Links With The Past: Silver Fob Watch For Title Win That Didn't Happen
The City of Leicester crest (a wyvern and a shield with a cinquefoil) can be seen on the front of the fob surrounded by the words on the blue border: ‘Leicester City. Football League. 1928-29’.
On the reverse side of the fob, engraved into the silver, are the words ‘Champions. Div. 1’. Unfortunately, the makers of this fob had jumped the gun. Leicester City were runners-up that season, not champions.
Although, with only two games to go until the end of the season, Leicester City stood a very good chance of winning the Football League title for the first time in the Club’s history, they actually missed out on the title by one point to Sheffield Wednesday.
In those days there were only two points for a win. With two games to go, Leicester City had 48 points. Sheffield Wednesday had 51.
The title was decided in the last five minutes of both clubs’ penultimate games. At Huddersfield, Johnny Duncan’s first-half goal gave Leicester City a 1-0 lead but, five minutes from time, they conceded an equaliser. The final score was 1-1.
Meanwhile at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday were losing 1-0 to Burnley until five minutes from time when they equalised. The final score was also 1-1.
These results meant that it was now impossible for Leicester to become the old First Division champions, even though Sheffield Wednesday lost their last game of the season and City won their last game by defeating FA Cup winners Bolton Wanderers 6-1 at Filbert Street.
The silver fob declaring Leicester City as First Division champions is therefore an historical oddity as it celebrates a non-existent title win. It was to be another 87 years before the Club actually did become champions of England.