Blast from the past
Andrew Cornell looks back at Blues’ games on April 15th
In 2003 we played one time regular rivals Hendon in a league game. After a bad start to our first season back in the Isthmian Premier Division we were facing relegation at one point but had a great run in the Spring and went into this game on a run of six successive wins.
Bad start for Blues as Gareth Gwillim was ill and Danny Wolf came in despite having played 90 minutes for the reserves the night before. It was a slow start to the game with both sides being cagey for the first quarter of an hour, and then suddenly the game got under way for real. Glen Southam got away from his marker and hit an unstoppable shot into the corner, out of David Hook’s reach.
Hendon responded and Ricci Crace fired over the bar but Blues were still on top and could have extended their lead just before the half hour mark. Victor Renner got on the end of a long ball and tried to chip the keeper but Hook got a hand to it and averted the danger. No more goals in the first half but a well deserved lead for Blues.
The second half saw the introduction of Owen Beale and Andy Aransiba, but Hendon nearly got an equaliser when a header hit the far post with Desborough beaten. Blues were still looking stronger though and doubled their lead just after the hour.
Russell Williamson took a corner, finding Dave Rainford on the corner of the box. Rainford’s excellent cross was then headed home by Rob Gould. Hendon sub Jack Midson, who would go on to be a favourite at Stortford, pulled one back for the visitors. He had only been on the pitch for a few minutes and showed great persistence to hang on to the ball and eventually beat Desborough.
With 10 minutes left Williamson was brought down in the box and the referee awarded a penalty. After a lot of arguing, if not intimidation from Hendon Rainford calmly scored from the spot to restore the two goal lead. Then, a few minutes later Tim Langer fired through a crowd of players to score Blues fourth goal. This took us into the top half of the table, a far cry from earlier relegation fears.
A brief note about a Herts Senior Cup game at St Albans that happened on this day in 1944. This was a wartime game and as we were not playing in any league and surviving mainly on friendlies against local Army and RAF teams, to hold St Albans to 4-3 was quite an achievement.
2003 BSFC 4 Hendon 1 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Desborough, Parker, Wolf, Riches, Gould, Southam, Langer, French, Renner, Rainford, Williamson Subs: Beale, Howell, Aransiba Not Used: Hayes, O’Neill,
Scorers: Gould, Southam, Langer, Rainford
1995 Kingstonian 1 BSFC 0 – Isthmian League Premier Division
King, Jackman, Edmonds, Claridge, Moore, Parratt, Luque, Cooper, Hollamby, Das, Walker
Subs: Burns Not Used: Fenton, Hopkins
1989 Tooting & Mitcham United 3 BSFC 2 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Mason, Jackman, Martin, Moore, McCayna, Cowley, Barker, Hopkins, Gayle, Greene, Ryan Subs: Milbourne, Zacchau Scorers: McCayna, Greene
1982 BSFC 1 Croydon 1 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Markwick, Brown, Brame, Smith, Bradford, Avery, Lynch, Knapman, Radford, Simmonds, Sullivan Sub Not Used: Worrell Scorer: Lynch
1980 BSFC 1 Hitchin Town 0 – Herts Charity Cup Semi-Final
Henry, I Smith, Bradford, M Smith, Blackman, Knapman, Coakley, Simmonds, Coote, Worrell, Mitchell Sub: Bass Scorer: Mitchell
1978 Hayes 0 BSFC 0 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Carrick, Perry, Tuddenham, Smith, Chattaway, Brame, Simmons, Neill, Blacktin, Dear, Dillsworth Sub: Robb
1972 Corinthian Casuals 3 BSFC 2 – Isthmian League
Moore, Sedgeley, Lawrence, Smith, Still, Sharkey, Mitchell, Merrifield, Devaux, Francis, Whyte Sub Not Used: King Scorers: Mitchell, Francis
1971 Tilbury 2 BSFC 1 – East Anglian Cup Semi-Final
Cherry, Lawrence, T King, Pannell, Neeves, Sharkey, Argent, Duffet, Devaux, Chappell, S King Sub Not Used: Trott Scorer: Devaux
1968 Walton & Hersham 0 BSFC 2 – Athenian League Premier Division
Cherry, Mitchell, Hewitt, Hammond, Durham, Atkinson, Battram, Duggan, Jones, Chappell,
Gough Sub Not Used: Neeves Scorer: ??????, Duggan
1967 Worthing 1 BSFC 3 – Athenian League Premier Division
Cherry, Atkinson, Abbott, Duley, Neeves, Pettipher, C Duggan, Gough, Nisbet, Ferguson,
P Duggan Sub: ?????? Scorers Gough, Atkinson, Ferguson
1964 BSFC 1 Aveley 2 – Athenian League Division 2
Cherry, Rolph, Atkinson, Gough, Neeves, Wilson, Taylor, Duley, Saggers, Smith,
Baker Scorer: Smith
1963 BSFC 1 Harlow Town 0 – Delphian League Cup 2nd Round
Cherry, Yell, Atkinson, Pope, Neeves, Wilson, Harkness, Collett, Gough, Smith,
Francis Scorer: Smith
1961 BSFC 4 Woodford Town 1 – Delphian League
Fox, Cook, Atkinson, Pope, Rolph, Horton, Wacey, Miller, Hollow, Thomas, Francis
Scorers: Atkinson, ??????, ??????, ??????
1950 BSFC 2 Epping Town 2 – Spartan League Division 1
Richardson, Earl, Bradford, Lambert, Hubbuck, Beatty, Giles, Milton, Brown, Elsey, Dutch Scorers: Milton, Brown
1949 BSFC 1 Willesden 2 – Spartan League Premier Division
Thain, Brooks, Bradford, Lambert, Hubbuck, Greenhalgh, Cropper, Yates, Giles, Mather, Page Scorer: Yates
1944 St Albans City 4 BSFC 3 – Herts Senior Cup
Harding, Fleming, Connolly, Mills, Howlett, Hickman, Kitchener, Hastings, Adams, Findlay, Elsey Scorers: Kitchener, Hastings, Adams
1939 RAF Henlow 1 BSFC 2 – Spartan League Division 1
Turnbull, G Clark, Hill, Polybank, Allen, Woods, B Clark, Myers, Lewin, Hanratty, Ward Scorer: B Clark (2)
1938 BSFC 2 Leighton United 1 – Spartan League Division 1
Turnbull, Day, Hill, Polybank, Ship, Wood, Miller, Hanratty, Allen, Woods, Herrington
Scorers: Allen, Herrington
1933 Marlow 5 BSFC 2 – Spartan League Division 1
Vasey, Johnson, Spring, Springham, Chapman, Little, Badcock, Braithwaite, Harknett, Cadby, Underdown Scorer: Badcock (2)
1927 BSFC 3 St Michaels (Grove Park) 2 – Friendly
1922 BSFC 1 Letchworth Town 2 – Herts County League
Boxall, Smith, Walker Thurgood, A Chapman, J Chapman, Clarke, Wright, Golder, Freeborn, Punter Scorer: Freeborn
