There were 23 competitive matches reviewed in yesterday’s ‘on this day’ round-up and in the interests of consistency there are 23 competitive matches to be reviewed today as well. Whilst we see a greater number of wins today, just, we also see double the number of defeats.

It’s in 1920 that we begin today and with an Athenian League visit to Luton Clarence who dished out a considerable 6-0 thrashing in what those prone to superstition might declare a ‘bad omen’, however five years later any portents of doom were partially dismissed as a friendly against Dover United in 1925, as the team were on their way to foreign climes, ended in a 4-0 win. Ken Seabrooke scored twice along with one each for Freddie Young and Eric Irwin. Also occurring on this day, the Russian city of Tsartisyn was renamed Stalingrad and The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald was published for the first time.

A year later the club returned to domestic competitive action with a 2-1 home defeat against Bromley in the Athenian League, Oscar Reinke grabbing the Hampstead Town goal and then a decade later in 1936 the Greens reached their first London Senior Cup final by virtue of a 2-1 semi-final win over Ilford at Leyton. Billy Breagan and Eric Duffield were the goalscorers for Golders Green to set-up a final against Walthamstow Avenue.

Breagan was amongst the team a year later but not on target as Jack Bloxham and Fred Boston struck in a 2-2 Athenian League draw with Enfield, however he did score again, along with Boston a couple of years later in 1939 as the Green lifted their second Middlesex Senior Cup title. Wealdstone were the opponents at Finchley, Bob Thomas and Jock Ellison grabbed the other goals in what proved to be a comfortable 4-0 win in front of more than 4000 spectators.

George Bucci, who had appeared in the club’s three previous matches on 10th April grabbed a goal on a return to Finchley in 1943, this in the Middlesex Red Cross Cup which saw Golders Green go down 3-2, Cyril Goodchild netting the other goal, this on the day that the British 8th Army under General Montgomery occupied Sfax in Tunisia. Just a year later in the Herts & Middlesex County League D King scored the Golders Green goal in a 2-1 defeat at Leyton, this on the day that Soviet forces liberated the Black Sea port of Odessa from Nazi occupation.

Enfield provided the opposition again in 1948 back in the Athenian League and Bob Avis grabbed a hat-trick to help sink them in a 4-1 win, Bob Reay scored the other goal for the Greens. Half a dozen years later and Tooting & Mitcham came to Claremont Road and held the Greens to a 0-0 draw.

A 2-1 win over Barking in 1965 courtesy of a Jimmy Quail double-strike meant that the Greens knew that victory in their final league match against Leytonstone three days later would hand them a first Isthmian League title at just the second time of asking. Five years later in 1970 and as Paul McCartney officially announced that The Beatles had split, goals from Rod Haider, Keith Jameson and Peter Smith secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Woking.

A year later in 1971 as the US table tennis team arrived in China, Oxford City held the Greens to a 0-0 draw and then just two-years later in 1973 the club’s unbeaten league run made it into a 38th match as Woking once again provided the opposition, this time at Claremont Road, and Tony Bass’ goal secured a 1-0 success to celebrate the births of Brazilian footballing left-back Roberto Carlos and Scottish singer-songwriter Aidan Moffat, frontman of, amongst other acts, Arab Strap.

Walthamstow Avenue secured a straightforward 2-0 win in the league in 1975 before a second clash with Tooting & Mitcham United failed to produce so much as a goal in 1982. Two-years later the Greens’ barren run was extended to a third game as another trip to east London ended in another 2-0 defeat, this time against Leytonstone-Ilford, this on the day that American actress-singer Mandy Moore was born.

Stevie Parsons and Paul Shirt finally found the net again for the Greens in 1986 as they defeated Windsor & Eton 2-0 at Claremont Road, this on the day that Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile. Four-years later in 1990 Bromley secured a second 10th April win on a visit to North-West London as they won 2-0 at Claremont Road in the Isthmian League.

Frank Murphy, Gary McCann and Paul Whitmarsh all experienced an unhappy return to Champion Hill in 1999 as Dulwich Hamlet cantered to a 3-1 win over their former manager, goalkeeper and goal-getter and just a year later in 2000 a Freddie Hyatt penalty was enough to give the Greens a 1-0 win over Carshalton Athletic at Colston Avenue.

Bishop’s Stortford were the opponents in 2004 who put an end to the Greens’ 17-match unbeaten run, two goals from Glenn Southam in the final 20 minutes of the match doing the damage for Dave Anderson’s side. Half a dozen years later in 2010 the Greens were indebted to a late penalty save by Berkley Laurencin from former Hendon man Paul Johnson to secure a nervy 2-1 win over 9-man Ashford Town (Middx) who had earlier seen another former Green, Brian Haule, sent-off as well as defensive rock Russell Canderton.

We finish in 2018 as the Greens’ play-off charge suffered a setback as a rearranged visit to Lowestoft Town ended in a 2-1 defeat, Zak Joseph grabbing the Hendon goal in what proved to be their last non-penalty shoot-out defeat of the campaign.

Of the 23 competitive matches to have taken place on 10th April there have been 10 wins, three draws and 10 defeats. Only 29 goals have been scored with 33 conceded.