NOT too many would have remembered the last title triumph when Worcester City Football Club finally secured another league crown in midweek.

There were celebrations with fans as the team won 1-0 at Thornbury Town to seal the Hellenic League Premier Division championship last Tuesday evening.

And the older City supporters would have looked back fondly on the previous time it had topped the league in 1979.

Of course then the football club was operating closer to non-league’s top table, winning the Southern League Premier Division.

But Worcester slid down three levels in 2017 after relegation from National League North with “excessive costs” forcing the club to drop into the Midland League Premier Division.

The club was still playing outside Worcester after losing its St George’s Lane home, being exiled in Kidderminster and then Bromsgrove.

But a long-awaited move back into the city to Worcestershire FA’s new Claines Lane headquarters, the appointment of local lad Chris Cornes as manager and the takeover of fan and business man Simon Lancaster brought a feelgood factor.

This has finally resulted in some much-needed league success on the pitch and everyone connected with City will hope this is just the start of an upward trajectory.

The 122-year-old club last tasted league success 45 years ago on May 9, 1979, when Nobby Clark’s men beat Kettering Town at the Lane in the penultimate game of the season.

A crowd of 7,386 packed out the ground on the night with Kettering the only side that could deny them glory.

Barry Williams was doubtful for the game due to a bad cold but, dosed up with brandy, aspirin and slimming tablets by Clark, he struck two memorable first-half goals in a 3-0 victory.

Graham Allner scored the third City goal in the final minute before Worcester celebrated.

Clark said at the time: “Words fail me. The lads have been below-par in the last few games but tonight there was no way we were going to let our supporters down. These fans have been tremendous all season and tonight we have repaid them.”

City skipper Ralph Punsheon said: “Fantastic. The best night I have ever had. Our supporters might, at times, be highly critical but they drive you forward. The supporters this evening were absolutely great.

“When we went out we knew we couldn’t lose in front of them.”

It topped off a remarkable season following home cup wins over Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City.

And a 5-3 victory at Kettering Town in the league at the start of November stood out as one of the best City matches of all time.