WELCOME FROM JON SADDINGTON

Welcome to our first home game of 2026 and, as always, thanks you for your continued support. Over the Christmas period we picked up one win, one draw and one defeat which pretty much sums up life in National League North - competitive, unpredictable and never easy.

Crucially, we weren't outperformed, even against a very strong South Shields, and the lads showed real togetherness during a busy run of fixtures. We’re currently in 7th place on 36 points, which is a solid platform to build from as we head towards the business end of the season.

Our aim between now and April is clear: we want to be pushing for a play-off position come the end of the campaign. It's an ambitious target, but one we believe is achievable if we keep working hard and maintaining the standards we've set. There’s still plenty of football to be played so avoiding further long-term injuries will be critical to our success.

Today we entertain Alfreton Town, who are usually tough opponents. The Reds are managed by former Derby Defender Jake Buxton, who replaced Billy Heath in October 2025.

It would be dangerous to pigeonhole Alfreton as a direct, long ball team. Alfreton have got some very good footballers, including Billy Fewster, Lewis Salmon and, and Adam Lund. Nathan Newall is also likely to feature for The Reds. Nathan played really well for Darlo whilst on loan from Sunderland a few seasons ago.  

At the time of writing, Alfreton occupy 22nd place and are unexpectedly fighting relegation. Quakers defeated Alfreton 3-0 at the Impact Arena back in August, with three second-half goals from Will Hatfield (two) and Ben Hedley. Alfreton's recent form has been better with one win and two draws in their last five league games.  

Finally, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to the supporters, players, and officials of Alfreton Town.

DFC FAN OWNERSHIP – TARGET 1,400+!

Darlington FC has been fan-owned since 2012 and owns a controlling stake in the club, ensuring that its strategic direction reflects the interests of the DFCSG membership. DFCSG members are the owners of DFC and we are looking for an increase in those numbers before the end of the season.

As we approach 14 years as a fan-owned club, YOURCLUB now has over 6,600 subscribers, with 1,350+ of those as DFC Owners/DFCSG members – the most we have had since 2012. This means that a record number of DFC fans own around 90% of our football club.

As the team on the pitch looks to maintain a play-off spot, our aim off the pitch is to get to 1,400+ DFC owners/DFCSG members before the end of the season.

As we already know only too well here at DFC; football clubs are for life, not just for business. And that isn’t just a slogan – this is genuinely a fan's club and we see more and more clubs around the world replicating our model. The more DFC owners/DFCSG members we have, the stronger our club becomes and the better we are on the pitch.

As such, for those who currently aren't a DFC owner/DFCSG member, we would love to encourage an upgrade in your fan experience by asking you to join us. For those who are, perhaps you can convince a family member or friend to join us?

For just £25 a year – or £2.09 a month – DFC owners/DFCSG members can get access to a whole range of exclusive 'Owner benefits'.

Sign up as a DFC owner/DFCSG member here and join 1,340+ other Darlo fans (and the likes of Ben Hedley, Gary Smith, David Hodgson, Peter Kirkham, Gavin Worboys, Paul Ward and Kasabian's Chris Edwards) in owning your club and having a say in how the club is run!

TRAVELLING AWAY ON THE SUPPORTERS’ COACH

Our next scheduled away trip is on Saturday 24th January, when we travel to Chorley FC. The coach will depart from Park Place at 11:15am. The price for adult DFCSG members is £25 (£13 juniors) and adult non-members is £28 (£14 juniors).

On the following Tuesday, 27th January, we travel to Worksop Town, which will be a new ground for many Darlington fans. The coach will depart from Park Place at 4pm. The price for adult DFCSG members is £25 (£13 juniors) and adult non-members is £28 (£14 juniors).

All bookings will need to be done via the DFC App (click on 'Shop'). We would urge supporters to remind themselves of our Conditions of Travel, particularly those under 18, at https://yourclub.darlingtonfc.co.uk/away-travel-conditions-of-travel.