National League North club Darlington have issued another warning to their fans over misogynistic abuse..JPG)
Hereford at Darlington last season
It comes after they, and Scarborough, were slapped with £1,500 fines by the FA for sexist abuse aimed at an assistant referee, reducing her to tears.
Scarborough's home tie against Darlington, which the visitors won 5-2, on January 2 was marred by poor behaviour from supporters, with the game delayed by some 40 minutes as the assistant referee was targeted by the vile abuse.
The FA report after the match at the Flamingo Land Stadium said from around the third minute of the match, the female assistant referee was targeted with sexist verbal abuse from "multiple" Darlington fans.
Comments included “sl*g”, “grow a pair” and “can I have a sh*g", the report said. She later told the referee it was "relentless" and was crying.
Around the seventh minute, she called the referee Dean Watson to report the comments, including “get your t*ts out for the lads”.
Later, objects including pies and burgers were thrown onto the pitch, but the FA said it seemed an operational decision was made (based on police advice) by hosts Scarborough not to eject identified supporters due to "a perceived risk that it may inflame the situation".
The match was halted and, after supporters were ejected, it got back underway 40 minutes later, the report of the June 19 hearing said.
Both clubs now have action plans and have said they are committed to tackling the issue.
And ahead of their game against Blyth on Tuesday, Darlington told fans that they "strongly condemn any sort of discriminatory behaviour at our matches, both at home and away".
A spokesperson said: "We will not tolerate or condone racist, misogynist, sexist or any other form of discriminatory behaviour. The club will work to ensure that such behaviour is met with appropriate action in whatever context it occurs.
"We are sure that all of our fair-minded fans will support our stance, as we are trying to build a club that can proudly stand at the heart of our community.
"Incidents like the one at Scarborough in January which detracted from a great win on the field, do not help the reputation which we have painstakingly built as a fan-owned club over the last eleven years.
"We admitted a charge of misconduct from the FA, and were fined £1500, of which £500 was suspended. We were also instructed to implement an action plan, which included the appointment of two Supporter Liaison Officers.
"However, it is very clear that if there is a repetition of any type of abuse at one of our matches, we run the risk of being heavily punished.
"Discriminatory behaviour, unfortunately, is common in everyday life, but Darlington FC is absolutely determined that it will not be heard or seen at any of our matches whether it is directed at another spectator, player, volunteer, employee or match official."
The club said they will continue to work with organisations such as Her Game Too and Kick It Out to help us eradicate discrimination at their matches, and will also co-operate fully with any police investigation.