Blast from the past
Andrew Cornell looks back at Blues’ games on September 7th
Back in 2007 on this date was a home league match against county neighbours St Albans City. It was early in the season but after 6 games we were 4th in the table while St Albans were rock bottom after relegation ffrom the Conference Premier the season before. This was our 43rd league meeting and it proved to be a great game for the neutral.
The game was played on a warm Friday evening due to internationals on the Saturday. Blues started well taking the lead through Greg Pearson after only 2 minutes from a free kick. Just after the quarter hour Pearson missed an easy chance and the home side were to regret this more than they knew at the time. Very soon afterwards Beard equalised with a volley on 18 minutes and then a mistake by Carl Patten let former Blue Morgan in to put the visitors 2-1 up. On the half hour mark Paul Goodacre had to limp off with an injury with Matt Jones taking his place. It got worse for Blues as Sulaiman scored a third for City on 38 minutes thanks to a lucky bounce off Morgan giving him the ball in space. Stortford nearly struck back as Wright hit the post just before half time with a 25 yard shot only to get himself sent off two minutes later for a bad tackle on Sulaiman. Half time came with Blues 3-1 down and down to 10 men.
The 10 men fought back though and got right back into the game only 5 minutes into the second half. When Patten headed in his first ever Stortford goal from Jason Mason’s corner. Still up against it though, Andy Young had to make a great save from Beard just past the hour while a great tackle by Jones prevented a second goal for Morgan. Another great save from Young in the 67th minute prevented a 30 yard shot from Batt going in but Sulaiman made it 4-2 shortly after anyway. Fazackerley gave Blues hope with a great goal in the 87th minute, lobbing the ball over two defenders and the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. This set up a tense finish but Jack Midson could only strike a post in the last minute and City took the points after a thrilling game.
Over 60 years ago there was a debut for one of Stortford’s most prolific strikers RJ Giles. He played his first game in a home Spartan League Premier Division game in 1946 and played 269 games for Stortford until 1957 scoring 96 goals.
2013 BSFC 2 Havant & Waterlooville 1 – Conference South
Wright, Miller, Herd, Allen, Francis, McNaughton, Johnson, Church, Vassell, Sykes, Prestedge Subs: Baker, Symons, Asante Unused: Akurang, Adams Scorers: Francis, Sykes
2007 BSFC 3 St Albans City 4 – Conference South
Young, Patten, Wright, Edwards, Goodacre, Stanbrook, Mason, Taylor, Pearson, Essandoh, Fazackerley Subs: Jones, Midson Unused: Williamson, Langer, Welch Scorers: Patten, Pearson, Fazackerley
2004 BSFC 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 2 – Friendly
2002 Purfleet 2 BSFC 1 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Desborough, Denny, Keepence, Southam, Hannigan, Taylor, Hyatt, French, John, Langer, Braham Subs: Paul, Wolf Unused: Hayes, Riches, Hayward Scorer: John
1999 BSFC 1 Maidenhead United 1 – Isthmian League Division 1
White, Fannon, Risley, Paxton, Grant, Comerford, Benstock, Hayes, Willock, Quinton, Braham Subs: Quinn, Oladeji Unused: Winger Scorer: Benstock
1996 BSFC 3 Chertsey Town 1– Isthmian League Premier Division
King, Wardley, Parkyn, Jordan, Shuttlewood, Walker, Hollamby, Bowers, Cherry, Ridout, Bensted Subs: Hooker, Forbes, Cooper Scorers: Hollamby, Cherry, ???
1993 BSFC 2 St Albans City 0 – Herts Charity Cup 2nd Round
King, Jordan, Harrigan, Edmonds, Hopkins, Walker, Das, T Burns, Fortune-West, L Burns, Ingielewicz, Subs: Scott, Unused: White Scorer: L Burns
1991 Dagenham 3 BSFC 0 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Taylor, Smith, Sailsman, Hopkins, Harrigan, Parnwell, Milbourne, Bedford, Miles, Sim, Burns, Subs: Lawford, Fearey
1985 BSFC 2 Windsor & Eton 5 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Taylor, Wickenden, Griffiths, Knapman, Hull, Smith, Hopkins, Tomkins, Hardy, Nunn, Newbury Sub: Avery Scorer: Hardy (2)
1976 BSFC 1 Hendon 0 – Isthmian League Division 1
Kitson, Tucker, Gough, Flack, Clarke, Smith, Leakey, Gaine, Dillsworth, Twigg, MacKenzie Sub: Davis Scorers: MacKenzie
1974 BSFC 0 Dulwich Hamlet 2 – Isthmian League Division 1
Moore, Gibson, Lawrence, Newman, Still, Webb, Leakey, Dear, Bass, Smith, Giggle
Sub: ???
1971 Enfield 1 BSFC 1 – Isthmian League
Partridge, Cooper, Sedgley, Lawrence, Still, Sharkey, Mitchell, Merrifield, Devaux, Duggan, Whyte Sub: ??? Scorer: Duggan
1968 BSFC 3 Leatherhead 1 – Athenian League Premier Division
Mollison, Haggar, Mitchell, Duggan, Gough, Hill, Gigg, Nisbet, Cheesewright, Chappell, Phillips Sub: ??? Scorer: Nisbet, Phillips (2)
1965 Stevenage Town 2 BSFC 1 – FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying Replay
Cherry, Rolph, Atkinson, Gough, Neeves, Duley, Taylor, Duggan, Baker, Saggers, Francis Scorer: ???
1963 BSFC 1 Harrow Town 2 – FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying
Cherry, Yell, Atkinson, Pope, Neeves, Rankin, Atkinson, Duley, Gough, Higgs, Francis
Scorer: ???
1957 Tuffnell Park Edmonton 2 BSFC 1 – FA Cup Preliminary Round
1946 BSFC 2 Lyons Club 6 – Spartan League Premier Division
Harding, Brooks, Johnson, R Tones, Search, Curran, Browning, Lambert, G Tones, Giles, Este Scorers: Lambert, Giles
1935 BSFC 3 Pinner 2 – FA Cup Preliminary Round
Knight, Baker, Chapman, Spring, Peck, Corke, Riches, Wood, Jarvis, Parratt, Morris Scorers: Jarvis (2), Morris
1932 BSFC 2 Letchworth Town 1 – Spartan League Division 1
Vasey, Spring, Chapman, Burt, Lawrence, Kimber, Little, Braithwaite, Badcock, Sparrow, Underdown Scorers: Little, Underdown
1929 BSFC 2 Wimbledon Strollers 1 – Friendly
