Getting Shirty 1997-98

By Ray Simpson

Getting Shirty 1997-98

A look back at 90s shirts

We continue our look back at 90s shirts with Craig Stoddart, and today he features the 1997-98 version.

1966 was a great year for English football and we all know why –Darlington won promotion from Division Four. They did so wearing a distinctive kit, fondly remembered and used as inspiration in 1997-98.

Its narrow black hoops evoke fond memories of club legends such as Ron Greener, John Peverell, Ray Yeoman who had achieved promotion the same year that the second most significant sporting achievement was England's win World Cup final win over West Germany at Wembley.

But in this 1997 revamp there was one less hoop than in the original version. Legend has it that Adidas put a block on Darlington using three stripes in 97-98 when, unlike the ’66 team, Quakers did not trouble the promotion places.

Austrian striker Mario Dorner joined during this campaign, scoring his first goal in a 4-3 win over Hull in October, but David Hodgson’s first full season at the helm saw Darlington finish the campaign in 19th.

Mario Dorner

Darlington did, however, reach the third round of the FA Cup where they faced Wolves in front of 5,000 at Feethams, which was undergoing a revamp. Construction of a new East Stand meant players and officials had to use temporary portable buildings which were bright orange and were quickly nicknamed the ‘Olympic Village’.

The new stand opened in time for the following season when there also a new kit, meaning the recreation of the ’66 strip lasted only one campaign.

PICTURED: Mario Dorner on the run during a 3-2 home win over Exeter in January 1998, the day when he scored the sixth of his ten league goals in 1997-98.