A Final Day in Hackney

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be at home and unable to follow the team to the Cup Final? Despite reports that North London was empty on the day when we first completed in the FA Cup Final  clearly many fans were still at home and their agonizing wait for news in the days before television or social media was recorded  by the Hackney and Kingsland Gazette.  
The following report appeared below their match report, with grateful thanks.

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“Great interest was taken in the match locally and by an early hour in the afternoon thousands of Hackney and Stoke Newington enthusiasts had been transported to the Palace. Scores of brakes, wagonettes, traps and other conveyances crammed full of partisans passed through Stoke Newington and Kingsland during the morning on route for Sydenham; and the Hotspur colours were freely displayed and everywhere predominant. Horses wore rosettes of blue and white, the lady occupants of vehicles carried parasols of the same colours, whilst there was scarcely a follower of the team who did not sport a hat band with the words ‘Buck up Spurs’ (1) inscribed thereon or some other token of favour.

People who were unable to go to the Palace awaited news of the game with impatience and the various places at which half time score and the result exhibited were literally besieged. One enterprising publican in Church Street, Stoke Newington had undertaken to publish the scores immediately  after the interval and full time.  The first message arrived safe and the score was duly declared as ‘one-all’  A large crowd then began to assemble excitement ran high and several of the crowd were indulging in some rather uncomplimentary words concerning the Post office telegraph system when a telegraph boy was espied in the distance, walking towards the house at a leisurely pace. The crowd bounded towards him full of interrogations. But the youth seemed deaf to the world, and simply continued on his way the mob following.  When about two hundred yards from the house the irate publican evidently annoyed at the late arrival of the telegram met the boy and demanded the message. Still the boy took no notice but walked leisurely as before until he entered the house amid howls of excitement from the crowd and placed the telegram on the counter. Telegraph boys can evidently be relied upon to do their duty even amid the excitement of an English Cup Final!

Had the Spurs won, instead of drawn it was intended to celebrate their victory with a torchlight procession from Dalston to Tottenham, As it was local enthusiasts contended themselves with cheering every vehicle that passed through bearing the Tottenham colours. They are hoping to hold the larger demonstration on the occasion of the replayed tie. When the Tottenham team passed through Kingsland and Stoke Newington shortly before nine o’clock they received a very hearty ovation; hats and flags were waved; and the shouting was almost deafening. We are pleased to say that not a single accident had been reported as a result of the heavy additional traffic through the district during the day."

COYS
Keith Harrison.
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Notes - 1- You will recall that ‘Buck up the Spurs’ was the slogan used by Abbotts Milk in their advert which I repeat above and first featured in
http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/talking-tottenham-the-1st-ad-break