Club Historian John Hutchinson reveals another unseen treasure from Leicester City’s historic collection, dating back to the 1899/1900 season.
On 27 January, 1900, Leicester Fosse played Sheffield United in the draw for the last 32 teams in the FA Cup. The matchday programme for that game is the oldest programme in City’s archive.
At the time of the fixture, United were top of the First Division and the current FA Cup holders. Fosse were third in the Second Division.
The articles in the 16-page programme are closely printed and contain no illustrations. They focus on Sheffield United’s FA Cup history and on their opponents, Leicester Fosse. There is an article acknowledging the fact that United’s defeat the previous week had ended their unbeaten run of 22 successive games.
On other pages, the season’s results of United’s first and reserve teams are published, together with the up-to-date Football League tables and a table showing the results of every team in that season’s First Division.
The Sheffield United and Leicester Fosse teams are printed on the back cover. The most notable player is William Foulke, the United and ex-England goalkeeper who weighed 24 stone.
The remaining pages contain advertisements for a range of products and services, including the Footballers’ Hospital in Manchester, famous for its treatment of football injuries and used by many professional clubs.
