Hartlepool v Darlington

Hartlepool are now effectively without rivals after the original Darlington FC were wound up following relegation from the Conference. The new club, forced to play in the Northern League (a full seven divisions below Pools League One), and their fans no doubt harbour the same kind of animosity towards us. But if they don't make a swift return to the Football League then it'll be one of those forgotten rivalries, as the younger generation come through unknowing - I mean how many kids at Stoke City realise Port Vale are supposed to be their rivals, not West Brom or Wolves?

Its mad to think that when I started supporting Pools in the 90s, Darlo always seemed to have the upper hand. Not so much in results against us, we seemed to do better there as form went out of the window, but in league standing - they could have relegated us in the derby at Feethams in 1997 had it not been for a fortuitous and priceless 2-1 winner by Pools legend Joe Allon  They seemed to attract better players too, as in 1997/98 I remember grudgingly looking at their fancy dan international players in their line up - Austrians Duo Mario Dorner and Franz Resch and Canadian Jason De Vos, all capped by their nation. How were capped players allowed to join Darlo in the old division three? I couldn't get my head round it.

Then a few years later Darlo were going places with the squad most division two teams would have been envious of. Led by Premiership loanee Craig Russell and poacher Marco Gabbiadini the Quakers shot up the league and were much fancied when they made the playoff final (beating Pools in the semis). Their fans at Wembley singing 'Are you watching Hartlepool?'. Yes we were. And were having a good chuckle when Peterborough won.

The wheels fell off after that. That squad was disbanded as chairman Reynolds put his money into the new stadium, not players wages. I strongly believe if his policy was the opposite then Darlo would probably be an established Championship team now, such was the momentum behind that squad. The stadium should have come then and could have filled it with new fans from the large catchment area of south Co Durham and North Yorkshire. But they wouldn't come to watch Third Division football. And they didn't.

In later years it was Pools who were going places. Either in League One above Darlo or top of League Two while they struggled. The last league meeting at Darlo in 2007 resulted in a thumping 3-0 rout for Pools, including the best goal ever seen by Eifion Williams. Bar a League cup clash the following year at the Vic (3-1 to United) that's it for meetings between the two clubs.

Darlo went out of the league and had to do all they could to stay afloat - I remember reading an offer where if you bought an executive box for a season, your company name was put into a hat to become the shirt sponsors. I thought at the time is it worth my life savings to watch my rivals play with my company name of 'Darlo R Shit' plastered on their shirts?

New owners came and went, but with constant trouble on and off the field, with one common denominator - a vast money sapping half empty stadium. Except the highlight of the FA Trophy win in 2011 the club hit the ultimate low when it folded a year later, being forced to set up as new club, thus condemning themselves to being relegated further down the pyramid. They reformed as Darlo 1883 and sensibly elected to move away from Darlington, groundsharing at Bishop Auckland for now, but with a target of trying to move back to Feethams.

It's a strange feeling I have. Used to have a seething hatred of Darlo, but now it's impossible to summon up that kind of bile for both a new club and a non league one at that. They're enjoying life again - playing good football with a decent squad of ex pros for that level, getting a good gate every game and are currently unbeaten this season. I actually want my ex rivals, whom I once had such an irrational hatred of, to do well. And the painful thing is it doesn't pain me to say it.