With Hereford travelling to Hitchin this evening, pitch inspection pending, BN looks back to the FA Cup in 1994 when Hitchin knocked Hereford United out of the FA Cup.
This from the Hitchin OS:
The draw for the first round of the FA Cup paired Hitchin with Football League Division Three side Hereford United.
League form continued to be erratic but by now, Hitchin had their minds of other things. The game at Hereford captured the imagination of the public and some people felt this may be the Canaries best ever chance of claiming a scalp. Hereford were, after all, scrambling around the foothills of the Football League.
On Saturday November12 1994, a damp morning, the Hitchin party left for Hereford. The team and officials stopped for lunch at Ross-on-Wye and were treated like minor celebrities. When the floodlights came into view, the buzz on the coach became a noticeable silence. If there were pre-match nerves, it did not show in the game, for Hitchin played with tremendous spirit at Edgar Street and two moments of brilliance by Marshall – in the 29th and 43rd minute – gave Melvin’s side a 2-0 lead. Hitchin’s fans, massed behind the goal, some 500 strong, could not believe their luck. But the second half saw shell-shocked Hereford come out fighting and by the 58th minute, they had made it 2-2. In fact, they may have won the tie had the woodwork not intervened. By the final whistle, the Canaries were hanging on. The replay would create history.
Suddenly, everyone wanted to know Hitchin Town. There was strong demand for tickets and the TV cameras were at Top Field to record a memorable night. Hereford silenced the majority of the 3,098 crowd when they went a goal ahead with a soft header from Steve White. Jon Bone equalised in the 18th minute and the visitors received another blow when Richard Wilkins was sent off. Again, Hereford took the lead, though when Pick headed past Sylvester. After 53 minutes, it all-square again, Williams shooting home from Ian Scott’s perfectly placed through-ball. Micky Wilson gave Hitchin the lead after 62 minutes, a shot from the edge of the area. It was left to Marshall – who else? – to clinch a famous win, running through to shoot home as the crowd invaded the pitch and red flares were lighting up the sky and shrouding Top Field in smoke. As the people ran on, referee Graham Poll took the teams off but in the process, he had blown the whistle to end the game. So 4-2 to Hitchin, the club’s first FA Cup giant-killing.
Another article about the two games appeared on the website gameofthepeople.com
Here's some of the article:
Hitchin’s league season had been dire. They had barely won a game and had lost key players like Rob Johnson, Steve Conroy and Peter Gleasure. In the FA Cup, it was a different matter. Each round had its own tale to tell: comeback at Newmarket; Houdini escapology against Tiptree; likewise against Cambridge City; and rearguard action at Burton. When Hitchin won 1-0 at Burton’s Eaton Park, they reached the first round for the first time since 1978.
Those who witnessed this FA Cup run will recall the journey home from Burton and the stop-off at Crick in Northamptonshire. There was an ecstatic celebration party, orchestrated by the late Alan Sexton and current President Tony Huckle, where beer flowed, whisky glasses clinked and a veritable feast was devoured. When the draw was made for round one 24 hours later, it paired Hitchin with Hereford United. Some were disappointed, but this was an opponent with FA Cup heritage – 1972 and all that.
Nobody gave Hitchin much chance at Edgar Street, but the club was determined to enjoy its moment in the spotlight. The pre-match arrangements, again put together by then club secretary Alan Sexton, included lunch in Ross-on-Wye at Pengethley Manor. Nerves were starting to build and when we arrived at the hotel, guests viewed the track-suited team and club officials with no small measure of curiosity. When Football Focus mentioned the tie at Hereford, muted cheers could be heard. Tweedy residents , looked up from their newspapers, smiled and decided it was time to move on!
As the team coach neared Edgar Street, everyone fell quiet. Manager Andy Melvin and his number two, that “rock and roll footballer” Robin Wainwright, were normally ebullient at the front of the coach, but even they seemed to be in awe as the floodlights came in view.
Hereford were welcoming. Their chairman, Peter Hill, who looked more like a racing correspondent for the Times than a football man – all felt hat and camel coat – explained that even a small club like Hereford came under pressure from fans to succeed. He revealed that this had extended to his horses being attacked at some stage by unhappy supporters.
As for Hitchin’s fans, they were in clover. A large gathering behind the less-than-steep terracing was in fine voice, while up in the stand, a flare went off just before kick-off. Alan Sexton, never comfortable sitting among the politburo, opted to join the terrace folk. He left the stand, walked around the permimeter and climbed into the terrace area with the Hitchin crowd chanting, “There’s only one Alan Sexton”. He enjoyed that. We enjoyed that.
The game got underway and Hitchin shocked the home team. Two outstanding Shaun Marshall goals gave the Canaries a 2-0 lead. We could barely control our emotions in the stand, especially as our hosts were sitting all around us. At half-time, it was difficult not to get over-excited as Hill and his colleagues refreshed us with coffee and cake. We began to speculate who we might be drawn against in round two.
Hereford
had other ideas, and came back to level 2-2. One goal was slightly
dubious, Jon Bone getting pushed into Gerry Sylvester, but by the end of
the game, Hitchin were hanging on. Never mind, there was the prospect
of a replay. But the logistics were very taxing. And waiting for Hitchin
were Wycombe Wanderers or Gillingham. I recall the days leading up to
the replay with a wince or two. As press officer I was suddenly deluged
with enquiries from the media. Furthermore, I was – for some strange
reason – asked to put my signature on the safety certificate for the
ground, the limit for which had been set at 3,100. With TV cameras
present and national journalists in attendance, the big game atmosphere
was something to be savoured. But it also highlighted the challenges a
small non-league club faced when it came to a game of such high profile.For a start, segregation was an issue. But, not for the first time, the club’s behind-the-scenes heroes, people like John Moon and Richard Bunyan, came to the fore. The “segregation” was indeed improvisational, a truckload of builders’ fencing perched, somewhat precariously, on the Ickleford end of the ground. Stewarding was another requirement and the local refereeing association was dragooned into action.
As for the game, it was all a blur. Hereford took the lead twice, but each time, Hitchin responded, through Jon Bone and then Gary Williams. Irishman Micky Wilson, whose career with the club was very brief, gave Hitchin a 3-2 lead, prompting enquiries from the press as to his background and career. Of course, they were dying to know that Wilson built roads and his tar-encrusted van sat in the Top Field car park. Whatever happened to Micky Wilson became a regular tap-room discussion at the club in the years that followed. They’re still trying to find out!
The game was decided in the final seconds. Hitchin broke and Marshall raced clear of the defence and rifled in a low shot. Smoke filled the pitch and to borrow from Kenneth Wolstenholme, “there were people on the pitch…they thought it was all over”. The goal made it 4-2 and the crowd streamed on, but the final whistle had not been blown. Referee Graham Poll took the teams off. Confusion reigned.
I was sent into the dressing room to find out what was happening. “Graham, is the game over,” I asked the referee, sweat dripping down his face as he sat swigging a drink.
“I blew the whistle, didn’t I?”.
“So it’s over, then?”.
“Yes mate, you’ve won.”
This was the catalyst for joyous mayhem on the pitch. Supporters – most of whom had never been seen at Top Field before or since – walked across the pitch. TV and radio were seeking the thoughts of Andy “I’m a lucky man” Melvin and in the days that followed, he became something of a minor celebrity.
In the boardroom, Hereford were gracious in defeat. Chairman Hill was sportsmanship personified: “Enjoy it. We’ve been in that position ourselves. Enjoy every moment.”
And we did.