Friar Lane Old Boys
05 Aug 2010

Friar Lane Baptist Church – Boys Club – Old Boys

The earliest date we have so far in our history is 16th May 1911, when at an Annual General Meeting of the Leicestershire and District Mutual S.S. Football League and members of Friar Lane Baptist Church, (Belvoir Street) held at The Highcross Coffee House, High Street, Leicester we were accepted as members of the League as Friar Lane Baptist Church. And so in the following Season 1912-1913 we played in Division 6 of the Leicester and District S.S. Football League and won the Division losing two games. We played another Season finishing 2nd in Division 4 then there was a gap of 10 years due mainly to the First World War and no information until 1924 when it appears we were reformed again as Friar Lane Baptist Church, and played our home fixtures at Wards Farm, Sanvey Lane, Aylestone. Sadly we only lasted 3 Seasons and we did not re-form until 1951 as Friar Lane Boys Club and played our home games on Middleton Street, we changed or name to Friar Lane Old Boys in 1952, In 1961 we resigned from the Leicester Mutual League but we were reinstated in the same year thanks to the efforts of amongst others Edna and Ken Jewitt, sadly Edna is no longer with us but Ken is still giving us his 100% support as Club President which is very much appreciated.
We started in the Leicester Mutual League and by the 1965/66 Season both our 1st XI and our Reserves had won their Divisions, and by the end of the 1968/69 Season we had formed our A Team and between them they won 9 Mutual League Titles and 5 Cup Competitions
The Season 1969/70 saw our 1st XI promoted to the Leicestershire Senior League and in our 1st Season we were Division 2 Champions and the Battle of Britain and Rolleston Cup Winners, the following Season 1970/71 proved a tremendous success with our 1stXI winning the Division 1 Title and our Reserves and A Teams winning the Mutual League Divisions 1 & 4 respectively and our 1st XI retained the Battle of Britain Cup. The next 6 Seasons proved immensely successful with 8 League Titles and 19 Cup Competitions. In 1973/74 we reached the last 16 of the FA Amateur Cup bowing out to crack Isthmian League outfit Dulwich Hamlet.
1974/75 saw us reach the FA Vase Semi-Finals losing 3-1 over two legs to eventual winners Hoddesdon. In 1975/76 once again saw Friar Lane OB fall one hurdle short of their ultimate dream of a Wembley appearance when in another two-legged Semi-Final we lost 5-2 on aggregate to Stamford FC. Over the next decade or two we were unable to achieve those incredible heights set in the 1970’s, but we did manage Premier Division Runners up on 4 occasions 2 Reserve League Titles and 6 Cup Competitions, and fiercely maintained our place in the Premier Division.

Epworth FC
05 Aug 2010

Epworth FC
They have been traced back to 1931 where Epworth Hall played in the Leicester & District Sunday School League and played at Western Park but they only lasted 2 Seasons, then at an Autumn General Meeting held at Gateway School on Thursday 20th August 1970 Epworth Methodist FC were accepted into the Leicester & District Mutual Football League: starting life in Division 9 finishing 2nd in their first season and this led to promotion to Division 6 which they won.
Then in 1972 they dropped Methodist from their name to become Epworth FC winning 4 League Titles and finishing Runners up on a couple of occasions, during this period they were the First Team in Leicestershire to change their name to the name of our Club Sponsors (Manny Bernstein FC), unfortunately this only lasted 4 Seasons and we changed back to Epworth 82. Then in 1984/85 they were promoted to the Leicester & District Football League and in their 1st Season finished 4th in Division 1 and were beaten Finalists in the League Cup.
Over the next few Seasons they came close to folding due to lack of continuity of players and an inability to locate a ground. Then in 1991 they settled at Kings Drive Leicester Forest East, and this is where they formed their junior section Epworth Forest. By 2000/2001 the introduction of 5-6 players from the successful Under 18 side which had won Leicester Midweek Floodlit South Division the North v South play off and the Leicestershire & Rutland Youth Under 18 Invitation Cup beating Quorn Under 18 in the Final 3-1, we won the Leicester & District League Premier Division. The following Season they retained the League Title and won the Junior Cup beating Barwell Reserves 2-1 in the Final. Unable to achieve their dream of promotion to the Leicestershire Senior League they were of on their travels this time to the University Sports Ground Welford Road via Braunstone Lane and another Premier Division Title and at last promotion to the Senior League. 2002/03 saw them win the Division 1 Title by 16 points dropping only 6 points out of a possible 90 and scoring 140 goals in the process missing the League record by 1 goal, a record a record still held by Friar Lane Old Boys in 1969/70.