Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club

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Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club is a football club based in the Kirkley suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. They are currently members of the and play at Walmer Road.HistoryThe original Kirkley Football Club was established in 1886, and the first recorded game was a match against East Suffolk on 4 December at Crown Meadow. The club played several more matches before merging with East Suffolk to form Lowestoft Town the following year. However, following a trial for players in late 1889, a second Kirkley club was formed just over a year later in 1890, playing their first match on 15 November against Clifford House School. They originally played on a pitch at St Aubin's College, forming strong links with the college, whose headmaster employed several former Cambridge Blues as teachers. With several teachers playing for the club, they won the Suffolk Junior Cup in 1894. For a brief time the club became the dominant side in Lowestoft, reaching the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup in 1896–97.At the time Kirkley were playing in the North Suffolk League, and were champions in 1894–95 and 1896–97. In 1897 they were founder members of the Norfolk & Suffolk League, although they continued to play in the North Suffolk League as well. Despite finishing second-from-bottom of the Norfolk & Suffolk League in its inaugural season, they were runners-up in 1898–99. After four consecutive losing appearances in the Suffolk Senior Cup final, the club won the trophy for the first time in 1900–01 and retained it the following year, a season in which they also won the North Suffolk League. They were runners-up in the Norfolk & Suffolk League again in 1903–04 and won the North Suffolk League title in 1905–06 and 1907–08.