On 9th January 1974 the national spotlight shone on Hendon Football Club like it never had before as the BBC TV cameras descended on Watford’s Vicarage Road in the midst of the three-day-week to take in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay against Newcastle United.

Having gone so close to upsetting the Division 1 club at St James’ Park four days previously the Greens – and the media – clearly sniffed a shock yet, unfortunately, there was none to be found as the Magpies won 4-0 to kick-start their run to the final at Wembley. For the Greens it was a case of reflecting on what might have been.

65-years earlier Christchurch Hampstead, the club’s in its original guise and competing in their inaugural season, overcame East Finchley Institute 6-0 on their way to the third division title in the Finchley District League.

In 1926 3,500 spectators packed into the Avenue Ground, which was in its final season as the club’s home, to witness Finchley triumph in a London Senior Cup tie 1-0, whilst 6-years later in an Amateur FA Senior Cup tie at Claremont Road Old Malvernians were humbled 5-1 thanks to goals from W Bramley (2), A Buchanan and a couple from the prolific Freddie Evans.

Goals from Bert Broadis and Johnny Browne weren’t enough to prevent an early exit in the FA Amateur Cup in 1937 as London Paper Mills won 3-2 and 6-years later Walthamstow Avenue came to Claremont Road to overcome Golders Green 1-0 in the wartime Herts and Middlesex County League. The side that day included two future club stalwarts, Bill Fisher and Roy Stroud who had made his 1st team debut at the age of 14.

The first two decades of the post-war era saw some success. Our current stablemates Edgware Town were beaten 2-0 at Claremont Road, John Core and Cliff Nock on the scoresheet, in a Middlesex Charity Cup tie in 1954 as the Greens went on to lift the trophy and six years on, Vauxhall Motors were beaten 3-0 at Claremont Road to kick-start the successful FA Amateur Cup campaign that ended with that famous 2-1 win over Kingstonian at Wembley. A couple of Miles Spector goals and one from Terry Howard enough to take Hendon through.

Moving onto 1965 and a virtuoso performance from the mercurial Peter Slade took Sutton United apart in front of 1,022 fans. His four goals, and one from Jimmy Quail, gave the Greens a 5-1 Isthmian League win against their Surrey rivals. Half a dozen years later and Alton Town held the Greens to a 1-1 draw in the FA Amateur Cup, Keith Jameson’s strike ensuring a replay the following week at Claremont Road and three years on came Hendon’s exposure on national television.

Mick Garrini was the hero in 1979 as his hat-trick helped the Greens to overcome Hayes 3-2 in a Middlesex Senior Cup tie at Claremont Road, that the last time the club managed a win on this day. As with yesterday we conclude our retrospective with three defeats.

Mark Furneaux’s goal in an Isthmian League Cup tie against Aveley wasn’t enough to prevent the Essex side returning with a 2-1 win in 1990 and 9 years later a trip around the M25 ended in the most predictable fashion as bogey-side Purfleet handed out a regulation punishment, beating Frank Murphy’s side 4-0. We end with another Isthmian League Cup tie and another defeat to a lower division side as Corinthian Casuals came away from Silver Jubilee Park in 2018 with a thoroughly deserved 3-1 success, Niko Muir’s penalty nothing more than a consolation.

Across the 14 matches played on 9th January only six have been won. There’s been a single draw and the remaining 7 ended in defeat. 29 goals have been scored in our favour and 23 conceded.
Tomorrow we see another Amateur Cup tie with Vauxhall Motors, another county cup clash with Edgware Town which brought with it the rarest of rare birds.