A Brief History of Latymer Old Boys Football Club

The Edmonton and Tottenham Weekly Herald newspaper first reported Latymer Old Boys Football Club matches on 27th September 1897. During season 1897/98 the opposition included such illustrious names as Wood Green Star, Orient and Avondale and the matches were played at such venues as Pymmes Park and Brettenham Fields. In 1988, when Tottenham Hotspur’s official history was published as part of their centenary celebrations, their first recorded fixture was against a team called Latymer but there is insufficient evidence to connect that club with ours. Latymer Old Boys, therefore, adopted September 27th 1897 as the date of its foundation. The Football Association acknowledged that date and in March 1998 presented Latymer Old Boys with a beautifully inscribed scroll in recognition of the achievement.

The Club’s first affiliation was in 1903 to the London Football Association (LFA), but records between then and 1920 remain at best obscure. Although football was almost certainly played during this period, it must be assumed that very few, if any, fixtures were played during 1914/18.

Picture of LOBFC 1919 - 1920
In 1919/20 the Secondary Schools Old Boys League was formed and Latymer Old Boys was a founder member fielding one team for the first year before a second team was entered in 1920/21. Decent records are available from then to the present time in the form of league handbooks for every season. These handbooks are in the possession of a Club member and have formed the basis of many articles and statistics published in LOB News.

The 1st XI won the equivalent of the Premier Division 3 times in 1921, 1923 and 1925 (to date, the only times in its history). In the 1921 season 112 goals were scored in 20 matches dropping just 6 points. Interestingly, it was in 1928 that a certain Harry Taylor made his debut for the Club.

Although some football was played in 1938/39 the outbreak of war prevented the publication of a league handbook so all records were lost.

Football was not played again by Latymer Old Boys until the 1947/48 season when the London Old Boys Football League was formed following the merger of the Secondary Schools Old Boys League and the Old Boys League. For the second time we were founder members of a new league.

By 1953/54 the Club fielded two sides and in 1957/58 a 3rd XI was added. This was a period of tremendous growth for the Club and much of the credit for this must go to people such as Harry Taylor, Jimmy North, Jack Embleton, Jack Hurst and Bert Harden for their energy and enthusiasm getting the Club up and running following Adolf’s untimely intervention.

Between 1920 and the outbreak of the war the Club was never able to establish a permanent base from which to operate. Plans for a clubhouse on School ground were submitted but never realised and the one Clubhouse that was built for the Club in Church Street mysteriously burned down within a year of its completion. 1st XI matches were played at Village Road (on a ground rented from Ediswan Cricket Club) and Church Street next to the dairy (now houses), whilst the 2nd XI played their matches at Montague Road and on the corner of Church Street and Haselbury Road (now a block of flats). Member’s houses, Latymer School and various local hostelries were used for committee meetings.

The main meeting place for the Club after the war and right through to the late 70s was the Stag & Hounds PH in Little Bury Street with social events being held at a variety of local halls but mostly upstairs at Edmonton Cricket Club.

Coinciding with the latter part of this period, 1966 – 1982, the Club grew at an unprecedented rate as a further four sides were entered into league competition. Latymer were now one of the largest clubs playing in the London Old Boys League. During the middle to late 80s it was not unknown for the Club to field 8th XI friendly fixtures but there were never quite enough players to field 8 league sides.

In 1979 the Club moved to Enfield Lawn Tennis Club (The Hutch) on The Ridgeway. The Club still played its matches at the School, Firs Farm and Enfield Playing Fields but meetings and post match celebrations were always at The Hutch. In 1988/89 the Club moved to Botany Bay Cricket Club on a season to season basis and effected a merger with the Cricket Club two years later. Apart from many other advantages this move gave the Club an on site home pitch allowing it to cancel its Firs Farm obligation in favour of Enfield Playing Fields.

The period between 1966 and 1988 was probably the most prolific in the Club’s history. League titles were won and Cup Finals were regularly reached by all the sides. Although occasional trophies were won as the 80s moved into the 90s, the Club entered into something of a decline as the 90s moved into the new millennium. Over a period of six or seven years the 7th, 6th and eventually 5th XIs all fell by the wayside as irregular availability and poor results together with a diminishing Club ethos took its toll. Although the 1st XI experienced a period of success including a return to the Premier Division and an appearance in the LOB Senior Cup Final it was not enough to spark a revival in Club fortunes. Eventually, at the end of the 2005/6 season, with the 1st XI cast adrift of the rest of the Premier and the 2nd and 3rd XIs suffering consecutive relegation, the Club reached arguably its nadir.

As the 2006/7 season approaches, optimism for the future of the Club has greatly increased. The emergence of a younger, more energetic generation of Club officer prepared to make changes, together with a facility which is one of the best in the Amateur Football Combination, will put the Club on a path to future glories. The Club has hosted two League Cup Finals and two League representative matches at the Bay and is sure to host more of the same in the future.

Surely everything is in place for the Club to celebrate its bicentenary in 2097!

Mike Deasey
September 2006