Where in the World? Canada

By Ray Simpson

Where in the World? Canada

In the latest of our series, Dan Cowan Fleming writes from Toronto, Canada. Currently I am 22 y...

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In the latest of our series, Dan Cowan Fleming writes from Toronto, Canada.

 

Currently I am 22 years old, born in Darlington in 1993 and moved just a few hours away for Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 29th 2006. I went to my first Darlington game in the year 2001, it was against Mansfield Town and we lost 1-0 to a 79th minute Allen Tankard free kick.

Our team consisted of a few Darlo legends -- Craig Liddle, Maddo, Collett, Wainy, Ian Clark and Barry Conlon were our strikers I believe. After our first game, even though it was a 1-0 loss we attended virtually every home game and several away games (Carlisle numerous times, Grimsby, Boston, Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Rochdale) to name a few.

Feethams was a wonderful place and I will always remember that walk through the cricket complex up to the stadium, it had great atmosphere, especially the Tin Shed. I have some of the best memories I'll ever have with my father, we both shared huge passion for Darlo and became season ticket holders for our last three years in England.

So many amazing memories, I remember a 19yr old by the name of Mark Sheeran who made his debut with 18 minutes left (to replace Neil Wainwright) with Darlo down 2-1 to Luton Town in 2002 scored twice and had a hat trick clinching diving header disallowed for offside. Feethams was going insane, pretty sure Luton were top of the table at the time.  I was sure Mark Sheeran was gonna be the next Alan Shearer.

The next game I sat near the dugout with my dad and yelled at David Hodgson to bring on Mark Sheeran, until he turned around and said; "He's going on now"! He featured for us 30 times between 2002-2004 and scored only four more goals after his double on his debut.

I met the team once at a rest stop on the motorway, I won a game-worn (Darlo Cambridge 2002) signed Clark Keltie shirt , my dad made a huge flag maybe 10" x 10". We loved the club, we even got invited by the then owner to his seating area and had lunch with him and met the players for our last Darlo game we saw in England. (I saw one more game in 2009, a 3-1 win against Brentford) but yeah we lost that Game to Carlisle....5-0.

It broke my heart that we couldn't gain promotion and lost on penalties to Rochdale, but what hurt most was that I couldn't experience that 90th minute winner in the first leg at the Arena. Would have been awesome to see, but more so it hurt not to be there in 2011, Wembley was a dream for me, and I never got to experience it, so it makes me so happy to watch Darlington's climb back into the Football League, build it all back up and make it to Wembley for me so I can lose my voice and cry like a baby, just like I always envisaged.

Felt compelled to share this story for the nostalgia, I love this club, with all my heart and always will, I want to see them be great, I want to see them win, all the history behind this club, all the memories people must have of escaping their everyday routine to indulge in a game of football, for well over a century.. Bring it back. Stronger. I will always follow Darlington...always, (Ontario, Canada)

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