Littlehampton Town F.C.
 |
|
| Full name | Littlehampton Town Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Marigolds, Littlehampton |
| Founded | 1896 (as Littlehampton) |
| Ground | The Sportsfield, Littlehampton |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Chairman | Rob Maccalees |
| Manager | Ady Baker |
| League | Southern Combination Premier Division |
| 2015–16 | Southern Combination Premier Division, 11th |
Littlehampton Town Football Club is a football club based in Littlehampton, England. It was established in 1896 and joined the Sussex County League in 1928. In the 1990–91 season, they reached the 1st round of the FA Cup. They are currently members of the Southern Combination Premier Division and play at the Marigolds.
Littlehampton F.C. was formed in 1896, adding the Town suffix in 1938. The club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896, joining the Junior Division. In 1928 the club joined the Sussex County League. Despite finishing as runners-up in Division One on six occasions, they had to wait until 1990–91 before lifting the championship – the only time they have done so, having finished as runners-up to Wick the previous season – clinching the title on the last day of the season, at nearest rivals Peacehaven & Telscombe.
That season was undoubtedly the finest in the Marigolds’ history. As well as finishing as Division One champions, the club also reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup where they were beaten 4–0 by Northampton Town in front of a crowd of 4,000 at The Sportsfield. A League & Cup ‘double’ was completed with a 3–0 win over Burgess Hill Town. If that wasn’t enough, Littlehampton also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase, which remains the furthest that any Sussex club has ever progressed in the competition.
The following season, Littlehampton finished third behind Peacehaven & Telscombe and Langney Sports (now Eastbourne Borough). However, fortunes declined to the extent that they were relegated at the end of the 1994–95 season.
Two seasons later Littlehampton returned to the top division as champions of Division Two, and finished runners-up to Division One champions Burgess Hill Town in 1997–98. Once more however, the club suffered a sustained period of mediocrity, culminating in a miserable 2002–03 season, including a 22–1 defeat at Horsham YMCA; and relegation once again, ironically with Wick and Peacehaven & Telscombe... together, the three most dominant clubs in the early 1990s.
The club responded by investing heavily in the playing squad for 2003–04 and began the season as hot favourites to bounce back at the first attempt. This they duly did, finishing seven points clear of runners-up Worthing United. The two clubs also met in the League Cup final, with the Marigolds again coming out on top. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the average attendance from the previous wretched season.
...
Wikipedia