We are pleased to announce that we are hosting another four team pre-season tournament at Silver Jubilee Park on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th July.
The cup will be sponsored by SJP and will be called the SJP Community Cup, and we are grateful to the team at SJP for their continued support of the club.
The other teams taking part are Hemel Hempstead Town, Hitchin Town and Hayes & Yeading United.
The format will be the same as last season, with semi-finals on the Saturday, and the 3rd/4th play-off and final on the Sunday. The draw and kick off times will be announced nearer the time.
Posted at 10:36
Arthur Lee, who won three player of the year awards last season, has committed to the club for the new season and signed a contract.
We are delighted that Arthur has agreed to sign a contract as Gary continues to build his squad for the new campaign.
Posted at 15:27
We will travel to VCD Athletic for our final Saturday pre-season friendly on 5th August, kick off 3:00pm.
Posted at 11:46
Our latest pre-season friendly has been confirmed, and we will be entertaining Ebbsfleet United at SJP on Tuesday 25th July - kick off 7:30pm.
Ebbsfleet returned to the National League National Division a couple of weeks ago after beating Chelmsford City in the National League South play-off final.
Posted at 12:08
The latest batch of snowball draws were made ahead of our final game of the season. The prize winners are as follows.
January
First prize - £279.00 - ball number 195
Second prize - £139.50 - ball number 90
February
First prize - £282.00 - ball number 8
Second prize - £141.00 - ball number 177
March
First prize - £276.00 - ball number 165
Second prize - £138.00 - ball number 163
All prize winners will be contacted shortly if they haven't been already.
Posted at 10:09
A further friendly has been confirmed and we will travel to Brighton to play Whitehawk on Saturday 29th July - kick off 3:00pm.
Posted at 17:38
Our first away friendly has also been arranged and will be at Dunstable Town on Saturday 22nd July at 3:00pm.
Posted at 12:07
Our first friendly for the summer has been arranged and is a home game against Hanwell Town. It will take place on Tuesday 11th July at 7:30pm and admission will be free.
Posted at 11:11
We are pleased to announce that Tom Lovelock has signed a contract for the new season. Tom joined us midway through the past season and made 21 appearances, playing an important part in our relegation survival.
Gary McCann is delighted to have secured Tom's services as he looks to build the squad from the back ahead of the new campaign and he is hoping to be able to confirm more about the squad in the days and weeks to come.
Posted at 17:27
The FA have this morning released the league allocations for Steps 1 to 4 for the 2017-18 season, with the big news affecting us being that Harrow Borough have been reprieved. This is due to the fact that Worcester City have been placed in Step 5 due to their financial situation.
Coming into the division are Margate, who are relegated from National League South, whilst the promoted clubs are Brightlingsea Regent, Dorking Wanderers (both of whom we've never played before), Tooting & Mitcham United and Thurrock.
The full list, which will be finalised at the Isthmian League AGM in June, is as follows :
Billericay Town, Brightlingsea Regent, Burgess Hill Town, Dorking Wanderers, Dulwich Hamlet, Enfield Town, Folkestone Invicta, Harlow Town, Harrow Borough, Hendon, Kingstonian, Leatherhead, Leiston, Lowestoft Town, Margate, Merstham, Metropolitan Police, Needham Market, Staines Town, Thurrock, Tonbridge Angels, Tooting & Mitcham United, Wingate & Finchley, Worthing.
The new season is scheduled to start on Saturday 12th August.
The full lists for Steps 1 to 4 can be found by going to http://www.thefa.com/news/2017/may/12/national-league-system-steps-1-to-4-allocated-140517
Posted at 14:04
Gary McCann has been in touch with the web team and has asked us to post the following message.
"I'm very happy to commit to the club going forward. It now has the stability and potential to really grow and match the ambition of not just myself, but my management team and the players.
"We have had a difficult and troubled couple of seasons and I personally have felt this more than most. We have settled in to our new surroundings at SJP and have learnt plenty from the last two tough seasons.
