On This Day: 21st February

Greensnet Editor
Sun 21 Feb 2021, 16:48

Today’s look back at action on 21st February is top and tailed competitively by Middlesex Senior Cup ties against Barnet. However, we begin in 1920 and a friendly against a Millwall XI at The Avenue Ground which the Lions won by game’s only goal.

It was in 1925 that competitive action got underway with a visit to the Bees in the Middlesex Senior Cup and two goals apiece from Oscar Reinke and Cecil Wise saw a comfortable 4-0 win on the same day that the New Yorker magazine was first published. In 1931 Hampstead visited Redhill in the Athenian League and lost 4-2, Freddie Young and Stan Moore with the goals. No doubt those travelling back after the game could have done with some Alka-Selzer which hit stores for the first time but, alas, unlikely at Redhill station.

1942 saw a return to Middlesex Senior Cup action and for the second week running Finchley beat Golders Green following up their 5-0 win in the London Senior Cup with a 2-1 success this time out, Cyril Goodchild grabbing the visiting side’s consolation. Then, in 1953, it was back to the Athenian League and another local derby as Arthur Phebey and Cliff Nock scored to beat Wealdstone 2-0.

A thrilling Amateur Cup tie in 1959 against Leytonstone saw six-goals shared, Jimmy Quail, Tommy Lawrence and Micky Moore grabbing the Hendon goals and yet another Middlesex Senior Cup tie in 1970 ended 5-0 against Harefield United, Rod Haider leading the way with two goals that were added to by Bobby Wilson, John Wilson and Paul Collett.

Alan Phillips, Tony Field and John Baker were on target in 1976 in the same competition as Feltham were beaten 3-1 and the success continued in 1981 as a visit to Southbury Road in the Isthmian League saw Baker again on target along with Kevin Folan twice to beat Enfield 3-0.

In 1985 Farnborough won an Isthmian League Cup tie at Claremont Road by the only goal of the game and a couple of years later in 1987 Iain Dowie struck twice to sink Bognor Regis Town at Nyewood Lane in the league.

11-years on and Paul Whitmarsh struck in 1998 to sink his old club Dulwich Hamlet at Claremont Road in a 2-1 win, the striker also clearing one off the line in the second half and the hitman repeated the trick two years later with a couple of goals against Heybridge Swifts to beat them 2-0.

2004 saw Ricci Crace come off the bench to add to Dwayne Plummer’s strike to defeat Kingstonian 2-0 at Claremont Road before a fourth match against Fisher in the 2005/6 season saw the South London outfit knock Gary McCann’s side out of the Isthmian League Cup 1-0. The two sides would meet once more later in the campaign and that goal remains the only goal conceded by the club on 21st February in the 21st Century, a run stretching across 7 games.

Brian Haule was the hero in 2009 as he came off the bench to score twice as Heybridge Swifts were once again beaten 2-0, this time at Scraley Road and in 2012 Carl McCluskey grabbed the winner to edge the Greens past Hanworth Villa in the London Senior Cup.

We end with two Middlesex Senior Cup ties, the first in 2017 against Wealdstone at Silver Jubilee Park which finished 0-0 and saw the Stones triumph on penalties. In the Wealdstone side that day were three current Greens – Jonathan North, Eddie Oshodi and Joe White, who came off the bench – whilst there were four others who had played for, or would go onto play for the club in Josh Walker, Elliott Godfrey, Scott McGleish and Tom Hamblin named in the squad.

Finally, a year later, Graham Westley brought his League 2 strugglers from Barnet to SJP and saw them ditched out of the Middlesex Senior Cup 2-0 thanks to goals from Harold Joseph and Harly Wise – a result that took the Greens into another Middlesex Senior Cup final against Staines Town.

Of the eighteen matches played to date on 21st February, 12 have been won with just the single draw and 5 defeats. 36 goals have been scored and just 14 conceded.