Arguably one of the most ridiculous English football games of the 20th century; especially in the FA Cup had drama galore.
It was a bitter Wednesday, November 22, 1922; an FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying Replay after a 1-1 result in the first game between St Albans City of the Athenian League and Dulwich Hamlet in the Isthmian League; both at the time being heavyweights of amateur football.
Played at Champion Hill, London, the atmosphere was understood to be electric with ‘official’ gate numbers at 4,060 with midweek crowds in this era being notoriously underestimated.
In somewhat of a personnel crisis, both teams were playing without their first choice goalkeepers, which is what makes this story so comical.
It Was Raining Goals From One Man
After Dulwich took an early 1-0 lead, St Albans quickly responded through Wilfred Minter who scored a 15-minute hat-trick without reply to put his side 3-1 up. However, the pendulum swung promptly as Dulwich responded ferociously, exploiting the fading later afternoon winter light as they went 5-3 up in what was an extraordinary turn of events.
As the game wore on and the interval came and went, fans were clearly enjoying themselves, the atmosphere was charged and expectation circled the ground with both teams expecting more goals.
They were duly rewarded in what was becoming one of the craziest end-to-end matches ever seen. In what was almost a display of defiance, Minter duly responded. With another hat-trick and put St Albans back in the lead with the scoreline stood at 6-5 to St Albans with the clock running down and the crowd getting angsty.
In dramatic fashion, Dulwich equalised quickly and then went 7-6 ahead in what was a rapid-fire few minutes, however, the game wasn’t done.
The phrase “They Think It’s All Over, It Is Now”, was coined in the 1966 World Cup Final as England beat West Germany 4-2 in extra time with forward Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick, though if there was commentary in the 1920s, it would certainly have been apt in this game.
In the 86th minute, there was another twist as Minter rose in the penalty area to head in an equaliser taking the game to 7-7 setting up a tense climax. And then, with light effectively having disappeared, Dulwich scrambled in an 8th goal as St Albans lost 8-7 leaving ‘Saints’ fans distraught, not to mention Minter who had scored all seven goals.
The Tragic-Comic Record Holder
stalbanscityfc.com
To this day, Minter still holds the record in the FA Cup for the most goals scored by a player on the losing side. One that probably won’t be broken.
In what was an interesting turn of events, Minter was carried off the pitch at the end of the game on the shoulders of, not his own fans but the opposition supporters who recognised they had witnessed something special.
Minter finished his career with 365 goals in 362 games for St Albans and is remembered as a local hero. Despite his legendary status, after he died in 1981 he was buried in an unmarked grave.
In 2017; 95 years after the historic game, St Albans fans and historians officially recognised Minter in a heart-warming gesture, raising the money to finally give him a proper headstone.