"I sat with the board earlier this week and asked for some assurances and support to move this fantastic football club forward. They have shown me belief and understanding all the way through, and have stayed loyal and committed to myself.... but then this is a two way thing by all parties.
"We can now look forward to wisely progressing on the field to mirror the progression made off the field.
"The future's bright, the future's Green. #GreenArmy"
Posted at 12:49
We are delighted to announce that Gary McCann has committed to the club for a further two years, meaning he will be with us until the end of the 2018/19 season. Gary and the board of directors met earlier this week to discuss the budget for next season, and this has also been agreed and Gary is now working hard to put his squad together for the new campaign.
As is always the case, we will bring you news of any player movements during the summer once all paperwork has been completed.
Posted at 12:06
If you are at a loss for something to do now that the season has come to an end, our good friend Bob Stanley and his band, Saint Etienne have a rare London date at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank on Friday 2nd June, the same day as their new album "Home Counties" is released.
Tickets are on sale now through their website and usual ticket agents. The new album can also be pre-ordered through their website.
Posted at 18:51
We have just found out that we have moved up another place in the final league table after Merstham were deducted 3 points.
The deduction has come after they fielded an ineligible player on 28th February in their 2-1 win at Leiston. This means that our final position is 18th.
Posted at 20:03
I hope that you, like me, are enjoying the warm afterglow of Saturday afternoon and, for those of you who stayed on for the Awards, Saturday evening. It was a very special day and Hendon is a very special football club. I don't think I've ever felt more nervous at a Hendon match and the final whistle was the sweetest sound I've ever heard!
Although we're now officially in the close season, the hard work required to prepare for 2017/18 has already begun. Here's a reminder of what Gary said here on the website earlier today:
"For a manager the end of one season is not the end of the work. Yes, we can take a week or two off, but that is all. The hard work of preparation for next season begins now and to avoid the difficulties of the last nine months a settled squad is paramount."
Not having a settled squad was the biggest problem faced by Gary last season. Players of the calibre of Niko Muir, Karl Oliyide, Alfie Young and Spencer McCall were lured away by other clubs because they were not on contract. They were not on contract because we could not afford to put them on contract. The only player who was on contract last season was Ollie Sprague and, when he left for Billericay, the transfer fee that we received enabled Gary to sign the players who helped ensure our great escape. If a player is not on contract, we don't receive a penny when they leave.
The biggest challenge faced by the Board each season is to put together a budget that allows Gary the chance to be competitive. Let's face it - we all enjoyed 2014/15 a whole lot more than 2015/16 or 2016/17. If we are going to be competitive on the field, then we need to pull out all the stops off the field to ensure that Gary is able to build that settled squad and compete next season.
Hendon Football Club is a fans-owned football club. That means that if you join the Trust, and pay your £10 a year subscription, then you own as much of the club as anyone else. I'll write later on in the close season about Trust membership but, for now, I want to ask you to consider sponsoring a player, a match ball, a match, a programme or a seat in the McCann stand for next season.
I would never ask anyone to pay more into Hendon than they can afford to pay but I would ask every Hendon supporter to do what they can to help Gary put together a squad that can compete in what is likely to be a very strong Premier Division next season.
The Trust Board will meet shortly to confirm sponsorship prices for next season but, until we do, we're giving you the opportunity to commit to one or more sponsorships at last season's prices which are:
- programme sponsorship for £30
- McCann Stand seat sponsorship for £50
- matchball sponsorship for £80
- match sponsorship for £150
- player sponsorship for £90 for home kit, £60 for away kit or £120 for both kits.
If we were able to get all players, programmes, seats, matchballs and matches sponsored for next season, that would bring around £15,000 into the club - that translates into around £400 a week across a 37 week season and that could enable Gary to get some of our key players signed on contract for next season.
The Board will be sitting down with Gary shortly to discuss next season's budget and it would be great if we could do so knowing that we've already managed to secure £7,500 of next season's sponsorship.
