LOSING to Leek Town is still regarded as an ‘if only’ moment for Darlington supporters old enough to remember what was a bitterly disappointing defeat. It was in March 1990, the quarter-final of the FA Trophy, with Brian Little’s Quakers expected to progress past a team from a lower division, yet they suffered a shock 1-0 loss and the road to Wembley came to an abrupt halt. The missed opportunity rankles still, and Saturday’s defeat to Hornchurch will be filed in the same category, forever a source of regret. The difference in 1989-90 was that Quakers quickly healed those wounds by going on to win the much more significant Conference title, whereas in 2021 the Trophy was all Alun Armstrong’s team had to play for.