Programmes from Isthmian History: Puma Cup Final 1998

There was a time when the Isthmian League had so many cup competitions that researching them is really rather difficult.

The 1997-98 season saw Oxford City and Sutton United meet in the Guardian Insurance Cup Final- effectively equivalent to our current League Cup (Velocity Trophy) competition, whilst Bedford Town and Epsom & Ewell met in the Vandanel Trophy Final (Associate Members Cup), which was a competition for sides from Divisions Two and Three. You may wonder why we mention them when our programme is from the Puma Cup Final -a Members Cup competition competed for by teams from the Premier Division and Division One- but this programme is rather special. It features all six cup finalists, as it appears that the inner sixteen pages of the programme were used for every final, with only the front and back cover and the pages on the reverse of them specific to the match in question.

The match between Basingstoke Town and Hendon, played at Chesham United, featured sides who ended the 1997-98 campaign in our Premier Division, at that point sponsored by Ryman. Hendon would finish in fifth place, whilst Town ended the campaign in eighth- and this final would end in a four-one win for Hendon, in front of five hundred and fifty supporters. The scorers appear to be lost in the mists of time, unless someone, somewhere has the information!

That season, despite this final loss, was a momentous one for Basingtoke. They reached the Second Round of the FA Cup after wins over Havant Town, Bath City, Calne Town, Braintree Town, and Wycombe Wanderers after a replay, two matches between the sides ending in two-two draws before they won a penalty shootout at the Camrose. Five thousand and eighty five turned out to watch that match, still the record attendance for the club.

They took Northampton Town to a replay in the Second Round, but sadly on that occasion the Cobblers won the shootout.

Hendon also had a fine cup run that season, also reaching the second Round- although they didn’t have to start until the Fourth Qualifying Round. St Albans City were beaten two-one, and a two-two home draw in the First Round at home against Leyton Orient was followed by a one-nil replay win at Brisbane Road. A trip to Cardiff City came next, and that ended in a three-one defeat.

The other two matches?

Sutton United defeated Oxford City six-one to win the League Cup at Harrow Borough- City were also relegated from the Premier Division at the end of the season so that just about finished off a miserable campaign. In the Associate Members Cup, Bedford Town defeated Epsom & Ewell two-nil in a match played at Claremont Road, then the home of Hendon. Bedford ended the campaign fourth in Division Two, whilst Epsom had a mid table finish in Division Three.

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