Darwen was established as a football and cricket club in Lancashire, and began to play by Association rules in 1875.  The club enjoyed a fierce rivalry with their neighbours Blackburn Rovers during those early years.. They caused controversy in the 1879 FA Cup with the selection of two Scottish players Fergus Suter and Jimmy Love from Glasgow with one London amateur club angrily demanding that "no side which does not consist entirely of amateurs, as defined by the rules to be drawn up by the committee, be entitled to compete in the Challenge Cup competition". The motion was defeated and Darwen travelled down to the Oval three times to play the great amateur side Old Etonians in the quarter-final, drawing 5-5 and 2-2 before losing 6-2 in the second replay.  They were a Football League club between the years 1891 and 1899, six seasons in the Second Division, and only two in the top flight. They are famous chiefly for having suffered 18 consecutive league defeats, during their last season as a league club in 1898-99.  The club then joined the Lancashire League.  Darwen remained a non-League side until 14 May 2009 when the club was wound up in the High Court ending their 134 year history. The club was succeeded by A F C Darwen which was formed in 2009.