Dulwich Hamlet 1919/1920

The Greatest Ever Season  

Dulwich Hamlet are one of the most famous names in nonleague football history and their most revered son, Edgar Kail, is a player who has featured several times on this site thanks to his incredible goal-scoring record for Dulwich Hamlet and his elevation from amateur to full international.   

Kail had won two England youth caps during the years of the First World War and was a fresh-faced 18 year-old when competitive football resumed in 1919; it was a year in which Kail would help Dulwich establish themselves as the leading amateur club in the country. 

By the end of the 1919/20 season Dulwich Hamlet had won a whole raft of trophies including the Amateur Cup and the legend of Edgar Kail had been kindled with the youngster knocking in 38 goals at a rate of almost one a game. 

The 1919/20 Isthmian League season was delayed a week because of the weather; snow and ice wasn’t the problem but an incredible heatwave which had blanketed the country.  Football was banned by authorities concerned for the players health in the blistering conditions. 

The campaign began in a mixed fashion for Hamlet with Dulwich losing to London Calrdonians in the league and Arsenal in the London Challenge Cup after winning their opening two league matches.   

By November Dulwich Hamlet were topping the Isthmian League table and later that month defeated Nunhead, who would be rivals throughout the season on several different fronts, in the FA Cup.   

There was to be no further glory in the FA Cup as Dulwich were surprisingly beaten by Southampton side Thorneycrofts in the Sixth Qualifying Round; a result which stung the team into action as a week later they again defeated Nunhead to lift London Charity Cup; the clubs first silverware of the season to which the Surrey Senior Cup was soon added. 

After successfully fighting off the Ministry of Health who wanted to build offices on their Champions Hill ground Dulwich began their Amateur Cup campaign in fine style by hammering Wimbledon 9-2.    

With Kail really hitting his stride with eight goals in two games, Dulwich maintained their lead at the top of the Isthmian League though they did lose to Leytonstone in a replayed London Senior Cup semi-final.   

In the last 16 of the Amateur Cup Dulwich met the mighty Bishop Auckland at Champions Hill but two goals from Kail set them on their way to a 5-0 victory an a Quarter-final tie at Oxford City which they won by the odd goal in three.   

Bromley were beaten in the seni-final and 28,000 saw Hamlet  beat Isthmian League rivals Tufnell Park 1-0 in the Amateur Cup Final at Millwall.  Edgar Kail inevitably scoring the winner. 

Three days later Tufnell Park go their revenge by winning a league game at Champions Hill and suddenly the race for the Isthmian title was back on with Nunhead going into the final week two points ahead of Hamlet who had a game in hand.   

A 5-1 win in a heated match at Ilford meant Hamlet and Nunhead were level on points as the season approached its final Saturday.   

Nunhead won 2-0 at London Caledonians but Dulwich had to come from behind to beat the Civil Service 2-1 with Kail scoring the winner.  This was enough to give Hamlet the title on goal average to crown an incredible season.