THE BLUES recent 2-0 win over Hitchin Town at the Watson & Hillhouse Stadium last month brought up yet another milestone for the club.
It was indeed the club's 200th win while competing at Step 3. The win came in the 502nd game played at this level which equates to a 39% win ratio, a tremendous effort.
To be able to win over a third of your games at such a strong level nationally is testament to a serious amount of effort over the years from everyone involved with the Club. In fairness, we have been spoilt over the years since the first foray into Step 3 back in the summer of 2012.
Players and managers have come and gone but they have all played their part in the success story that is Leiston Football Club. That may sound somewhat bias and over the top but to compete at this level regularly takes some doing and it is certainly a team effort on and off the pitch.
Leiston FC needs to remember where we have come from and what we have achieved. 30 years ago we were nipping just down the road for matches and ringing through match reports at half-time and full-time to a fantastic Saturday evening newspaper, the local Ipswich Green Un.
Now the Club features on Sky Sports football news and weekly in a national newspaper, the Non League paper and across various media streams... Oh how times have changed!
The first milestone of 50 wins at Step 3 was met in March 2015, a 2-0 Isthmian Premier home win over Tonbridge Angels, with Conor Hubble and Jon Sands the scorers.
Nearly two years later, in December 2017, saw the 100th Step 3 victory, another 2-0 win this time at home to Enfield Town, Christy Finch and Joe Marsden the scorers.
The 150th success came during our current location in the Southern League when Adam Bailey-Dennis scored the winner in a 1-0 home success over Nuneaton Borough in April 2022, and then of course, came the 2-0 Hitchin Town win for the 200th success, a Kyran Clements double securing the feat.
Whilst members of the Isthmian League the Blues played 272 matches, split at 136 for home and away. Of those 272 matches we won 114 games with an impressive 41% win ratio. At home we won 66 of 136 games with a 48% return, incredibly nearly half of our games. While away from home 48 wins equating to a 35% return.
As members of the Southern League we have currently played 231 games, winning 87 matches at a return of 41%. At home its 52 wins from 116 games (45%), away from home 35 wins from 115 (30%). As stated earlier and as you can see from those statistics, over a third of all the matches have been won and let's not forget, against some well-established and big non-league clubs.
Great times and great success, long may it continue for Leiston Football Club in this part of Suffolk.
Ooops! Forgot to say, 201 wins now.... Redditch 1-0 at home! Stats updated above!!