When we were Champions

[davieG]

 

Run your finger down the final league position column of the Leicester City club records, and there aren't many times you'll pick out the number one.

The first time was in the roaring Twenties, when goal machine Arthur Chandler helped City to the 1924-25 Second Division title.

They were top dogs again in 1936-37, and twice in the fifties - in 1953-54, when club chairman Len Shipman boasted City had spent £150,000 to secure promotion, and in 1956-57.

Hundreds of City fans charged on to the Fratton Park pitch in May 1971 when Frank O'Farrell's men took top slot with an away victory at Portsmouth - even though Pompey were promised a £500-a-man bonus if they won or drew.

And Larry May's goal away at Orient at the end of the 1979-80 season saw City crowned champions of the Second Division for a sixth time and fans on the pitch once more.

Oh, and there was 2008-2009 too, bringing a mercifully swift end to City's one and only season in the primordial soup of League One.

So: Six second-tier championships. Six times that City went toe-to-toe with every team in the league and came out on top.

And if it's not tempting fate ... Nigel Pearson's team could make it seven at Bolton this evening, matching Manchester City's record number of second-tier titles.

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Picture-day-people-pitch/story-20989856-detail/story.html#ixzz2zbQU7eXj

[Foxes1]

I was at the game at Brisbane Road the home Orient F C and remember it well 10000 City fans there and the vast majority got on the pitch at the end. I was also at Fratton Park and remember the pitch invasion there as well and I'm still going down to watch them and will be at Bolton this evening 

[Claretforever]

I've only been posting on this forum for a few weeks, but have been watching it since the end of September like a few other Burnley fans that don't post on here. It's been fun seeing the posts about Burnley not going away. I did laugh when I saw one post that said something along the lines of "when will Burnley realise they're sh*t and stop fcucking winning" (October ish). Ha.

It's not often you get a chance to celebrate a promotion/title, and with you not being able to fully celebrate your promotion this time, if you do win at Bolton then I fully expect your fans to be on the pitch celebrating with the players. Miss not "tin pot", or just something little clubs do. It's something most clubs do when fans and players can be one.

If and when you do sew up the title make sure you enjoy it to the max, because you never know if/when you'll get the chance again.

[NewquayFox]

Great post Davie, i remember being on the pitch at Orient and that was a great season. City & Burnley have both been fantastic this season in a tough division, just hope we wrap up the title now...

[Freeman's Wharfer]

About halfway through this season I got a text from a Forest-supporting mate of mine saying "Enjoy this season. Promotion-winning seasons don't come around too often"...

 

When you consider that in our whole existence this will be just the 7th time that we've won the second tier it really is a stand-out achievement. Winning League One was nice but it all had a feel of doing the expected and that it was simply a return to a level we should be at. At the time I remember thinking it would be a whole lot better had it been winning the next level up.

 

Well that time is now, and history would suggest this won't happen for another 20-odd years!

[TrentFox]

I was at the game at Brisbane Road the home Orient F C and remember it well 10000 City fans there and the vast majority got on the pitch at the end. I was also at Fratton Park and remember the pitch invasion there as well and I'm still going down to watch them and will be at Bolton this evening 

That Brisbane Road day was unreal. It was like a football-based version of the Dunkirk Evacuation ... any vehicle that could carry people from Leicester to London was commandeered and bursting at the seams! Wonderful memories.

[Fox92]

Now.

Tonight.