• Article |
• Discussion |
• Edit |
• History

The football articles on You and Yesterday are some of our most popular postings. Although many are understandably linked to Derby County, there is a considerable interest in Derbyshire football well beyond the Rams. Here Peter Seddon presents a potted history of Littleover Old Boys, one in a series of articles on Derbyshire-based football clubs past and present.

An un-named Littleover Old Boys line-up taken at Derby's Municipal Sports Ground in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The banked cycle track can be seen in the background. If you know any names, please add them

The name of Littleover Old Boys is no longer current in the Derbyshire football arena - the side changed its name in 1971-72 to Littleover Royal British Legion FC.

Yet in the decade previously 'Old Boys' were the name to watch out for, as the club rose steadily through the local leagues to the stage where they met semi-professional opposition.

As the name suggests, they were originally linked to a school in Littleover, Derby - the Littleover Secondary School on Pastures Hill.

In the late-1950s the school had enjoyed particular success in the Trent Valley Schools League. And when the time came for the boys to leave school, they decided they'd like to keep the team going. Conscious of doing things in the correct manner, they approached their Headmaster Mr. F. W. Tapp, who duly gave the venture his blessing and granted permission for the team to use the school playing fields and changing rooms.

His only condition was that the 'boys' should become members of the Old Scholars' Association, and that the club's name should reflect that. Thus was born Littleover Old Boys F.C. - in time to become one of the best-known names in Derbyshire football.

They began operations in 1958 in the relatively lowly confines of the Derby Welfare League. After two seasons finding their feet in the Intermediate Section they moved up into the Senior Section, at the same time changing their ground to the Littleover Playing Fields at Carlisle Avenue.

Perhaps because they had played together at school, they gelled astonishingly well. In that first season at Senior level they took the League by storm, scoring a remarkable 186 goals in 36 matches. Clive Harris was signed as cover for the goalkeeper, but was given a game up front. He kept his place and netted 66 in the season, a club record which was never beaten!

Their rivalry with Spondon Dynamos was a particular highlight of the Derby football scene in the early 1960s. 'Old Boys' continued to progress, and in 1963-64 moved up to the Derby Senior League. Again they proved unstoppable - Graham Hulland cracked in 62 goals out of the 201 they netted. That season they won the Section D Championship, lifted the Littleover Charity Cup, and finished runners-up in the League Cup.

In 1964-65 a reserve team was formed, and the former Derby County winger Tommy Powell joined the club as a wily veteran - by then aged 40 but still an influential player. Again the first team won another championship.

Although promotion meant sterner opposition, the 'Roy of the Rovers' story continued. In 1966-67 Terry Fletcher scored the 'Old Boys' 1000th goal in their 240th match - that's an average of over 4 goals a game. Runners up spot saw them promoted to Section A of the Derby Senior League, and they won the League Cup.

In 1967-68 their tenth season began with a home win over the once-renowned Rowditch Athletic, followed by a 7-3 hammering of another reputable side, Graham St. Prims. On that occasion, all seven goals were scored by Graham Hulland.

That season they took both the DFA Divisional Cup (South) and the League Cup, and had an impressive run in the Derbyshire Senior Cup. They drew 2-2 against the strong Manchester League side New Mills, before narrowly losing the replay 3-2 back at Littleover.

Spurred on by their success, 'Old Boys' entered the Central Alliance in 1968-69, and in their first season won the Premier Division title and the League Cup. Title success meant another promotion, so in 1969-70 they found themselves in the East Midlands Regional League.

Was it a step too far? Certainly not. Again they won the title in their first season in a new competition, scoring 148 goals and losing only once. For good measure they also took the DFA Divisional Cup (South) again, beating Holbrook St. Michael's 7-1 after a replay.

Promotion to the East Midlands Regional League Premier Division for 1970-71 meant competition with semi-professional opposition. Soon they were making their first ever visit to the South Derbyshire side Gresley Rovers, where they emerged from a stern test with a creditable 0-0 draw.

That result signalled the serious arrival of Littleover Old Boys onto the senior stage of Derbyshire football. Yet it also sealed their demise, for club officials realised that a team still run more or less on 'schoolboy' lines needed to come under the umbrella of a larger organisation. At the end of that season, the name Littleover Old Boys disappeared, and in their stead the Littleover Royal British Legion FC came into existence.

Littleover Old Boys had played for just 13 seasons - but in that time they had risen from a 'bunch of schoolboys' to the stage where they were able to compete on a level playing field with hardened semi-professionals.

How often these days do troublesome youngsters fresh out of school say they are 'bored' because there is 'nothing to do'? Maybe they should be told the inspirational story of Littleover Old Boys.

FEEDBACK

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.

If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'

County:  Derbyshire