''For the phoenix club, see

Darlaston Town (1874) F.C. Darlaston Town (1874) Football Club is an English association football club that represents the town of Darlaston, West Midlands. They are currently members of the and play at the Bentley Sports Pavilion, Darlaston in the Metropolitan Borough of ...

'' Darlaston Town F.C. was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in Darlaston,

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

Formed in 1874, Darlaston was one of the oldest non league clubs in the country. The team played their early football locally in the Wednesbury Junior League and Walsall & District League. In 1897–98 the Birmingham County Junior Cup was won 1–0 beating Hoobrook Olympic in the final. In the 1907–08 season Darlaston were members of the Birmingham Junior League which they won. The 1908–09 season saw Darlaston one of the founder members of the

Birmingham Combination The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The ...

, winning it in season 1910–11. In the 1911–12 season Darlaston were promoted to the senior Birmingham & District League. Darlaston remained members of the District League until the end of the 1927–28 season when they returned to the Birmingham Combination. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the Combination ceased to run but on the return to normal Combination Football in season 1945–46, Darlaston were Champions. Darlaston remained in the Birmingham Combination until the end of the 1953–54 season when the league folded. With other clubs they then moved to the reorganised Birmingham & District League playing in Division One North. The Birmingham & District League became the West Midlands (Regional) League in the 1962–63 season and Darlaston played in the Premier Division until 1981–82 when they were demoted. From the 1982–83 season they were members of Division One winning the division and promotion in 1989–90. The following season 1990–91 they finished 4th in the Premier Division. They also became the first side to win the Birmingham County FA Vase back to back in seasons 1990–91 and 1991–92. Darlaston FC added Town to its name at the beginning of the 1996–97 season. At the end of the 2001–02 season Darlaston were relegated to Division One after finishing 19th out of 24 clubs. In 2007 Darlaston gained promotion back to the Premier Division. The club folded in 2013. A 'phoenix' club, named Darlaston Town (1874) now play in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.

Stadium

A grandstand was built at the club’s City Ground in 1903 and this marked the beginning of a fine run of form for the team. In March 2009 Darlaston's home stadium, the City Ground, was attacked by vandals, who damaged the pitch and floodlights.

Honours

*Birmingham County F.A Senior Cup **Winners – 1972–73 **Runners-up – 1938–39, 1973–74 *Birmingham County F.A Vase **Winners – 1990–91, 1991–92 *Birmingham County F.A Junior Cup **Winners – 1897–98 *Walsall & District League **Champions – 1903–04, 1905–06 **Runners-up – 1904–05, 1906–07 *

**Champions – 1907–08, 1910–11, 1945–46 *

West Midlands Regional League The West Midlands (Regional) League is an English association football competition for semi-professional and amateur teams based in the West Midlands county, Shropshire, Worcestershire, southern Staffordshire and northern Herefordshire. It has tw ...

Division 1 North' **Champions – 1989–90, 2006–07 *

Walsall Senior Cup The Walsall and District Football Association Senior Cup is an English football competition for clubs in and around Walsall, with the Final taking place at Walsall F.C.'s Bescot Stadium. The current holders are Chasetown, who won the 2013-14 compet ...

**Winners – 1907–08 *Wednesbury Charity Cup **Record 18 wins and 3 shared in 32 finals

References

{{Reflist, 30em Defunct football clubs in England Sport in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall Defunct football clubs in the West Midlands (county) 1874 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1874 2013 disestablishments in England Association football clubs disestablished in 2013 Birmingham Combination Staffordshire County League (South) West Midlands (Regional) League