If you are able to support the club in this way, drop me an email to simon.hendon@btinternet.com. Let me know what or who you would like to sponsor and we'll do our very best to accommodate you. We'll operate on a "first come, first served" basis and we'll be giving last season's player sponsors first refusal to sponsor the same players next season.
I look forward to hearing from you.
SIMON LAWRENCE - Chairman - Hendon Football Club
Posted at 19:22
One rather important item that we forgot to report from the awards evening was the announcement that our home shirts will be reverting to a more traditional, darker shade of Green for the 2017-18 season. These will replace the flourescent lime shirts that we have worn over the past campaign. Details of how to purchase replica shirts will be made available once we know when stock will be available.
Posted at 19:04
Gary McCann had many emotions after the safety-securing draw with Staines Town. He said, "I am so proud of this group of players. They have given me everything over the past few weeks."
As for the delay to the kick-off, McCann noted, "This was really difficult for us because it was only an advantage if the other results went our way. Five minutes before half-time we were safe and we didn't give a hooey, then Burgess Hill scored their late winner and suddenly we were back in the relegation zone.
"It meant that we went into the dressing room with massive pressure on us and this was one of the most testing half-time team-talks I have ever had to give. We had to make a change and send on the more offensive-minded Keagan Cole for James Harper.
"It was fitting that one of the players who have been with me for a long time - one of my players - Casey Maclaren who scored the equaliser. He had been dropped deeper to play in James's position, but he still had the energy and anticipation to get into a goalscoring position, something you don't expect from your deep-lying midfielder.
"Once we had scored, I thought we continued to dominate the game and we really should have gone on to win. But so long as the game was level we couldn't take too many chances.
"It was very tense as the game came to an end, but there could have been a real sting in the tale when we conceded those two late free-kicks."
Talking about the run to safety, McCann said, "The squad has been magnificent, the old, new and borrowed players. We gave the changing room a target to achieve safety in the final ten games and even though we exceeded the target by two points, the original total would not have been enough. Once we had lost to Leatherhead, I reassessed our situation and the players responded diligently.
"It has been an incredibly difficult couple of seasons as I have rebuild the squad on numerous occasions and with this run, I have not had a chance to really enjoy the wins, performances or assess the situation. Now the season is over, I can do that for a few days, which I will do. The thoughts then move to next season.
"For a manager the end of one season is not the end of the work. Yes, we can take a week or two off, but that is all. The hard work of preparation for next season begins now and to avoid the difficulties of the last nine months a settled squad is paramount."
Posted at 06:58
We would like to congratulate Josh McLeod-Urquhart on completing the London Marathon today in a time of 04:40:22. Josh, who has played an important part in our survival bid during his two month loan spell from Wealdstone, ran the marathon to raise money for Diabetes UK.
If you would like to sponsor Josh, even though its after the event, you can do so by going to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Josh-Urquhart.
Posted at 20:16
Our under 13 girls team won the Capital Girls Cup Final on penalties against St Joseph's this morning at Bedfont Sports.
The shoot-out was won 5-4 after the game ended all square at 2-2 at full time.
Congratulations go to the team, many of whom were at SJP yesterday afternoon supporting the first team.
Posted at 13:01
Following this afternoon's game, the end of season awards were presented, together with chairman Simon Lawrence making a few announcements.
The awards started with the Supporters Association, who gave a special award to Graham Etchell for all his efforts over the many years he has been with the club. His wife Lyn, who has given Graham so much support, was given the Supporter of the Year award. Finally, the Supporters' Player of the Year award was won by Arthur Lee.
Gary McCann then made the first team presentations, with a special award for 10 years service going to Sports Therapist Mark Findley, who does so much hard work with the players, especially those who are injured. Mark was also the recepient of the Clubman of the Year award. An award for 300 appearances was made to Casey Maclaren.
The Manager's Player of the Year, and the Players' Player of the Year awards both went to Arthur Lee, thus completing a hat-trick for the popular hardworking defender, whilst the Young Player of the Year award was won by Keagan Cole.
