CAIRO: Egypt’s oldest club Railways were relegated to the third division after suffering a 3-1 defeat by Dakhlia on Wednesday.
Railways, which were founded in 1903, are languishing at the bottom of Group 2 in the second division with 23 points, six adrift of the safety zone with one match remaining.
The club that last played in the Premier League in the 1992-1993 season won just once in their previous 12 games, enduring one of their worst downturns in their 107-year history.
"We have been unlucky," Railways coach Ayman Mansour, a former Egyptian international who came through the club’s youth ranks, said last week before his side’s relegation was confirmed.
"We could have won several games but eventually had to settle for draws. We also suffered because of the string of injuries that hit our key players."
Railways, who nurtured several prominent players including Ahly and Egypt midfielder Mohamed Barakat, were close to booking a top-flight berth two years ago but fell at the last hurdle.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter presented the club with a silver plaque in 2003 to mark their centenary celebrations.
Railways’ best Premier League position came in the 1950-1951 and 1952-1953 seasons when they finished fifth in the table.
