STOCKTON TOWN VS DARLINGTON FC PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Pre-Season Friendly
DATE: Saturday 19th July, 2025
KICK-OFF: 3:00pm
ENTRY: £7 Adults, £4 concessions & U18s, £3 U11s
GROUND: MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
UPDATES: @stockton_townfc Twitter/X
Stockton Town face a big Pre-Season test when they host Darlington at the MAP Group UK Stadium.
The Anchors have been without a game for over a week following their 5-0 win at Billingham Town last Friday night.
Stockton Town and Darlington previously met in the Durham Challenge Cup back in late 2018 but at that time there were three leagues between the sides.
The two Purewal brothers, along with Stephen Thompson, are set to face their former side. The trio all enjoyed successful spells with the Quakers, particularly during their time as an NPL side.
THE OPPOSITION
After completing the ‘Great Escape’ in the 2023-24 season, manager Steve Watson guided Darlington to an 11th-place finish in his first full season in charge.
So far this summer they have added full-back Josh Scott from Queen’s Park. Will McGowan became a permanent addition after spending last season on loan. Striker Aidan Rutledge has bolstered the forward line by joining on loan from Gateshead.
The Quakers have won both of their pre-season outings. Last Saturday they won 2-1 at Blyth Spartans, and followed it up with a 2-1 win over Sunderland U21 with Jack Maskell scoring the winner.
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Ahead of the game, Michael Dunwell said:
“Tomorrow marks about the halfway point of pre-season, so facing Darlington will be a good test to see where we are fitness-wise.”
“The squad will mainly consist of first-team players as we look to get more minutes into their legs.”
“Like most teams at our level right now, we’ve got a few away and a couple carrying knocks — but it’s all about preparation and building good habits for August 9th.”
