Born in Wrexham, Darlington was an assistant manager at Cefn Druids and Airbus UK before joining The New Saints in May 2010.
[4][5] In November 2013, Darlington's team achieved a full calendar year of home victories in the league at their Park Hall venue; they scored 55 goals and conceded 3 in 14 games.
[2] Wilkin was sacked on 30 March 2015 after losing the FA Trophy final, with Darlington taking over at a team 15th in the Conference Premier.
[9] The following day, he drew 1–1 at home to higher-ranked Dover Athletic on his debut, while stating that he did not want the job permanently.
[10] After his eight-game spell saw the team rise in the table, he expressed shock at being released in May with a year left on his contract, as new manager Gary Mills wanted his own coaching staff.