Football Club chairman Kevin Borrett and Secretary John Lines were among those captivated by Parker's recollections of the famous match at Meadow Lane in 1947, the club's first ever appearance in the first round of the FA Cup, a match attended by a youthful Frank King - now, of course, President of Horsham FC. "When you think about it," recalled Parker, "Notts County had seven ex-internationals playing for them, including the great Tommy Lawton of course so we really didn't have a prayer. So when we took a first minute lead they couldn't believe it, and neither could we !" "We should have scored another one, too" added Frank King, for whom the memory of Charlie Hemsley's close range miss seemed as clear as if it had happened that very morning.

Parker was quick to point out that the result, a 9-1 loss, failed to dampen the spirits of the players who were only too aware of the importance of their achievement. "We gave them a good game and were only 3-1 down at half-time but then we just got so tired that they scored 6 more in the last 20 minutes or so. But we got something like £1,000 for that match which helped set the club up for quite a while after."

Jokes and memories were exchanged freely to create an atmosphere of conviviality inside the boardroom on an otherwise frustrating afternoon and Wilkins' own contribution to Horsham Football Club was recognised when he became the latest recipient of the Gold Pass, presented to him by the chairman. The one-time centre-half, who would go on to become a highly-respected referee and cricketing umpire, made special mention of Hammond during his brief acceptance speech. "I think its wonderful what Adam has done by putting this book together. It's marvellous to think that this period of the club's history has been recorded like this. Its absolutely wonderful and I shall look forward to reading it."

A further highlight came when Albert King produced his match shirt from some 60 years before, a stunning piece of memorabilia that bears little resemblance to those worn by today's players; the thick, rough fabric maintaining its vivid amber and Lincoln green colours and the chunky club badge still proudly adorning the breast.

There was just one final act for these congenial guests to undertake before going their separate ways once more, that of satisfying a host enthusiastic autograph hunters as copies of Hammond's book were snapped up and eagerly thrust under their collective noses. And, although it has been a while since these true gentlemen of the game would have revelled in the limelight, you can't help but think that there will be more to come as more and more people read of their exploits thanks to Hammond's meticulous dedication to keeping the proud history of our club alive.