A.F.C. Darwen

The FC Darwen ( officially: Darwen Football Club ) is an English football club from the north-west - in the county of Lancashire - Darwen town. The club was founded in 1870 and played at the end of the 19th century in the then highest English league, but is now found only in the lower class amateur leagues.

The club was originally founded as football and cricket club played from 1875 according to the official soccer rules of the Association "FA" and was in 1879 in the midst of a serious controversy in a game of the FA Cup as he derived with the use of two of Glasgow Scots Fergie Suter and Jimmy Love the strict amateur Code injured (and therefore votes against provoked, who denied the teams that are not exclusively made amateur players, the right to attend the cup competition ). Ultimately, the excitement could also be eliminated and the FC Darwen traveled a total of three times for the quarter-finals to London to compete in the "Oval" Stadium against the then exceptionally good amateur team in the Old Etonians. After two games without a winner - a 5:5 followed by 2:2 - lost of Darwen FC in the second replay with 2:6. In the subsequent year, the rule was changed so that the last three rounds of the FA Cup were played in London, as the clubs from the north of England had successfully resisted the supposed distortion of competition due to the long travel times. In addition, the competition now took place in regional groups in the input rounds. The club reached the 1881 FA Cup semi-final and lost there with 1:4 against the Old Carthusians.

Between 1891 and 1899 graduated from the FC Darwen eight seasons in the English professional league " Football League" and was the two-year first-class and played six more years in the Second Division second-rate. In the 1898/99 season the club adopted in his final season as a professional after a series of 18 defeats, which is a negative record to this day ( only the Sunderland had almost set in 2003, the record than just from a 2 :0 win over Preston North End at Deepdale stadium could be prevented ).

Even to this day the 0:12 - away defeat of FC Darwen at West Bromwich Albion from the 1891/92 season, the worst defeat in the history of English Erstligafußballs. It is believed also that the club is the first of its kind that has used artificial floodlit and had professional soccer player in his own ranks.

After the turn of the century, the club disappeared more and more in the lowlands of English football. After winning the championship in the "Lancashire League " in 1902, only the two consecutive title wins in the "Lancashire Combination" in the years 1931 and 1932 mentioned. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the club reached the 1946/47 season, the fourth round, where they lost the home game against Lancaster City with 2:5. Today the club plays in the ' North West Counties Football League Division Two, "which means that the FC Darwen is only zehntklassig.

Known player

Football League First Division Old Etonians F.C. Football League Second Division Preston North End F.C. Floodlight
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