Horden Colliery Welfare
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| Full name | Darlington 1883 Reserves |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Quakers |
| Founded | 1908 (As Horden Colliery Welfare) |
| Ground | Eastbourne Sports Complex, Darlington |
| Chairman | Norman Stephens |
| Manager | Mark Fanning |
| League | Wearside League |
| 2016–17 | Wearside League, 11th of 20 |
Darlington 1883 Reserves formerly known as Horden Colliery Welfare Association Football Club is a football club based in Darlington, in County Durham, England. The club was formed in 1908 and joined the North Eastern League in 1935, reaching the second round of the FA Cup in the 1938–39 season. They are currently members of the Wearside League and play at Eastbourne Sports Complex in Darlington
From 1975 until 2013, they were members of the Northern League, but were relegated to the Wearside league at the end of the 2012–13 season. Horden finished second in the Northern League Division One in 1980 and 1983 and in 1984 beat Blyth Spartans in the League Cup final under former Middlesbrough coach John Coddington.
There is a great FA cup tradition at Welfare Park, a run to the second round in 1938–1939 when they lost 3–2 at home to Newport County, and five more first round appearances. All brought narrow defeats against Southport F.C. (1948, 1–2), Accrington Stanley (1952, 1–2), Wrexham F.C. (1953, 0–1), Scunthorpe United (1954, 0–1) and Blackpool F.C. (1981, 0–1). In 1985 Horden CW faced the biggest challenge of their history when the club was relegated and around the same time Horden Colliery closed. The impact of the pit closure on the community and the loss of the clubs main sponsor meant that Horden CW found life a struggle, but in the late 1990s under the management of Peter Todd and later Kevin Taylor things started to look up.
Famous players with Horden connections include Bolton Wanderers striker Bob Taylor, Stan Anderson, the only man to captain each of the North-East's big three. Colin Bell (Man City and England), Tommy Garrett (Blackpool), Ritchie Norman (Leicester City) and Mick Fento (York City).
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