WELCOME FROM JON SADDINGTON

Welcome back to Blackwell Meadows for today's match against Bedford Town, as we look to continue our hugely positive start to 2026.

The lads have shown real belief and resilience in recent weeks. Even with the rain, the mud, and the challenges that come with winter football, there’s a growing sense of momentum - and your support has played a massive part in that.

Recent performances have shown a clear upward curve, and the lads' belief and togetherness are growing week by week. Since Oxford City away, we’ve had the upper hand in every match, and even in defeat to South Shields & Hereford we didn't look second best. 

We're currently ticking along at 1.6 points per game which should be sufficient to secure a coveted place in the playoffs (estimated 74 – 80 points).

The weather has done its best to derail us. Weeks of almost constant rain left the pitch heavy and unpayable. Thankfully the weather has turned a corner, giving the ground staff a fighting chance to prepare the pitch.  

On surfaces like this, it becomes less about pretty football and more about concentration, discipline, and winning second balls. The lads have had to adapt, and their work rate in those conditions has been a real positive.

It's been good to see important players returning from injury in recent weeks, including Jack Maskell and Scott Barrow. Having more bodies back in training and in the matchday squad has lifted the intensity and given Steve options he didn’t have earlier in the season. Competition for places is healthy, and you can see that in the way the group is approaching games. 

Your backing, especially on cold afternoons like today, genuinely makes a difference. Let's get behind the lads and make Blackwell Meadows a difficult place for the opposition to visit.

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

DFC FANS' FORUM – JANUARY 2026

The Club held a fans' forum at The Dolphin Centre on Wednesday 28th January, with Stuart Armstrong hosting and taking questions (both from fans in the room and submitted online prior to the forum) regarding both on and off the pitch issues for the panel of Steve Watson, Terry Mitchell, David Johnston, Chris Stockdale, Jonathan Jowett and Jon Saddington to answer.

For those who couldn’t make it in person, a summary transcript of the evening can be found here, as well as the 'live tweets' sent that evening on the DFCSG X/Twitter account (@DarloFSCG).

DFC FAN OWNERSHIP

As we approach 14 years as a fan-owned club, I'm delighted to announce that we now have more than 1,400 DFC Owners/DFCSG members – this is the most we have had since 2012. This means that a record number of DFC fans own more than 90% of our football club.

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 1,400+ 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 7th March, when we make the trip to Chester FC. The coach will depart from Park Place at 10.15am. The price for adult DFCSG members is £30 (£15 juniors) and adult non-members is £33 (£17 juniors).

Two weeks later, on Saturday 21st March, we travel to Peterborough Sports and again the coach will depart from Park Place at 10.15am. Again, the price for adult DFCSG members is £30 (£15 juniors) and adult non-members is £33 (£17 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.