Our first game on this day was in 1898, when Walthamstow Holborn were defeated 5-3 in the Walthamstow Charity Cup. This was – as the name suggests – a cup competition supporting charitable organisations in and around Walthamstow. We’d play sporadicly in the cup from the late 1890s until after the First World War. In 1898, the semi-final victory over Holbrn was followed by a 2-1 defeat in the final to Leytonstone.
12 years later, we drew 0-0 with West Ham in front of 10,000 at Upton Park. The Hammers had been involved in a replayed cup tie with QPR days before, and reports from the day suggest Leyton were rather sympathetic to their neighbours. United missed a penalty in a game in which “neither side really deserved to succeed”.
The days of playing as professionals in the Southern League came to an end after the War, and by 1920 we were playing Gnome Athletic in the Ilford Charity Cup – the result of that game remains unknown.
Fast forward to 1991, and Hendon were the visitors to the Hare & Hounds in the Isthmian League Cup. After a bright start to the game and an early goal from Henry Clark – his first for the club – Leyton-Wingate fell away and allowed Hendon to equalise before the break.
The Stags finished February of 2005 on a high with an emphatic win over Great Wakering Rovers.
After two early attacks from Rovers, the home side settled down to score after five minutes when Panayoitis Panayiotou headed home from a Chris Cashman free kick on the right of the penalty area.
The first half ended in teaming rain with both sides doing their best to come to terms with the slippery conditions.
The Stags sowed up the game in the second half but not before Rovers’ Dan Trenkel had headed wide when well placed with an open goal in front of him.
Then came a period of Stags pressure when they had two shots cleared from the Rovers’ line and another effort just over the bar.
On 86 minutes the ball was played through to Ian Cooper whose first time shot was blocked by Marrable. However, Paul Armand was on hand to stab the ball home. Two minutes later the game was over when Cox slipped the ball to Hasan Ugur Kardal five yards inside the penalty area: laid a square pass of to Patrick Lingoma (pictured left) to slam home the third.
The 3-3 draw with AFC Sudbury in 2014 was one which pretty much consigned the club to relegation to the Essex Senior League for the first time in its history. Sudbury were flying high but it was Forest who took an early lead with Leon Fisher poking home. Sudbury leveled just before the break, but goals from L’Hereaux Menga and Tunji Oyewale (pictured above, right in the away trip to Sudbury) scored to give Forest a seemingly unassailable 3-1 lead late in the second half.
And when Sudbury’s keeper was forced to go off when injured himself kicking Menga, it looked like job done, but Forest gave away two silly goals, and almost a third with the last kick of the game, to draw 3-3. On the face of it a point against Sudbury was a decent result, but the manner of the performance deflated Turgut Esendagli’s side, and they only won two more games all season.