Twenty-five minutes in and Darlington were the better team. Half an hour of football later and they were six-nil behind. Sometimes the FA Cup is merciless.
This is a moment where not having your own supporters in the ground must be especially tough. It’s been an excellent cup run for Darlington but the extent of this defeat inevitably takes the shine off. Football fans are a resolutely loyal tribe. A long way from home and with no chance of victory, the reassurance of passionate support from the away end tells the players that, no matter the score, they’ve not let anyone down. In an empty stadium, the distance and disconnect is striking.
I joined Darlington with their 6-1 win over Tadcaster. I left them with an even more emphatic defeat. For context, this is the first time since the 1957/1958 season that Darlington have won four matches in an FA Cup run. Last year’s three wins hadn’t been achieved since 1989.
For Bristol Rovers it’s a second year in a row their name has been in the third round draw. Whilst they dispatched National League North opposition with ease, it’s what happens in the next month of League fixtures which really counts. Survival in League 1 clearly the priority for Paul Tisdale, but for what it’s worth, a decade ago when Rovers were beaten in the cup by Darlington they went down to League 2.
Darlington too have the reality of a league campaign which is yet to take off that now occupies the mind. At my introduction via Tadcaster, they were yet to win a match and it’s the FA Cup where positives have mostly been found. How a mixed season can be lit up by a headline-making victory such as at Swindon is one of sport’s great mysteries. It’s why the FA Cup continues to have meaning, relevance and importance, and why tomorrow’s third round draw has a primetime, evening spot on national TV.
Glory Hunting 