We reach the 19th March and a day which holds a special place in the memory of some older supporters whilst more recent converts to the Hendonian cause have had rather less to cheer over the past 55 years.

1921 saw the first instance of the club taking to action on this day in a friendly against West Ham United’s reserve side and claimed a notable scalp with Cecils Wise and Burrage scoring in a 2-1 win at The Avenue Ground. On the same day Italian fascists shoot at a group of children from a train in Slovenia killing two and seriously injuring five others.

Four-years later, in 1925 as the future Pope John XXIII is created a bishop, a Thursday evening match against Summerstown in the Athenian League saw Hampstead Town win 5-1 and then a more traditional weekend match in 1927 saw Bromley beaten 2-1 at Claremont Road thanks to goals from G H Smith and Harry Shearcroft.

Five years later on the day the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened the roles reversed as Bromley hosted Hampstead and were the 2-1 victors on this occasion, A Cole scoring for the visitors. Half a dozen years later the club played the first, but certainly not the last 19th March cup semi-final as Finchley visited in the Middlesex Charity Cup and were beaten 2-1 thanks to goals from Billy Breagan and Fred Boston.

Moving past World War II and into the post-war landscape, 1949 saw Redhill come to Claremont Road in the Athenian League and go down 2-0 with Bill Reay and Bob Avis on target for the Greens. Southall were the next opponents in the Middlesex Senior Cup in 1955 and although Gerry Saffrey and Graeme Cunningham both scored either side of the interval it wasn’t enough to prevent an exit from the competition with the West Londoners winning 4-2.

There was a return to Middlesex Senior Cup action in 1960 with a semi-final against Uxbridge, once again at Southall, and Miles Spector was on target in a 1-1 draw to set up a replay and three years later a visit to Hitchin Town ended in another 4-2 defeat, this time in the Athenian League. David Bell and Jack Morley grabbed the Hendon goals.

1966 saw a trip to the North-East in the Amateur Cup for the second season running to take on Whitley Bay, this time in the semi-final of the competition at Roker Park. Influential pair Roy Drake and Danny Lakey were already missing when, five hours before kick-off goalkeeper John Swannell slipped and injured his back. Thankfully, after intense treatment Swannell was able to start the game.

Geoff Riddy opened the scoring for the Greens in the 1st minute with Roy Sleap adding the second. Former Hendon midfielder, Tony Knox, who had relocated to the North-East, grabbed a goal back for Whitley Bay from the penalty spot to set up a barnstorming finish. The Hendon programme described this game as John Swannell’s ‘finest hour’ as he was named man-of-the-match for a heroic performance that included a stunning save from a 30-yard piledriver in the closing stages of the tie. Game won, the Greens could look forward to a second consecutive Wembley appearance and a local derby against Wealdstone.

Having reached 19th March’s highpoint it’s not quite downhill all the way, but not far off. A 1968 visit to Kingstonian in the Isthmian League saw the K’s win 2-0 before a 1974 encounter against Walton & Hersham at Claremont Road ended without either side troubling the scoreboard operator.

The club’s first match on 19th March in the semi-professional era saw George Brooks grab the only goal of the game against Croydon in 1977. Six years later a visit to New Lodge and Billericay Town ended in embarrassment as ‘Ricay strolled to a 5-0 win.

In 1987 Dagenham came to Claremont Road in the quarter-final of the GMAC Cup, goals from Iain Dowie and substitute Danny Worley secured a 2-1 win – the club’s last win on 19th March to date – setting up a two-legged semi-final against Burton Albion. A year later in 1988 and Yeovil Town were held to a 0-0 draw at Claremont Road.

A highly-charged visit to Stevenage Borough only a matter of weeks after Victor Green had switched from Claremont Road to Broadhall Way taking two of the Greens’ prized assets with him in 1994 saw the champions-elect comfortably win 3-0 in Hertfordshire, this on the day that no fewer than 160,000 eggs were broken in the making of the largest ever omelette measuring in at 1,383 square feet in Yokohama (Yolkohama?), Japan.

Moving into the new millennium and a 2001 visit to Ship Lane saw a rare point gained against Purfleet thanks to a goalless draw and exactly a year later Harrow Borough took the points from a clash at Claremont Road by the only goal of the game that was scored by future Hendon man, Wayne Walters. Also in the Boro’ side that evening were Phil Gridelet, Mark Xavier and Davis Haule whilst Pat Gavin and Emond Protain, both on the bench, later had brief spells with the Greens.

Hampton & Richmond Borough kept the Greens looking over their shoulders in 2005 as they won 1-0 at The Beveree in the league and two years later the Beavers won again, this time at Claremont Road and 2-0. This meant that since the 1987 win over Dagenham the Greens had failed to score in six consecutive matches on 19th March.

That run was broken in 2011 by Belal Aite-ouakrim against Margate at Vale Farm in a match that bordered on the absurd. The visitors raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening quarter of an hour before Danny Dyer was dismissed for Gary McCann’s side. Aite-ouakrim reduced the arrears before Tommy Osborne saw red for Margate. Jamie Busby then levelled things a 2-2 just before the hour mark only for Wayne Wilson to grab the lead again for the Kent side with 25 minutes remaining. James Rogers became the third man to see red with fifteen minutes remaining, however in spite of having a man advantage in the closing stages the Greens were unable to get back on terms.

Of 21 matches to have taken place on 19th March there have been seven wins, four draws and ten defeats. 24 goals have been scored, only five of which have been netted since 1966, and 33 conceded.