Following the club’s worst ever start to a season the only way is up for Steve Staunton with Darlington bottom of League Two and aiming to avoid relegation to the Blue Square Premier. As Craig Stoddart discovers, history is not on Darlington’s side.

THE term ‘early days’ can still be applied, but Darlington already know they are in for a season-long relegation fight.

Following a lengthy period in administration, supporters feared the worst and are now left praying that new manager Steve Staunton can instigate a revival and lead Quakers away from the bottom of the table.

If in need of hope they could do worse than look to season 1970-71 and the achievements of Newport County.

They remain the only side to have managed what Darlington must do – avoid finishing in the bottom two despite having so few points at this stage.

The Welshmen suffered bankruptcy in 1989, a year after their 68-year stay in the Football League ended due to relegation, and the two decades since reforming have been spent in non- League.

Their biggest achievement came during a brief spell of relative success in the early 1980s, when they reached the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup, something they qualified for after winning the previous year’s Welsh Cup.

They are now playing in the Conference South.

If Darlington are to avoid relegation they must perform a repeat of the form that Newport produced in the last 34 games of 1970-71.

They had only one point from their first 12 games but fought back to finish 22nd – which is where, right now at least, Darlington would love to end the season.

Even the infamous Doncaster Rovers team of 1997-98, which featured a smattering of part-time hopefuls, had four points after 12 games. They ended the season bottom of the pile, rooted on 20 points.

Quakers are currently winless, seven points adrift at the bottom and nine points (plus a worse goal difference) away from the safety zone.

With 12 games gone, a quarter of the season, they have only two points and an almighty fight on their hands if they are to avoid a second relegation to the Blue Square Premier. Or the GM Vauxhall Conference as it was known when Darlington dropped in 1989.

That was when Brian Little was at the helm, appointed in the February but too late to save Quakers.

Twenty years on and chairman Raj Singh has acted quickly by bringing in Staunton – so at least he has plenty of time on his side to fight the drop.

To win the battle, Staunton’s side must repeat Newport’s achievement of 1970-71.

They avoided finishing in the bottom two despite being on less than three points after 12 games. No other team has managed such a feat in the Football League basement division since the introduction of Division Four in the late 1950s.

That came with the scrapping of regionalisation – the end of Divisions Three North and South – and since then only four other times has a team started as poorly as Darlington: Stockport, Southport, Barrow as well as Newport.

Like Quakers, by this stage, Stockport in the mid- 1960s and Southport ten years later had only drawn twice. Neither recovered and finished in the bottom two, something that today would lead to relegation.

However, Stockport and Southport escaped the drop thanks to re-election, a controversial system that offered a reprieve for those ending the campaign at the bottom of the pile.

Finishing in positions 21st to 24th used to mean applying for re-election to the League, a process Hartlepool became familiar with due to their record 14 applications, all successful.

Any aspiring non-league clubs were left seeking election.

Automatic relegation from Division Four was not introduced until 1986-87 with Lincoln City first to suffer without a reprieve while Newport were next to go 12 months later.

Darlington dropped into the Conference in May 1989 by when Newport had gone bust. They failed to finish their first season in the Conference, going out of business in February 1989 with debts of £330,000.

Previously, in season 70-71 they did at least recover from starting the season by losing 11 of their first 12 matches.

At this stage they had only one point but manager Billy Lucas steered Newport to the dizzy heights of 22nd, level on points with Hartlepool who ended in 23rd due to inferior goal average. Which is another football’s former quirks that has been replaced Although Newport had to apply for re-election, 33 votes proved enough to keep them in Division Four.

What about Barrow, the other team to have started the season as poorly as Darlington? They also began badly in 70-71 and possessed the same record as Quakers today.

However, the Cumbrians finished bottom and although they kept their place in the division, predictably thanks to reelection, they were not so fortunate a year later. This time they lost a second ballot with Hereford.

Newport may have long ago lost their Football League place, but they remain the only club to avoid finishing in the bottom two in the fourth tier of English football despite having so few points at this stage.

Darlington hope they become the second.