Darbury Rangers
| Full name | Darbury Rangers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 |
| Ground | Lofthouse Park, Darbury, England |
| Capacity | 56.000 (in 1984) |
| Manager | Ted Ingram (1985-86) |
| League | Premier League (1985-86) |
Darbury Rangers are a fictional football team in the Champ comic, which appeared in the Limp Along Leslie story in Wizard in the 1950s (as text story), Hotspur, Spike, and Buddy and also in the We are United strip (Champ, 1984-1986). Darbury Rangers is one of the most iconic fictional football clubs in history with a long presence. Darbury Rangers' nickname was The Rangers.
History
Darbury Rangers were founded in 1887 and are located in the fictional town of Darbury. They were a famous club where great player John Tomson played in the 1920s. However, John Tomson died in a car accident with his wife, while his son Leslie survived but with a leg injury. In 1951 (Wizard, text story) and young Leslie Tomson managed to get on Darbury Rangers B team and later with Ted Ingram as manager, became a key player for the first Team.
In the early 1950s Rangers’ inside-left Leslie Thomson became the club's captain. In 51/52 they were crashed out in the semifinals of the FA Cup in a great battle with Blackford Wanderers (Nick Smith, Arnold Tabbs). Darbury Rangers had the following line-up in 1952:
1. Irwin Blackwood;
2. Walter Wisden,
3. Wallen;
4. Tom Garbutt,
5. Monk,
6. Frankie Nicholson;
7. Pongo Tate,
8. Leslie Tomson ©,
9. Rusty Carter (youngest centre-forward in Div 1),
10. Eric Brownlee,
11. Clem Smith.
Manager: Dad Moss [1][2]
In 1953, 1954, and 1955 Rangers led by 1955 Leslie Thomson (who also earned caps with England) playing in the FA Cup final at Wembley. In the 1960s the story was reprinted by Wizard (as text story), then New Hotspur and in early 1980s with Buddy which published the initial 156 episodes of the strip.
In 1983 (a Spike story) Darbury won the FA Cup with Iron Barr in goal and Leslie up front as they beat Woxley United at Wembley (2-0) and also won the first division.
In April 1984, Spike was merged with Champ as the story of Iron Barr ended with Rangers crowned European champions, led by Leslie Thomson. Iron Barr was transferred to Riverton United and Darbury Rangers were relocated to the United universe for the following 84/85 season. Their match (Rangers vs United) on 13 October 1984 was described as the most attractive match of the season so far, and as a game that always draws a capacity crowd. Ted Ingram had remained as manager with a side that played attacking football and committed to going forward, in a squad that had legendary striker Leslie Thomson as its biggest star (Charlie Barr considered him then as the best player in Britain and the best gifted he ever played with). Also, right winger Paul Slade and striker Willy stood out for Rangers in 84/85.
In 1985 Riverton United were considering signing Rangers' biggest star, Leslie, but the club replied that he was not for sale, which made United sign Kevin Nicklish from Southpool. On 28 September 1985 they hosted United, having already scored 15 goals in the league with 13 coming from their front three: Leslie Tomson had scored 6 and the rest by Peter Murphy and Argentinian Diego McKenzie.
The club was part of the We are United story until 1986 when it finished. The club’s last manager in 1986 was still Ted Ingram.
Honours
Note that all records are fictional, as of the 1984/85 season as appeared on Champ.
League
- First Division: 6 titles
- 1892, 1901, 1926, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 [lower-alpha 1]
Cups
- FA Cup: 3
- 1922, 1937, 1969, 1983 [lower-alpha 2]
- League Cup: 1
- 1972
European
- European Cup: 1
- 1984 [lower-alpha 3]
Colours and kits
The club had red and black colours since its inception.
Rivalries
Matches against Riverton United drew large crowds with packed stadiums.
Stadium
Rangers played at Lofthouse Park of 56.000 capacity.
Supporters
Darbury Rangers supporters were known as very faithful.
Records
Note that all records are fictional, as of the 1983/84 season.
- Highest record fee paid: £900.000 for Trevor Robson in 1980
- Highest record fee received: £700.000 for Colin ? in 1979
Notable players
John Tomson- Clem Smith
- Pongo Tate
- Rusty Carter
- Leslie Tomson
- Charlie Iron Barr
- Trevor Robson
- Colin ?
Diego McKenzie- Peter Murphy
- Paul Slade
- Willy
Notable managers
- Dad Moss
- Ted Ingram
Sources
- United trophies on Talk In Archived 2024-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Limp Along Leslie
External links
- Champ forum
- British Comics
- Champ covers 1984-1986
- Buddy covers 1982-1983
- XI selection, exclusively from post-war Thomson text story papers