John Creith then took over as he made the U-18 awards, with Malachy McGovern winning the Clubman Of the Year award, Ben Gray winning the Manager's Player of the Year award, and Perry Aitchison-Smith winning the Players' Player of the Year.
Then Simon Lawrence took the stage, and his annual award went to Graham Etchell, who also received his retirement gifts from the club and the first team, whilst a large bouquet was presented to Lyn.
Simon went on to announce that a new secretary has been appointed, with current Edgware Town secretary Daz Bloor taking over from Graham Etchell in a part-time capacity.
However, Graham and Lyn aren't leaving the club - Graham is remaining with the club in a consultancy role for the next year and will also be joining the board of directors, whilst Lyn has been made a Vice-President.
Simon also announced that Rob Morris and Tom Stockman, who run and look after Silver Jubilee Park, would also be made Vice-Presidents, and they were thanked for all their hard work in ensuring things are ready for us on a match day.
In terms of sponsorship, Simon was pleased to announce that GGH Hire has agreed to sponsor the club again next season.
Finally, the matchday programme, which has been edited by Graham Etchell for many years, is being taken over by Steve and John Rogers for the new season.
Posted at 23:21
We all knew it was going to be a dramatic day today, but what we didn't know was that the drama would be extended by over an hour after a late kick off.
The game at SJP didn't kick off until 4.20pm following the late arrival of the two assistant referees who had been caught up in the traffic chaos following a fatal accident on the A406, by which time all the other games were well into the second half.
On the pitch, the Greens were dealt an early blow when they fell behind in the 5th minute as Mo Bettamer fired home from the edge of the area.
Off the pitch, as all the other games edged towards the final whistle, it looked as though the Greens would stay up as both Burgess Hill Town and Canvey Island looked set to draw - until Burgess Hill scored a stoppage time winner.
And following all the other final scores, it came down to either Hendon or Harrow Borough who would take the final relegation spot. All the Greens needed to do was equalise, and then ensure they didn't lose the game.
However, at half-time the Greens remained a goal behind, but whatever was said in the dressing room during the break worked as within a minute of the restart, Casey Maclaren headed home an equaliser.
After that it was a case of ensuring the game wasn't lost, which, as has often been the case in recent weeks, was done comfortably on the most part, although there were a couple of late scares when Staines had a couple of free kicks around the box.
There was relief all round SJP when the final whistle finally blew at about 6.15pm - with celebrations as safety and a 54th consecutive season in the top flight of the Isthmian League was secured.
Posted at 23:00
Gary McCann looked back with pride at the defeat of Harrow Borough. He said, "I am so proud of the group; how they have gone about their work under such pressure. They have given me everything I could have asked for.
"It wasn't the best of games to watch, but I thought we were very good in the right areas and deserved to win. Our midfield, defence and goalkeeper were immaculate â I think we limited Harrow to two attempts on goal.
"It has been a relentless 10 games for us. I did not think that winning our three penultimate games in a row would not have got us clear of danger.
"In fact, if you had offered me 21 points out the last 27 available I would have ripped off your hand. But the job is not done yet and we must not fall at the final hurdle on Saturday.
"We are in a great place in terms of our confidence and there has been a real togetherness about us.
"After we lost at Billericay, we had 32 points from 36 games and I gave the players a target from four groups of games, three, three, two and two. I knew 50 points - our target at the start of the season - was not going to be enough, but I thought 51 or 52 would have sufficed.
"We met the target in each of the first three sets, but even with a win from the first of game of the last pair, it was no enough. It is hard to believe that 53 points - or even 54 - may not be enough, but that just says how unpredictable the division is."
Posted at 17:16
Our Under 13 girls team are in cup final action on Sunday morning against St Joseph's in the Capital Girl's Cup Final. The game is being played at Bedfont Sports with an 11.00am kick off.
The girls, who have had a 23 match winning streak this season, currently lead their division, and are also in their league cup final. To reach the final of this competition, they have beaten Ruislip Rangers U13 (11-0), Kinja Youth U13 (5-0), Tottenham Hotspur U12 (5-1) and Tottenham Hotspur U13 (4-1).
