Blast from the past
Andrew Cornell looks back on Blues’ games on October 5th
Blues were last in action on October 5th three years ago when we warmed up for our televised FA Cup tie against Northampton Town with a 4-0 home victory against Gosport Borough. Sean Francis, Matt Johnson (right), Kyle Vassell and Cliff Akurang were on target against a side who went on to reach the FA Trophy final that season.
Prior to that we went more than a decade without playing a game on this date, after a home Isthmian League game against near neighbours Hitchin Town in 2002. We were in our first season back in the Premier Division and had made a reasonable start, being placed 10th after a dozen games while Hitchin were in 18th place.
On this occasion the league table was misleading as Hitchin came to Woodside Park and took all three points. The game started well with Freddie Hyatt having a free kick tipped away by Hitchin keeper Robinson but on 21 minutes the Canaries took the lead. Desborough in the Stortford goal misjudged a cross and Nick Grime sent a looping header into the net. Only 2 minutes later we were up against it with three quarters of the game still to go when Drew lobbed Desborough to make it 2-0 to Hitchin. The storm was weathered though and just after the half hour we were back in it when French set up Paul who rounded Robinson and calmly made it 2-1.
Just after half time French supplied another cross only for Vinnie John to head wide. Another chance went begging when Sugrue put Paul through only for the shot to hit the legs of Robinson. Plenty of regrets soon after when Nolan seized on Wolf’s header back to Desborough to restore the 2 goal lead for Hitchin. Just after the hour mark John pulled it back to 3-2 when Hitchin failed to clear a corner but the visitors saw out the rest of the game with only one worry when 16 year old James Parker shot just over the bar at the death.
Goinig further back into history there have been two bigwins on this date. In 1968 we were drawn against a famous old name in Corinthian Casuals in the FA Cup. Sadly for them the Casuals were famous in name only and Stortford won 9-0 at RhodesAvenue. Five years earlier we had were away to a more familiar name in Histon in an Athenian League game. We travelled to Bridge Road minus Gough and Rankin who were at a wedding and still won 8-1 thanks to 4 goals from Vousden.
A debut on this day in 1963 for Don Saggers. He played in an FA Amateur Cup Final at a young age for Walthamstow Avenue but picked up an almost career ending injury. A few years later he is playing for Stortford reserves and gets a chance in the first team against Histon. He goes on to make 99 appearances and score 47 goals – a pretty impressive strike rate.
2013 BSFC 4 Gosport Borough 0 – Conference South
Wright, Miller, Herd, Allen, Francis, McNaughton, Johnson, Church, Vassell, Akurang, Prestedge Subs: Sykes, Baker, Symons Unused: Asante, Adams
Scorers: Francis, Johnson, Vassell, Akurang
2002 BSFC 2 Hitchin Town 3 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Desborough, Denny, Taylor, Sugrue, Hannigan, Wolf, Hyatt, French, John, Paul, Southam
Subs: Langer, Parker, Hayes Unused: Wiltshire, Hayward Scorers: John, Paul
1996 BSFC 0 Heybridge Swifts 0 – Isthmian League Premier Division
King, Walker, Parkyn, Jordan, Shuttlewood, Cherry, Forbes, Hooker, Henry, Cooper, Bowers Subs: Riley Unused: Silenti, Smith
1991 BSFC 1 Staines Town 2 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Taylor, Bedford, Forey, Petrou, Harrigan, Went, Sailsman, Milbourne, Stewart, Lawford, Fearey Subs: Saggers Unused: Smith Scorer: Lawford
1985 BSFC 2 Barking 1 – Isthmian League Premier Division
Carrick, Wickenden, Tomkins, Knapman, Hull, Staunton, Hopkins, Griffiths, Hardy, Flynn, Newbury Sub: Smith Scorers: Griffiths, Flynn
1982 BSFC 2 Tiptree United 0 – East Anglian Cup 2nd Round
Welsh, Wickenden, Brown, Bradford, Gunn, Lawrence, Avery, Brooks, Sperrin, Simmonds, Sullivan Sub: Lynch Scorers: Brown, Simmonds
1974 Bromley 1 BSFC 2 – Isthmian League Division 1
Moore, Martin, Coombes, Gibson, Still, Newman, Leakey, Dear, Skeggs, Smith, Giggle
Sub Unused: Webb Scorer: Skeggs (2)
1971 BSFC 3 Clapton 1 – Isthmian League
Cherry, Sedgley, Lawrence, Lillington, Still, Sharkey, Tibbals, Mitchell, Devaux, Smith, Duggan Sub: Ryan Scorers: Devaux (2), og
1968 BSFC 9 Corinthian Casuals 0 – FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying
Mollison, Hammond, Haggar, Revill, Gough, Hill, Duggan, Nisbet, Gigg, Chappell, Phillips Sub: Cheesewright Scorers: Nisbet (2), Gigg (2), Cheesewright (2), Gough, Duggan, Chappell
1963 Histon 1 BSFC 8 – FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying
Cherry, Yell, G Atkinson, Rolph, Neeves, Rankin, D Atkinson, Duley, Vousden, Saggers, Francis
Scorers: Yell, Duley, Vousden (4), Saggers, Francis
1957 BSFC 4 Aylesbury United 2 – Delphian League
Fox, Lloyd, Booker, Sullivan, Carter, Beale, Wacey, Yates, Horton, Wilson, Francis
Scorers: Yates (2), Horton, og
1946 Hoddesdon Town 3 BSFC 2 – FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying
Sullivan, Day, Johnson, Brooks, Search, Skerritt, Elliott, Richardson, Giles, Lambert, Bentley Scorers: Giles, og
1940 BSFC 0 Army XI 9 – Friendly
1935 Pinner 2 BSFC 0 – Spartan League Division 1
Dixon, Barker, Perry, Spring, Peck, Wood, Riches, Polybank, Jarvis, Hanratty, Morris
1929 BSFC 1 Hitchin Town Res 2 – Spartan League Division 2 East
Harryman, West, Chapman, Bunyan, Mayes, Elliott, Bedwell, Thurley, Puncher, Robinson, Vaughan Scorer: Mayes
