve here:

Darlington chief executive officer David Johnston said; “It’s been a very difficult week for the club, and we’re now proud to announce Steve as our new manager.

“Steve has worked for clubs in this league and has a proven track record. He understands what this league is all about and what needs to be done.”

We are sure that everyone at Darlington Football Club would like to welcome Steve to the club.

The club would also like to confirm that Danny Rose that has left the club. We would like to thank Danny for his service as a coach and a player over the last three seasons, and wish him well for the future.