When Craig Liddle's handwritten notes for this afternoon's programme arrived at the printers they were barely legible.

Smudged and stained, they appeared to have had something spilt on them.

It later transpired that it was not only the memories that came flooding back.

As the dependable former defender came to pen a few words of thanks, as well as recall the good times (and bad), a tear or two fell, leaving his notes in a right old mess.

He will probably not appreciate that tale leaking out but nobody can blame him.

Sitting 11th in the club's all-time appeance list (322), dependable and determined in every one of them, Liddle's name will live in the hearts of Darlington supporters who have had the privilege of seeing him perform for the club since he signed in 1998.

There are plenty of badge-kissing footballers who would jump at the chance of a transfer if a pay rise was mentioned but despite several good offers, Liddle never wanted to leave Darlington.

It's that loyalty, especially in times of adversity, which helped form a strong bond with the supporters.

Today marks the end of seven-and-a-half years at Darlington and while fans are sad to see him go, the feeling is mutual.

Through thick and thin, mostly the latter, Liddle has stood by the supporters and the club but injury has taken its toll and without the offer of a coaching role, it is time to say goodbye.

After over 300 matches in Quakers' black and white, for the first time since the days of Jamie Speare, Lee Brydon, Carl Shutt and the like, Liddle will not be leading from the back.

"I am very upset to be leaving," said Liddle, who has lined up a coaching role at Sunderland's Academy.

"I had another year left on my playing contract but I have had to stop playing because the injuries have piled up.

"I've got young kids so I've got to think about my future and my family. But if I could play on I would because I don't want to go.

"I always thought I'd be here a bit longer but it is out of my hands and it is time to move on.

"I have many happy memories and it's been a pleasure to play and captain the side so many times.

"I was fortunate to have a special relationship with the fans over the years. I want to thank them for their support.''

His career began at Aston Villa, where he cleaned the boots of ex-Hartlepool boss Neale Cooper and played in the same reserve side as David Platt, but he never made the breakthrough and ended up at Blyth Spartans before Bryan Robson plucked him out of non-league at the age of 22.

Never a first-team regular - although he says he always played around Christmas "when the big names couldn't be bothered" - his appearances were limited to 34 across four seasons before a loan spell to Quakers in February 98.

His first game was not promising. He readily admits that a permanent move from the Premiership wasn't his aim, certainly after losing 4-0 at Mansfield on his debut.

Not that he was too downhearted to be joining Quakers, but at the time they were struggling in Division Three, had a three-sided ground and the players changed in a Lego-like maze of bright orange temporary buildings.

It could all have been so different had he stuck to his original plan and joined a club higher up the league.

"I just thought it was too far to drop down, to go from the Premier League to the bottom half of the Third Division. At the time I was thinking about trying to get a move to a club in the First Division," he said.

The persuasive powers of David Hodgson saw Liddle join permanently in the summer of '98 and a year later George Reynolds arrived to take Quakers to the Premiership "in five years". His promises never materialised but 1999/00 proved to be the most successful of Liddle's career.

With a quality squad, Darlington were favourites for promotion but in the final weeks managed to throw away the last remaining promotion place and instead found themselves in the play-offs, where they met fierce rivals Hartlepool, against whom Liddle enjoyed his finest hour.

His 35th-minute header could hardly have come on a bigger occasion.

It was the goal every Darlington fan dreams of scoring: in the play-offs, against Hartlepool, at Hartlepool, to put Quakers 1-0 up.

It was as important a goal as a Darlington player could ever score so it was quite fitting that the fans' favourite claimed the strike. That game, and the two matches which followed, were his career highs.

He said: "The two play-off semi-finals against Hartlepool are my joint favourite games along with the final against Peterborough because even though the result didn't go our way it was still special to play at Wembley.

"All three were massive, so the players could feel the tension, but the atmosphere was unbelievable and that helped calm your nerves.

"I used to go and watch Newcastle against Sunderland and being from the area I knew how important the Hartlepool games were to the fans and so they meant just as much to me.

"We had a good first half of the 1999/00 season and had we been left to get on with it I'm sure Darlington would have gone on to bigger and better things."

Of course, Darlington reached Wembley after winning the second leg four days later at Feethams and three years after that was the ground's last derby game - it ended 2-2 and, typically, Liddle got the final goal.

For the purposes of a BBC television interview Liddle this week returned to Feethams, the site of so many fond memories that now resembles a wasteland rather than a football ground.

Just over two years since the final match was played the East Stand has been vandalised beyond comprehension - almost every ceiling, interior wall and window has been smashed - and the only prominent force on the pitch these days are clumps of thistles.

After surveying the wrecked and miserable former stadium, Darlington's home for 120 years, Liddle admitted to almost being in tears - again.

He said: "Feethams was the scene of so many great matches and holds a lot of memories.

"The new ground is not the same. Though not the fault of the fans, the atmosphere is not the same, but what can you expect with it being so big?

"It certainly brought a tear to the eye seeing the old place in such a state. What a waste."

With consistently good form and behind-the-scenes troubles seemingly going hand-in-hand, a transfer up the leagues was often mooted during his time at Darlington and now that his playing days are past, Liddle is happy to lift the lid.

"I came close to leaving more than once," he admits. "If the fans hadn't shown the support they did during the home game against Plymouth at the end of the 2002/03 season I probably would have left because the then chairman had made it pretty clear he wanted me out.

"In 2000 I spoke with Barnsley and in the same summer I spoke with Sheffield Wednesday. A year later there were talks with Port Vale, Stoke and I met with Jan Molby when he was manager at Hull City."

He also says Hartlepool twice made an approach but explained: "I never left because of two reasons; I had always been led to believe there would be coaching role for me at Darlington and the relationship I had with the supporters."

Liddle's stubbornness in battles against injury also impressed, especially when playing when he should not have done.

Last season he made only 22 appearances and his only other spell on the sidelines of note came in 2001/02 when he spent three months in the treatment room after breaking his ankle against Hull City - and continued playing for the remaining hour.

Call it bravery, call it stupidity, but whatever it was that kind of selfless commitment is always going to endear a footballer to his fans and the incident remains a lasting memory.

Those that have regularly watched Liddle play with unmatched dedication for Darlington over the last seven-and-a-half years all have plenty of their own treasured memories.

But today is the end of an era and because of that Liddle deserves to be repaid this afternoon when, hopefully, a large crowd turns out for his testimonial game against his former club. If ever a player deserved recognition, it is him.

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