Club History

The clubs first team.
Back: David Graham, David Phelps, Paul Rosser, Brett Hammond, Stuart Smith, Gary Delahunty, Kevin Baker.
Front: Paul Alford, Gary Parsons, John Roberts, Andy Parsons, Tony Lelliott (Captain), Steve Collier.
Mascot: Chris Lelliott.

In the mid 1970s, there was only one junior football club in the Worthing area, Southdown United.
They had teams for under 10s, under 12s, under 14s, and under 16s, and you had to be of a certain standard to join this club.
Worthing Minors was formed by a group of Southdown United “rejects” combined with other boys who had never played for a team outside of their schools.
A sponsored football match held at St Andrews School generated the money to buy the first team kit and some balls, and the club were affiliated to the Sussex County Youth FA in May 1975. Under team manager Colin Poland, the first match away to Eastbourne United ended in an 8-1 defeat, with captain Tony Lelliott scoring the club’s first ever goal.
Following a further four friendly defeats, an application to enter the West Sussex Youth League Under 14s Division was accepted. In order to join the league a more formal structure was required, and key adult members Reg Baker, and Fred Edgar were largely responsible for stabilising the club in its first season in the league, and developing it in the years that followed.
The first league game was away to Angmering – after going a goal down early on, Mark Bennett equalised for Minors, but suffered a badly broken leg in a collision with the Angmering goalkeeper in the process of scoring. We went on to win 8 – 2, with David Phelps scoring four.
In that first season the club finished third in the league, (one place above Southdown United !) and runners-up in the league’s annual six-a-side tournament.
Increasing in size year on year, the club gradually increased to field teams in every age group. Rod Chapman played a major role in developing the club when Fred Edgar moved over to run the West Sussex Youth League.