Neil Wainwright admits he thought his time at Darlington was over.

Instead, he's part of the squad aiming for a Wembley final, as Craig Stoddart reports

EIGHT years after missing out on Darlington's play-offs and being forced to watch on television, Neil Wainwright will this evening be part of the Quakers squad that faces Rochdale.

But that is only after a remarkable upturn in his fortunes during the closing weeks of a season which has been the most turbulent of his career.

Crowned Player of the Year 12 months ago, today he faces the biggest game of his life. Such achievements are among his career highlights so, coming just a year apart, portray a purple patch for the Warrington-born winger.

However, they belie what has really happened this season to the club's current longestserving player.

Largely overlooked in favour of Julian Joachim, he was injured for nearly two months, shunted into the reserves and even left the club on loan - twice.

With his contract expiring at the end of this season, it's no surprise to hear that at one stage Wainwright believed he had pulled on a black and white shirt for the final time.

That's some turnaround for a player who walked away with three honours at last year's awards ceremony, which included an award for outstanding contribution to Darlington FC, and they are all on display in his Chester-le- Street home.

Well-liked by supporters, many of them hold fond memories of him scoring the final ever goal at Feethams in May 2003. He is also remembered for his electric displays during 1999/00 when Quakers last reached the play-offs which he missed out on due to his three-month loan from Sunderland expiring.

But he did enough in that 17-game spell to leave Darlington wanting more and he signed permanently for £50,000 in August 2001.

Commitmentfilled displays, a keen work ethic and some important goals in close to 300 appearances have made him a crowd favourite (he is also believed to have taken pay cuts to stay with the club).

But he's never been one of Dave Penney's favourites, which is why Wainwright's contribution this season has been limited from the first day of the season.

Two substitute appearances were as good as it got during the first two months so, tired of being used sparingly, he went on loan to Shrewsbury Town in October.

"I came back after the summer break, did pre-season and then for the first few games of the season I wasn't even in the squad,'' recalled Wainwright.

"Obviously it was disappointing, but I suppose these things happen.

"People were saying you'll be back', that sort of thing, which helps - especially when you're not in the team and you're thinking what's going on here?' "Before the Shrewsbury loan I'd said to the manager that I'd like to go out to get a few games, but it was never in my mind to leave permanently.

"I didn't want to leave at all, but I wanted to get some games to keep me fit. Reserve games aren't ideal, no matter how much you put into them it's not like playing on a Saturday."

Yet after only three appearances, injury brought a premature end to his Shrewsbury stay.

Back in the North-East and firmly back on the sidelines, Wainwright admitted: "To be honest, I thought I'd played my last game after I came back injured.

"I was out for about six weeks with a stomach strain and after that had healed I had fluid on my pubic bone.

"All I could do was rest which made it a frustrating injury because it meant I wasn't able to do any work.

"When I'd finally recovered it didn't really look good for me. I said to a few people at the time it looks as though I've played my last game for Darlington'."

His fears proved unfounded. After returning from Shrewsbury almost three months elapsed before his next Darlington appearance in February.

That came in the win at Notts County, by which stage Quakers were flying. Up to second in League Two with well over half the season gone, Darlington had been managing perfectly well without Wainwright.

Having endured some tough times while with Quakers, as well as twice agonisingly missing out on the play-offs with back-to-back eighth-place finishes, being on the periphery in this of all seasons seemed harsh.

Though used only as an 89thminute sub in that win at Notts County, it represented the beginning of six appearances in seven matches, a run which suggested he was back in favour.

In truth, however, his route back into the side had been due to team-mates' injuries and when players returned to fitness Wainwright was back out of the club and pitched into a relegation fight on loan with Mansfeld Town, though this time he did not instigate it as Stags boss Paul Holland was keen to add experience to his youthful squad.

Penney was happy to help.

Wainwright said: "I went to Mansfield when I was doing well.

I'd come off the bench quite a few times but then the opportunity to go out on loan to Mansfield came.

"The manager was happy to let me go so when that happens you know you're not in his immediate plans.

"I think one of the reasons he (Holland) wanted me there was my experience because there were a lot of young lads there and it was a quiet squad.

"It was a strange situation really. They used me as a striker, which isn't really my position. I know I've played there in the past, but we played a game at Bury and I played up front with Micky Boulding.

"All the balls were going in the air and I had 6ft 7" Ben Futcher marking me so it was a waste of time.

"When I signed I was thinking in the back of my mind that it could be a fairytale. I could help Mansfield stay up and then come back here and help Darlington get promoted in the play-offs.

"I knew it was unrealistic really."

Saving Mansfield from the drop certainly proved unrealistic as they were ultimately relegated, the trapdoor opening on the day Darlington managed to lose by throwing away a twogoal lead at home to lowly Dagenham.

Wainwright played that day as he'd been, remarkably, thrust back into first-team action due to a spate of injuries in Quakers' squad.

Shortly after moving to Mansfield, Penney's squad were hit by an injury crisis, with Joachim one of the many forwards affected, so Wainwright was recalled and is now an integral part of the squad.

In his first game back he played a part in Tommy Wright's equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Chesterfield, and also created Darlington's opener in last week's win at Peterborough.

Given his previous fringeplayer status, it is a remarkable turn of events and perhaps in keeping with his playing style, which could perhaps best be described as unpredictable.

Able to race past a defender and crossing for a team-mate, just as he did last week, he is, frustratingly, equally capable of beating a defender and then shanking a cross into the stand.

Perhaps that inconsistency is why Wainwright, now aged 30, has spent most of his career in the lower divisions, the bulk of it with Darlington.

"I've just passed 275 appearances, I think," he says.

The first of those came in the second half of 99/00 when he was cruelly denied the chance to feature in the end-of-season shake-up.

Eight years on and finally he will get his play-off opportunity, instead of watching it on television as he did when Darlington beat Hartlepool before losing at Wembley to Peterborough.

"I don't think anyone knew the rules properly at the time,"

he said. "I think David Hodgson thought he had me for the playoffs as well, but the loan ran out just before the last league game of the season.

"That meant I couldn't play in the play-offs, which was gutting for me. I watched it on the TV, which was difficult.

"In the last few years we've been close and kept just missing out. We probably should have got into the play-offs before now, but this year it's the least we have deserved.

"Everyone's looking forward to the game, winning last week was brilliant for confidence.

There was a big crowd at Peterborough and we spoilt their party.

"This is definitely the biggest game since I've been here.

"There's been a buzz in training.

"Last week we only had about 12 or 13 in training, this week everyone's been desperate to get back and I think we had 21 training.

"There have been big games in the past when we were fighting against relegation, but this is the type of game everyone wants to play in."

9:21am Saturday 10th May 2008

Print   Email this