Worcester City Football Club, nicknamed “The Faithful,” is a non-league football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire.
Established in 1902, they currently compete in the Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Central, which is part of the seventh tier of English football. The team calls Claines Lane their home ground.
Formed from the remains of another Worcester club, Berwick Rangers, who went into liquidation, Worcester City took over their fixtures in the Birmingham League and moved to St George’s Lane in 1905.
Early success came quickly. The Worcestershire Senior Cup was won for six successive seasons between 1908 and 1914, including a league and cup double in that final pre-war campaign. Further Birmingham League titles followed in 1924/25 and 1928/29, the latter under player-manager Frank Womack. The 1929/30 season brought yet another title, with City scoring 153 goals in 34 games, including a club-record 13 against Stourbridge.
The club joined the Southern League in 1938. Their most celebrated FA Cup run came in 1958/59, when they defeated Millwall and then Liverpool before losing to Sheffield United in front of a home record of 17,042.
Under manager Nobby Clark, appointed in 1974, City won the Southern League Division 1 North in 1976/77 and the Premier Division in 1978/79. They joined the Alliance Premier League in 1979, finishing third in its inaugural season, before relegation back to the Southern League in 1985.
The 2014/15 FA Cup run brought national attention, including a victory at Coventry City and a record-breaking penalty shootout against Scunthorpe United. After years groundsharing, the club returned to Worcester at Claines Lane for the 2020/21 season, by which point they had become supporter-owned.