On This Day: 1st March

Greensnet Editor
Mon 01 Mar 2021, 12:26

The history of Hendon Football Club on a day-by-day basis marches on unabated into the third month of the year, March.

1913 saw a local derby against Kilburn in the London League 1st Division and the Hendon Times & Guardian reports that ‘play ruled greatly in favour of Hampstead throughout the game and only weak finishing, combined with an excellent display by their opponents, prevented the Town putting up a large score.’ W Guscott grabbed the only goal of the game for Town’s opponents in the final ten minutes.

1st March 1919 saw the beginning of the Samil, or March 1st, movement in Korea demonstrating their resistance to Japanese occupation and it also saw a friendly against local aeroplane manufacturers Handley-Page which was won 4-3 by the works team, C Guy, W Darvill and Dennis Bullough grabbed the goals for Hampstead Town. Five years later there was another friendly, this time away at Walton on Thames in which Freddie Young, Cecil Wise and Ken Seabrooke all scored in a 3-0 win, this on the day that the nationwide ban on the German Communist Party was lifted.

In-between those two matches there was a rare midweek match in 1922 as Cheshunt visited in the Middlesex Charity Cup and played out an astonishing 11-goal thriller that was won 6-5 by Hampstead Town. Travers Day netted a hat-trick that was added to by Reg Kirby, S Howard and H White.

In 1930 a local Athenian League derby against Enfield ended 2-2 with Vic Gardner and Bill Butland on target and seventeen years later in 1947, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began operations, a future Silver Jubilee Park derby against Edgware Town in the Middlesex Senior Cup ended 4-0 at Claremont Road with Bernard Bryant scoring twice, Melvyn Griffiths and Bill Prior nabbing a goal each.

The Greens were knocked out of the London Senior Cup by eventual champions Finchley in a tie played at Southall in 1952, John Westmore and Roy Stroud scoring the Greens’ goals in a 4-2 defeat on the day that Heligoland was returned to West Germany by Britain and half a dozen years later, as Gary Sobers turned his maiden test century into a test-match record 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston, Jamaica, Miles Spector overshadowed hat-trick scorer Tommy Lawrence by grabbing four in an 8-1 Athenian League trouncing of Hounslow. Roy Thomas had to make do with just the single goal in 1958.

Roy Sleap, Bobby Cantwell and Laurie Churchill were all on target in a 3-1 win over Barking in a 1966 Isthmian League match, this on the day that Venera 3 became the first spacecraft to make an impact on Venus and three years later in 1969 St Albans City were comfortably despatched 3-0 in the London Senior Cup as the Greens marched on into the semi-finals. Paul Collett netted twice and Peter Anderson the other.

A 1971 Isthmian League match against Ilford saw the Greens triumph by the odd goal in five, Micky Cannon grabbed two goals with John Baker the other and in 1975 as colour television transmission begins in Australia Eggie James’ goal was unable to prevent defeat at Stompond Lane as Walton & Hersham won 2-1.

Two years later in 1977 Claremont Road suffered humiliation as Weymouth trounced the Greens 5-1 in an FA Trophy replay, John Butterfield’s goal not even much of a consolation on the day that Charlie Chaplin’s coffin and remains were removed from a Swiss cemetery as part of an extortion plot. That was the club’s final home match on 1st March to date.

The first of the 40-plus year run of away matches began in 1980 at Earlsmead as a visit to Harrow Borough ended without score before a 1983 visit to Dulwich Hamlet saw the Greens handsomely ride to a 5-1 win. Desmond Dennis led the way with a hat-trick that was added to by Devon Gayle and Billy Stagg.

It was back to Earlsmead in 1986 as the Greens overcame their hosts in a Middlesex Senior Cup tie 3-2 with Tony Gibson, Colin Tate and Dereck Brown on target before the Green shirted 10-men held on in 1988 at Slough Town following the dismissal of Phil Gridelet.

Moving onto 1997 and Andy O’Brien suffered his first defeat in caretaker charge as Kingstonian won 2-1 at Kingsmeadow, Junior Lewis grabbing the Hendon goal on the day that Sugar Ray Leonard suffered is one and only KO, prompting his retirement after the bout and 2001 saw a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Uxbridge in the Middlesex Senior Cup even though the defeat was probably a blessing in disguise given that the Greens still had 21 league matches – half the scheduled total for the season – to play.

A tight game in 2003 at Buckingham Road saw an own goal grab the points against Aylesbury United, Dave Anderson’s side grabbing a 1-0 win and we finish today’s round-up as long ago as 2008 when a visit to Mid-Sussex saw Horsham beaten 2-1 thanks to strikes from Brian Haule and Belal Aite-ouakrim.

Of 19 matches to have taken place on 1st March, ten have been won with three draws and six defeats. 42 goals have been scored and 28 conceded