Darlington 1 Doncaster Rovers 1, April 27, 1925 Crowned champions of Division Three (North).

IT may only have been a draw, but the point gave the Quakers an unassailable lead at the top of Division 3 (North) and for the only time in their 120-year history catapulted them to the dizzy heights of the Second Division.

In truth, although they finished five points clear, the Quakers limped over the finishing line, failing to win any of their last five matches.

Yet still it was one of the club's greatest triumphs - for 65 years, until Brian Little's team of the early 1990s, it was the only occasion on which Darlington finished a season on top of the table.

"It cannot be said that the honour is undeserved for Darlington have been one of the most consistent sides in the four years' existence of the Northern section," said The Northern Echo. "This season they have been a clever team in all departments, but they have had their 'off' days."

The star of the team assembled by manager Jack English was centre forward Davy Brown, who still holds the Third Division scoring record: 39 goals in 40 games.

Brown, born in Dundee, had won the Scottish League with Rangers before the First World War. After it he had played for Stoke City - babysitting for the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews.

He was going to hang up his boots aged 31 in 1923 and emigrate with eight of his wife's family to America. But the night before they were due to set sail, he announced to his unsuspecting wife that the new life was off because he had signed for £80 for Darlington.

In his first season, he scored 27 goals as the Quakers were unbeaten and finished sixth in the league. He opened his second season by scoring 26 times in the first 25 games, but then slowed as the Quakers wobbled nervously towards promotion.

That championship was clinched in the penultimate game of the season at Feethams.

"Sharing the points with Doncaster Rovers, Darlington made absolutely certain of promotion and delighted a crowd of over 7,000 - 6,855 paying for admission," reported the Echo.

The next season opened with 13,478 crammed into Feethams to see a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest, the point helping Quakers on the way to their highest finish: 15th in Division Two.

Brown took his tally to 74 goals in 97 league appearances for the club, but injuries took their toll and he retired at the end of the season.

Without the most prolific striker in their history, the following year the Quakers were relegated.

Darlington: JB Crumley, T Greaves, M Joyce, H Dickson, G Malcolm, BJH Burridge, M Hooper, FW Hooper, D Brown, G Stevens, T Winship.

Read more about the Quakers here.