Blast from the past

Andrew Cornell looks back at Blues’ games on March 13th

In 2012 we made the long trip to Halifax for a Conference North game and came away with a great result. The only change to the side that beat Altrincham was that Paco Craig came in for Ryan Melaugh and it was Craig who was prominent in the early stages with his runs forward.
In the very first minute he broke forward on the left and played the ball inside to Dwight Gayle
who was stopped closing on goal by a fine tackle by Scott McManus. The resultant corner saw the ball run loose at the far post and Matt Johnson hit the ball high and wide from 15 yards.

The Blues then had a couple of chances in the 9th minute. First Sebastian Dunbar and Dwight Gayle linked on the left before Gaylecrossed to the six yard box and Ricky Sappleton just missed connecting with the ball in front of goal and then 30 seconds later PacoCraig broke down the middle and then played a lofted pass into Ricky Sappleton’s path coming in from the right but the big striker drove the chance wide of the near post. In the 12th minute a Dwight Gayle free-kick near the left corner flag was bundled wide of the near post by Sappleton.

The first chance for the West Yorkshire side came in the 15th minute when a deep cross from the right by Aaron Hardy resulted in a header from James Dean that bounced just wide of Archer’s left upright. Two minutes later an error by Phil Anderson resulted in the Blues losing possession and Jamie Rainford cutting in from the right but his fierce shot was straight at Archer and the stopper grasped the ball at the near post.

Jordan Archer’s best save before the break came in the 28th minute. A deep ball into the box from Liam Hogan was headed away by Sean Francis but it was collected by James Dean and his deflected shot was held by the stopper diving to his right. There was more pressure in the 31st minute when Archer leapt high to his right to push away a difficult cross from Jamie Rainford.
Town dominated possession leading up to the break. In the 40th minute Archer parried out a long range effort by Tom Baker and when the ball fell in front of him the keeper just managed to grab the ball as James Dean closed in. Rainford fired wide from 20 yards near the end of normal time before the break. Then during the one minute of added time Alli Abdullahi collected the only booking of the night when he blocked a free-kick being taken. When the free-kick was eventually taken Jamie Rainford ran through on the right but shot wide of the near post.

Four minutes after the interval Alli Abdullahi lost possession and Tom Baker struck a 20 yard shot that Jordan Archer brilliantly saved turning the ball away for a corner. Stortford, however, looked threatening when they attacked and a good move on the left saw Dwight Gayle cross into the box to give Ricky Sappleton a half chance in a good position but the striker wasn’t able to keep control of the ball.

Then in the 54th minute Matt Johnson crossed from the right and Reece Prestedge’s volley just cleared the bar aided by a touch by keeper Simon Eastwood although a goal-kick was awarded to Halifax. A long clearance from Archer in the 63rd minute was helped on by Prestedge to put Dwight Gayle clear on goal. However, the Blues’ leading goalscorer tried to go round keeper Simon Eastwood and Gayle was drawn away from goal and the danger for the hosts passed. A minute later Gayle cut in from the left and Eastwood scrambled the ball away for the corner from which the goal arrived. Dwight Gayle’s flag-kick reached just past the far post and Sean Francis headed past Eastwood from 8 yards.
Another Gayle corner in the 69th minute produced a glancing header from Alli Abdullahi that skimmed the bar. The later stages of the contest saw Halifax press with Archer saving again from a distance shot by Tom Baker in the 77th minute and Rainford went down under a challenge from Jack Lampe in the box two minutes later but Referee Martin Coy waved play on.

The Blues safely saw out the remaining time, which included three minutes stoppage time, with few problems and so finished with a memorable win.

