21 February 2009 - Boys Among Men (With Predictable Results)

On 21 February 2009, Weymouth FC fielded a youth team in a match against Rushden & Diamonds, losing 0-9. It remains the heaviest league defeat in the club's history.

Founded in 1890, Weymouth--nicknamed "the Terras"--have spent the majority of their existence in the lower tiers of English football, primarily in the Football Conference and the Southern League. In 2006, they were promoted to the Conference National league, the fifth level of the English pyramid, which is where they were for the 2008-09 season.

They struggled financially that season, so much so that their first team had not been paid since the new year and had, the week before the match against R&D, submitted their two-week's notice that would allow them to void their contracts and seek new clubs. Although the two weeks had not expired before the match, Weymouth reportedly failed to pay for players' insurance, forcing them to field their U18 side.

The results were unsurprising as the sparse crowd of 967 watched visiting Rushden & Diamonds go three goals up in the first 18 minutes. The score was 0-4 by the break and only got worse in the second half, with he beleaguered hosts conceding five more goals. It was the second loss in a string of 15 defeats in their last 16 matches of the season, ending in relegation.

Weymouth were relegated again in 2010 and are danger of falling once more, as they currently sit the relegation zone of the Southern Premier table.