Records were broken at Clarence Park on Saturday when St Albans City, entertaining Aylesbury United in the Spartan League, scored 14 goals against none by their opponents. Owing to three members of their team missing the train, Aylesbury played with eight men until a few minutes before the interval and during that period the City scored again and again with ridiculous ease, with the result that when the Aylesbury eleven was completed there were eight goals on the books.
The Saints might have then with reason have been expected to be satisfied, but they continued to pierce the visitors’ defence and in the end had accumulated 14 goals, in addition to which there was one offside goal and one missed penalty.
Hammond claimed no fewer than six of the goals, the others being credited to Edmonds(four), Clark(3), and Michell. Hosier was, therefore, the only forward who failed to score but his splendid wing play provided the other forwards with many opportunities. R.S.Hammond’s six goals are a record for the Club(1)
as is also the record score of 14 goals to nil(2). The previous “bests” were the five goals by Willie Hughes against Luton Clarence in a memorable Boxing-day match and the score of 12-1 against Boxmoor in the County League during the same season.
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During the week Mr.Fox, the City F.C. secretary, received the following letter from the Aylesbury Hon.Sec., with permission to publish it in the local press:-
“My committee desire to express their sincere regret as to what took place on Saturday last. They feel that it was no credit to themselves as a club and must be injurious to the management of the Spartan League and can give no satisfaction to your club and indeed your supporters. We are, however, tempted to say that we turned out our best team, but it was due to three of our players missing their train at Leighton Buzzard that caused us to take the field with eight men.
I gave the three players in question instructions to travel by the 1.40 train from Leighton Buzzard and informed them that we would join them at Cheddington Junction at 1.47. The missing of the train at Leighton Buzzard appears to have been due to some misunderstanding between another would-be passenger and the booking clerk. They telegraphed me at St Albans to the effect that they would arrive at about 3.45, but the next train from Leighton Buzzard to Watford was half-an-hour late, hence the lateness of their arrival at St Albans.”
Reprinted from “The Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times” 26th October 1912.
1 The record has since been beaten, famously, by Wilfred Minter with seven goals in 1922 and equalled by Charlie Bunce in 1935 and Steve Clark in 1994.
2 To date this record has not been equalled or beaten. |
