Worthing F.C.

Worthing Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Worthing, West Sussex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Woodside Road. History The club was established in 1886 as Worthing Association Football Club. After playing friendlies, their first competitive game was a Sussex Senior Challenge Cup match on 27 November 1886 in which they defeated Brighton Hornets 1–0 at home. In 1892–93 they won the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, beating Eastbourne 2–1 in the final. The club were founder members of the West Sussex League in 1896, and won the league in 1898–99. In the 1899–2000 season the club dropped "Association" from their name, and in May 1900 absorbed Worthing Athletic. The club were West Sussex League champions and Sussex Senior Challenge Cup winners again in 1903–04, also going onto win the Sussex RUR Cup, a competition played between the winners of the West Sussex League and East Sussex League, beating Hastings & St Leonards 3–2 in the final. Although they left the league at the end of the season due to Worthing Rovers joining, they rejoined a year later after absorbing Rovers. The club won back-to-back West Sussex League titles and RUR cups in 1906–07 and 1907–08 (also winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup in the latter season), and did the double again in 1909–10. They won the league title in 1912–13, and both the league and RUR Cup in 1913–14. After World War I Worthing rejoined the West Sussex League for the 1919–20 season and also entered a team into the Brighton, Hove & District League. In 1920 they were founder members of the Sussex County League, and were the league's inaugural champions. The club retained the league title the following season, and applied to join the Athenian League, but subsequently withdrew the application. Remaining in the Sussex County League, they went on to win the league title again in 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31 and 1933–34. In 1936–37 the club reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4–3 at Yeovil & Petters United. The club were Sussex County League champions again in 1938–39, and after World War II, won the Western Division of the league in 1945–46. In 1948 Worthing joined the Corinthian League. The higher level proved more challenging than the county league and they finished bottom of the Corinthian League in 1956–57, 1957–58 and 1958–59. When the league folded in 1963, Worthing and most other clubs joined Division One of the Athenian League.