August 1996 – A Sad Day

A day never to be forgotten for officials, players and supporters of Leicester United.

In 1972, Enderby Town as they were known then, were accepted into the Southern Football League.

The history of the club stretched back to 1900 when a group of quarry workers founded a club in that name.

The first secretary was a Sunderland supporter, and he was determined the club should wear the colours of the Black Cats.

The club established itself in local minor league football before moving into the Leicestershire Senior League in 1949.

After winning Division Two in 1958/59, the club was to become a dominant force in the in the 1960s, winning the Division One title three times and also lifting the Leicestershire Senior Cup on three occasions.

The start of the 1970/71 season saw the club move into the East Midlands Regional League.

The title was won at the first attempt and then retained a year later.

In 1972, the club was elected to the Southern League to replace Hereford United, who had been voted into the Football League.

The Senior Cup was won again in 1972/73 and in 1977/78, whilst the team finished in respectable positions in the league without threatening to go up.

In the 1977/78 season, Enderby reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time – they had only entered it for the first time in 72/73 – losing to Southern Premier Division side AP Leamington.

The following season saw the club reach the Third Round of the FA Trophy, losing to Northern League side Bishop Auckland after a replay.

In 1981/82, due to a re-organisation of the league, Enderby found itself in the Southern Premier Division for the first time.

However, they were relegated after just one season and changed its name to Leicester United to reflect a move from their original home in Enderby to a new ground in Blaby.

The end of the 1984/85 season saw United finish bottom of the Midland Division. However, the club pulled itself together and finished the 86/87 season as runners-up to VS Rugby by a single point under the guidance of John Perkins with the likes of flying winger Cohen Griffith creating a big impression.

Griffith was to go on and enjoy a successful professional career with the likes of Cardiff City, while United maintained its Premier Division status for just two seasons and were relegated back to the Midland Division.

Even with emerging young talent such as strikers Mark Hallam and Mark Hurst, United struggled to make a mark on the Midland Division and the highest they achieved was 11th in 1989/90 – their first after relegation.

After their fourth game of the 1996/97 campaign, the United players enjoyed a happy journey back home after a last-minute goal from Ally Mauchlen, the former Leicester City and Kilmarnock midfielder, had earned a 3-2 Tuesday night win at Grantham Town.

The following day, their players and supporters were stunned to learn that the club had closed, following the collapse of a takeover deal.

The club's chairman and owner, Sid Osborn, had also been involved in the closure of Armitage the previous season when he withdrew his funding from the former Southern League side and their manager and most of their players moved to... Leicester United.

The club were just four years away from celebrating their centenary when the Southern League reluctantly accepted their resignation.