Feethams was the home of Darlington for 120 years.
Feethams was a typical lower-league stadium, featuring mostly terracing and bench seating. The Tin Shed, was the popular place for the home fans to stand and sing, although it was the usual practice at Feethams to switch ends and stand behind whichever goal Darlington was attacking.
Some of this stand from Feethams made its way to the current Blackwell Meadows ground where it is still named the Tin Shed.
A nice modern-looking all-seater stand was to the left of the Tin Shed and at the opposite end was an open terrace. Opposite the main stand was a smaller stand that took up about one-third of the pitch’s length.
Behind the Tin Shed was the Darlington Cricket Club field and this is still in use today, sometimes used by Durham CCC. Fans may remember having to walk around this field to access parts of the football stadium.
The record attendance at Feethams was achieved on 12th March 1949. 17,978 spectators crammed in to watch visitors Hull City leave with a 0-1 victory.
The George Reynolds era is talked about in more depth in our ‘Hoppers Tales‘ article after our visit to Blackwell Meadows (the latest incarnation of Darlington‘s home grounds)
Suffice to say that George was a colourful character and his big dreams for Darlington, ultimately resulted in a downward spiral that took them from League Two to bankruptcy and the formation of a new club that currently plies its trade in the National League North (at time of writing, June 2022)
The final match to be played at Feethams resulted in a 2-2 comeback draw with Leyton Orient after the home side had found themselves 0-2 down.
Following an arson attack, Feethams was finally demolished in 2006.