Friar Lane Old Boys football club members preparing to travel to Lincoln United for an FA Vase quarter-final in the 1974-75 season
The players featured in the photo are, from left, Alan Bennett, John Brett, Frank Welford, Derek Harris, Mick Hopkins, Gez Fitzpatrick, John Elliot, Steve Conway (partly hidden), Vic Mayes, Eric Moore, Bob Webb and Roger Cooper.
Friar Lane Old Boys were formed in the early 1900s from a Methodist Church in the City and were reorganised by Ken Jewitt ad member of a local club skittle team. The side competed in the Mutual League and in four seasons achieved the title of Division 1 champions. In 1969-70 season they were elected to Division 2 of the Leicestershire Senior League which they won at their first attempt. From starting off in a park they moved to their Knifton Lane East ground in 1971. The mid-1970s witnessed a golden era for Friar Lane Old Boys, a Leicestershire football club whose remarkable FA Vase runs captured the hearts of local fans. While the club dominated the Leicestershire Senior League, it was their consecutive semi-final appearances in the FA Vase, during the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons, that truly etched their name into non-league folklore.
The FA Vase, a relatively new competition established in the 1974-75 season, provided a national platform for clubs that had previously competed in the FA Amateur Cup. With the abolition of the distinction between amateur and professional status, a new landscape emerged, and Friar Lane Old Boys quickly adapted, showcasing their talent on the national stage.
1974-75: A Breakthrough Campaign
Friar Lane Old Boys embarked on their 1974-75 FA Vase journey with growing confidence, their progress marked by a series of impressive victories:
- Round 1: Loughborough Colleges (A) 2-1
- Round 2: Clipstone Welfare (H) 4-1
- Round 3: Bourne Town (A) 6-4
- Round 4: Blakenall (A) 4-2
- Round 5: Middlewich Athletic (H) 3-1
- Quarter-Final: Lincoln United (A) 1-0
Their impressive run saw Friar Lane become the first Leicestershire non-league side to reach the semi-final stage of a national cup competition. There, they faced Hoddesdon Town, one of Hertfordshire’s oldest clubs, founded in 1879, and then members of the Spartan League. Alf Perkins of the Leicester Mercury in a pre-match article produced a ‘run down’ of each Friar Lane player:
The first leg, played away at Hoddesdon’s Lowfield Ground on Saturday, 22nd March 1975, proved a stern test. The pitch, heavily affected by snow and rain in the preceding days, was in such poor condition that many were surprised the match was allowed to proceed. Ultimately, both sides had to contend with the conditions, but Hoddesdon adapted better, defeating Friar Lane 2-0. The visitors conceded a couple of goals that they felt were avoidable.
Despite the setback, Friar Lane’s players and officials remained convinced they could overturn Hoddesdon’s advantage in the return leg. However, it was not to be. While Friar Lane had their moments, Hoddesdon scored again, this time on the counter-attack, after the home side had been pressing hard in the first half. Alan Brett scored a rocket header, but sadly, time ran out for the Lane.
The official attendance for the home leg was just under 3,000, the largest crowd for a local match since Anstey Nomads had drawn 6,000 for their Amateur Cup tie against Hayes some twenty years earlier.
1975-76: Lightning Strikes Twice
The following season, Friar Lane Old Boys demonstrated that their previous success was no fluke. They embarked on another remarkable FA Vase campaign, fuelled by the desire to go one step further and reach Wembley.
- Round 1: Pershore United (A) 2-0
- Round 2: Clipstone Welfare (H) 5-0
- Round 3: Jones & Shipman (A) 1-1; Replay: Jones & Shipman (H) 3-0
- Round 4: Friar Lane Old Boys 2-1 Lincoln United
- Round 5: Leeds Ashley Road 1-2 Friar Lane Old Boys
- Quarter-Final: Frair Lane 2-0 South Shields
- Semi-Final: 1st leg Stamford (H) 0-2; 2nd leg Stamford (A) 1-3. Stamford won 5-2 on aggregate
They reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, an extraordinary achievement for a club of their size. However, their Wembley dream was dashed again, this time by Stamford.
After 1978 their fortunes took a dip, but they still finished second in the league three times during the 1990s, missing out on the title on goal difference each time. Epworth joined the Leicestershire Senior League in 2002 and were Division One champions in their first season. In 2004 the two clubs merged, and the new club was immediately successful, winning the league in 2006 and finally stepping up to the Midland Football Alliance. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Friar Lane & Epworth resigned from the Midland Alliance. Chairman Clive Gibbons told the Midland Alliance that the club would “struggle to have enough playing personnel to complete the season”. The club took the place of their reserve team in Division One of the Leicestershire Senior League for the 2011–12 season. They were promoted back to the Premier Division in 2012-13. The club continues to compete in the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division, striving to build on its combined heritage.