editor
hiraethified
Err, that's 14 years ago and we're now regularly attracting the kind of immense crowds at home that we could only have dreamt about back then.
In recent times, when was the last time we played in front of a crowd so small?
Kingstonian v Hamlet (Isthmian League Cup) REVISED DATE Tuesday 7th November
- Thread starter Pink Panther
- Start date
In recent times, when was the last time we played in front of a crowd so small?
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
"Recent times" depends upon personal perspective. About three quarters of my time following the club had more in common with the era of small attendances than the current one.
The last promotion season 6 years ago included away attendances of 119 at Brentwood and 125 at Hornchurch in this competition, when our home league average was around 1,500 and there was much more incentive for our supporters to travel with a winning team.
Last night wasn't our home game and most supporters of all clubs never go to away games. I haven't missed a home game for nearly 2 years but I didn't go last night. If we'd taken 250 last night it would still have meant 90% of our average crowd "didn't bother to show up". If Kingstonian were still playing at Kingsmeadow this fixture would probably have pulled 200-300, regardless of whether or not any additional Hamlet supporters were tempted along. I hope they can find a suitable new home in Kingston asap, but last night's attendance figure is largely down to Kingstonian's misfortune.
Bugpowder Dust
Well-Known Member
There was only 154 there when we played Wingate and Finchley last month.
editor
hiraethified
I hate the way that the club treats cup games. A cup run can really boost a club, its players and supporters, even in the midst of a shitty league season.
editor
hiraethified
JohnD58
New Member
I know it's probably an optical illusion but isn't that a speed bump on the goal line in the third photograph?
pompeydunc
Well-Known Member
Me too.
Hamlet Pete
Well-Known Member
Expect a swift exit of the London Senior Cup soon then and that will be all the 'unimportant' games out of the way and we can carry on with our blistering league campaign
editor
hiraethified
I'd rather have a decent cup run and end up in 14th place then intentionally sack them off and end up in 10th. If I'd known his attitude towards cup games I wouldn't have bothered showing up on Tuesday night.
Does the rest of the club admin go along with his attitude on cup games?
Hamlet Pete
Well-Known Member
Meanwhile Yeovil Town have reached the 1st round of the FA Cup 53 times as a non-league club...
I've asked it before, what is it when players put the Dulwich Hamlet shirt on in a cup competition? They seems destined to lose from the start
I've asked it before, what is it when players put the Dulwich Hamlet shirt on in a cup competition? They seems destined to lose from the start
editor
hiraethified
The manager's shit attitude might be part of the reason for our recent swift exits from cup competitions.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
It might be part of the reason for this particular defeat. We picked our regular team for the FA Cup and Trophy defeats, and he can hardly be held responsible for our historic mediocrity when he only arrived after we'd been knocked out of all last season's cup competitions.
The FA Cup qualifying rounds were always rigged to help the most successful qualifiers by helping them to qualify repeatedly, and now all the National Division clubs get those exemptions. Yeovil will only have needed to win one qualifying match in most of those 53 seasons. This season is an exception since they were relegated to National South, but they look like bouncing straight back
When Hamlet were regularly appearing in the 1st Round in the 1930s we were exempt until the final qualifying round. We were never drawn against another non-league club, which is part of the reason we've never reached the 2nd Round.
Our record of only 3 appearances since WW2 is both shocking and inexplicable, given how many different teams and managers are involved.
Hamlet Pete
Well-Known Member
I've been there for two of those, suppose I should be grateful for that
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
That would have been for the Amateur Cup winners/finalists and possibly semi-finalists. FA Trophy finalists were also handed a 1st Round place until around 20-25 years ago, before the FA restructured the qualifying rounds with the point of entry determined purely by league status.
Paula_G
Flitting in & out like Tinkerbell on Meth
That said we rarely lost to the giants of league football in those 1st Round games going down to the likes of Torquay, Newport County, Plymouth Argyle and twice to Swindon Town who have a genuinely appalling record against non league including losing to Tooting and this season’s absolute nadir giving Aldershot a seven goal start before the game finished 4-7!
Not got all the stats but we have played at least two non league clubs, losing 4-0 to Ilford of the Isthmian League in 1927/28 and of course Southport then of the Conference in that famous game. That said I’m guessing you referring to the golden age of the 1930s as opposed to our entire FA history?
Paula_G
Flitting in & out like Tinkerbell on Meth
I believe that our membership status within the FA then may have also helped?
Very much so accordimg to some contemporary reports. When our exemption was removed the club refused to enter for a season in protest. The FA ignored them and Hamlet re-entered the following season.
Hamlet were usually exempted until the final qualifying round irrespective of recent performance. First Round exemptions in the 30's usually went to the Amateur Cup winners and Corinthians. Corinthians were sometimes given a further extension, they entered in the 3rd Round in 1930.
Hamlet were usually exempted until the final qualifying round irrespective of recent performance. First Round exemptions in the 30's usually went to the Amateur Cup winners and Corinthians. Corinthians were sometimes given a further extension, they entered in the 3rd Round in 1930.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
I was referring to the sequence of 1st Round appearances (11 times in 12 seasons) when we never had to beat more than one opponent to get there. I overlooked the defeat to Ilford.
You'd expect us to have beaten at least one or two of those opponents, although Plymouth were consistently one of the strongest teams in the draw with 6 consecutive 2nd place finishes before finally winning the Division 3 South championship (and promotion) in 1929/30, the season they beat us 3-0 at Champion Hill.
Our best efforts were a pair of Desmonds at home to Newport County in 1930/1 and 1933/4 but each time we lost the replay. There were odd goal defeats at home to Torquay in 1934/5 and 1935/6, and Aldershot in 1937/8, which look like the sort of games we'd expect to have won, given the strength of our teams in that era.
Other opponents included Southend (twice), Swindon (twice) and Merthyr Town, who were a Football League club for most of the inter-war era. There was also a 5th Qualifying Round defeat against Charlton Athletic in 1924/5 before the competition was restructured as we know it today.
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