Lancing
Full nameLancing Football Club
Nickname(s)The Lancers
Founded1941
GroundCulver Road, Lancing
ChairmanBarry Sutton
ManagerDavid Altendorff
LeagueIsthmian League South East Division
2022–23Isthmian League South East Division, 13th of 20
WebsiteClub website

Lancing Football Club is a football club based in Lancing, West Sussex, England. They are members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at Culver Road.

History

The club was established in 1941, initially as a multi-sport club under the name Lancing Athletic.[1] They joined the Brighton, Hove & District League in 1946 and went on to win the Division One and League Cup double in their first season.[1][2] The club applied to join the Sussex County League, but were rejected. However, after retaining the Brighton, Hove & District League title in 1947–48,.[3] the club were then admitted to the Sussex County League,[4] at which point they became a separate organisation to the remainder of the sports club.[1] They were Sussex County League runners-up in 1949–50, only missing out on the title on goal average.[4] When the league gained a second division in 1952 the club became members of Division One, but were relegated to Division Two after finishing bottom of the table in 1956–57.

In 1957 the club dropped Athletic from their name.[4] They were Division Two champions at the first attempt, earning promotion back to Division One.[5] The club won the League Cup in 1964–65, beating Chichester City 2–0 in the final,[6] and went on to win the Sussex RUR Cup the following season with a 3–0 win over Rye United.[7] However, they were relegated again at the end of the 1967–68. Although the club won the Division Two title in 1969–70 and were promoted back to Division One, two seasons later they were relegated back to Division Two after finishing bottom of Division One.[5] The club won the Division Two Cup in 1981–82.[8]

Lancing remained in Division Two until a second-place finish in 1982–83 saw them promoted to Division One. They were relegated again at the end of the 1989–90 season and spent the next ten seasons in Division Two, winning the Division Two Cup again in 1992–93,[8] before earning promotion with a third-place finish in 1999–2000. However, the club were relegated back to Division Two at the end of the following season.[5] In 2010–11 they were Division Two runners-up, earning promotion to Division One. In 2015 the league was renamed the Southern Combination, with Division One becoming the Premier Division.[5] At the end of the 2020–21 season the club were promoted to the South East Division of the Isthmian League based on their performances over the two previous seasons, which had been abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ground

The club initially played at the Crowshaw Recreation Ground, before moving to Culver Road in 1952.[9] A 350-seat stand was built by the following year.[9] In 1981 the ground was bought by the Sussex County Football Association and floodlights were installed.[9]

Honours

  • Southern Combination
    • Division Two champions 1957–58, 1969–70
    • Division Two Cup 1981–82, 1992–93
    • League Cup winners 1964–65
    • Peter Bentley Cup winners 2015–16
  • Brighton, Hove & District League
    • Division One champions 1946–47, 1947–48
    • League Cup winners 1946–47
  • Sussex RUR Cup
    • Winners 1965–66
  • Sussex Shield
    • Winners 2021

Records

  • Best FA Cup performance: Fourth qualifying round, 1952–53[4]
  • Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 2010–11[5]

See also

  • Lancing F.C. players
  • Lancing F.C. managers

References

  1. 1 2 3 History Lancing F.C.
  2. ↑ Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p500 ISBN 978-1869833695
  3. ↑ Season 1947 – 1948 Brighton, Worthing & District Football League
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lancing Athletic at the Football Club History Database
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lancing at the Football Club History Database
  6. ↑ The John O'Hara League Challenge Cup Archived 6 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Sussex County League
  7. ↑ The Sussex Royal Ulter Rifles Charity Cup Sussex County League
  8. 1 2 Division Two Cup Archived 8 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Sussex County League
  9. 1 2 3 Lancing Nomad Online

50°49′47.36″N 0°19′26.99″W / 50.8298222°N 0.3241639°W / 50.8298222; -0.3241639

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