2014 BSFC 0 Hayes & Yeading United 0 – Conference South
Lumley, Richens, Brown, Hall, Francis, McNaughton, Johnson, Church, Woodall, Akurang, Prestedge Subs: Baker Not Used: Melaugh, Fagbohun, Lockie, Miller

2012 FC Halifax Town 0 BSFC 1 – Conference North
Archer, Lampe, Dunbar, Abdullahi, Francis, Anderson, Johnson, Craig, Prestedge, Sappleton, Gayle Subs: Pavett, Shulton Not Used: Seymour-Shove, Jones, Lettejallow Scorer: Francis

2004 BSFC 2 St Albans City 2 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Desborough, Allman, Gwillim, Rainford, Cooper, Barnett, Howell, Southam, Martin, Bunn, Forbes Subs: Kyriacou, Hayes Not Used: Hanniff, Wiltshire, Tillotson Scorers: Bunn, Martin

2001 Ford United 0 BSFC 0 – Isthmian League Division 1
Desborough, Risley, Kimble, Taylor, Fannon, Kyriacou, Hercules, Southam, Hayes, Paul, Braham Subs: Langer Unused: Wolf, Endersby

1999 Sutton United 2 BSFC 0 – Isthmian League Premier Division
King, McDonald, Williams, Benstock, Honeyball, Willock, Fannon, Witney, Comerford, Hayes, Cooksey Subs: Blake, Snowden, Winger

1993 BSFC 2 Tooting & Mitcham United 1 – Isthmian League Division 1
King, Jordan, Claridge, Edmonds, Hopkins, Harrigan, Das, T Burns, Walker, White, Ingielewicz Subs: L Burns Unused: White Scorers: Edmonds, Harrigan

1986 Watford 2 BSFC 1 – Herts Senior Cup 2nd Round
Taylor, Wickenden, Stein, Tomkins, Hull, Hopkins, Flynn, Nunn, Hardy, Robinson, Newbury Sub: Taylor, Reading Scorer: Nunn

1984 BSFC 3 Orient 2 – Friendly

1982 BSFC 0 Dulwich Hamlet 1 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Moore, Blackman, Baldry, Brown, Bradford, Avery, Clarke, Knapman, Arnold, Harvey, Sullivan Sub Unused: Worrell

1976 Tooting & Mitcham United 1 BSFC 1 – Isthmian League Division 1
Kitson, Harris, Davis, Flack, Clarke, Gough, Leakey, Gaine, Watson, Twigg, Mulkern
Sub Unused: Clarke Scorer: Mulkern

1973 Enfield 3 BSFC 1 – Isthmian League
Wiseman, Davenport, Coombes, Mitchell, Still, Davidson, Leakey, Scott, Dear, Smith, Bunker Sub: Francis Scorer: Smith

1971 Hitchin Town 4 BSFC 4 – Herts Senior Cup Semi-Final
Mollison, Mitchell, King, Lawrence, Neeves, Sharkey, Whyte, Duffet, Devaux, Chappell, Allaway Sub: Pannell Scorers: Duffett (3), Chappell

1954 BSFC 2 Wembley 0 – Delphian League
S Sullivan, Lloyd, Hardy, T Sullivan, Carter, Atkinson, Ewers, Yates, Holmes, Johnson, Giles Scorers: ?????? ??????

1948 Huntley & Palmers 0 BSFC 0 – Spartan League Premier Division
Sullivan, Broos, Cook, Elliott, Sunderland, Hubbuck, Jordan, Giles, Veriiglio, Beatty, Page

1937 Hazells (Aylesbury) 0 BSFC 5 – Spartan League Division 1
Parker, Springham, Day, Barker, Ship, Woods, Clark, Polybank, Mytton, Frost, Haynes
Scorers: Clark, Mytton (4)

1926 BSFC 4 Kirkcaldy’s Works 0 – Stansted & District League
Hooker, Wright, Bennett, Osborne, Chapman, De Boltz, Bavin, Oliver, Bass, Raybould, Brazier Scorers: Osborne, Bass, Brazier (2)

1920 BSFC 5 Harlow Town 0 – East Herts league Division 1
Boxall, Mills, Smith, Newey, Walker, Chapman, Pettit, Thurgood, Wright, Brazier, Kelsey Scorers: Thurgood (2), Wright, Brazier, Kelsey