Darlington Football Club may not be enjoying one of their best seasons, but they are top of the league when it comes to providing value for money.

A new survey reveals Darlington is the cheapest place to watch football in the entire country.

But just up the A66, supporters of Middlesbrough FC face having to pay, on average, the third highest prices for tickets in England.

These are just some of the findings in a new index of football costs compiled by England and Football League sponsors, the Nationwide Building Society.

From Bovril to burgers, and programmes to pints, the research tots up the prices of all the essential components of the beautiful game.

The results reveal big discrepancies between clubs, not just on ticket prices but on refreshments, programmes and fanzines.

Nationwide says that, without doubt, the best bargain in football is to be found at Division Three Darlington.

Ticket prices are just £6.50, fanzines are £1, you can buy a pint for £1.55 and a cup of tea for 90p.

With a total trip cost of £13.45, Darlington is almost £4 cheaper than its nearest rival, Brighton, and a whopping £27 cheaper than a trip to Arsenal, who are the most expensive team to watch in the country.

Darlington chairman George Reynolds, who has revealed that people will be able to buy two season tickets for the price of one during the first season in the club's new stadium, said he was pleased with the results,

"We have provided value for money since I took over the club and we want to continue making watching Darlington Football Club affordable for everybody," he pledged.

But Darlington do not take all the glory in the survey, because their arch-rivals Hartlepool also fair very well.

It costs just under £20 for a total trip to Victoria Park and, at £1.80, their programmes are the cheapest in the country.

Hartlepool United spokesman Paul Mullen said: "Football is very much a business and we want to make as much money as possible, but we still try to provide value for money for our fans."

The cheapest tickets in the Premiership can be bought at Leicester for an average £22.

By contrast, Middlesbrough, currently struggling at the bottom end of the league, have the third most expensive tickets at £27, according to Nationwide.

But cheaper refreshments and programmes keep them safely in mid-table when counting the full trip cost, which comes to £35.30.

Middlesbrough FC spokesman Dave Allan said: "Our average ticket cost is actually £20.50, so the survey is way off the mark in respect of this.

"We are very careful about our pricing structure to ensure we don't empty the pockets of our fans, because without them we would not make any progress."

The most expensive place to watch football in the North-East is Newcastle United, where the total trip cost is £35.90. Sunderland is the cheapest of the region's Premiership teams at £34.45