Everyone at the club congratulates them on reaching the final of this competition, which is the biggest that they can enter and includes teams from Middlesex, London and Surrey, and we wish them every success on Sunday morning.
Posted at 17:14
The under 18s played their last game of the season at Bedfont Sports tonight and slipped to a 2-1 defeat, courtesy of a goal scored deep in second half stoppage time.
However, at half time it was the young Greens who were in the acendency, courtesy of a 20th minute goal from Malachy McGovern who was set up by the impressive James Raptis.
The second half saw a lot of pressure around the Hendon goal and the pressure told in the 75th minute as Bedfont equalised, and then in stoppage time when the winner was scored.
Posted at 22:57
This afternoon's game saw Kezie Ibe make his 150th appearance for the club since he joined back in the summer of 2014. He has scored 45 goals so far for the club
Kezie's experience has been invaluable this season in the fight against relegation, just as it was in our play-off season two years ago, and his commitment to the club has been superb, through the good times and the tough times.
Everyone at the club congratulates Kezie on his latest milestone.
Posted at 19:23
The battle to avoid relegation is going to the final day of the season after this afternoon's matches, with the Greens winning 2-0 at local rivals Harrow Borough.
It was another professional performance from the squad, and a deserved lead came about in the 26th minute when Matt Ball drove the ball into the net. The second goal came early in the second half when Khale Da Costa turned his marker to break clear and score, and whilst Harrow had plenty of possession in the second half, they were largely unable to fashion anything that really tested Tom Lovelock, which the back four holding firm again.
The final whistle saw the away following, who had travelled from as far away as Glasgow, celebrate with relief that the club's destiny is in our own hands on Saturday afternoon.
With AFC Sudbury joining Grays Athletic in having their relegation confirmed today, there are now 2 relegation places to be avoided, with six clubs in the battle to avoid the drop. Other than the Greens, the others are Canvey Island, Burgess Hill Town, Folkestone Invicta, Metropolitan Police and Harrow Borough. Kingstonian and Leatherhead are safe, barring a freak set of results and a huge swing in goal difference.
Saturday's games that affect the relegation battle are as follows : Bognor Regis Town v Metropolitan Police; Burgess Hill Town v Merstham, Canvey Island v AFC Sudbury, Grays Athletic v Folkestone Invicta, Hendon v Staines Town and Lowestoft Town v Harrow Borough. The Greens go into Saturday knowing that a win will guarantee safety, whilst a point or worse will mean at least two of Burgess Hill, Folkestone and Canvey will need to better our result for us to be relegated. It's sure to be a tense afternoon for all involved.
We hope as many of you as possible will be able to be there on Saturday afternoon - we know the Scottish band of supporters are making the journey again - to hopefully cheer the squad on to a final win of the season and securing another season in the Premier Division.
Posted at 19:21
Gary McCann, while delighted with the win against Metropolitan Police on Saturday, admitted that he could not really enjoy it.
"We have picked up 18 points out of the last 24, but such is the pressure and tension we have been under that we have not be able to really enjoy and appreciate any of the victories. It has been win one game and get ready for the next match and trying to pick up another three points.
"At the start of the season, a points target of 50 is set firstly. We have reached it later than expected , but with two games to go we are still looking to steer clear.
In the other two leagues (Northern Premier and Southern League Premier), the teams fourth-bottom have 41 and 42 points, so our 50 points would leave us safe. A few weeks ago, I thought 52 would be enough, but now I believe we will need a point or two more than this total.
"The last two games are going to be very difficult. But I have confidence in my players having the mental strength to cope with the pressure and come through with the results we need."
Looking back at the win over the Police, McCann said, "I said last week that the level of our fitness would be the key against Folkestone and so it proved. I made the same point about the game against the Police and I think our improved fitness made the difference again, along with our substitutes.
"Our first half display was OK, but I didn't think we had done enough to deserve to be ahead at half time. I wasn't happy and asked for a bit more energy from the players and also to replicate recent standards.
"Our defence, both full-backs and both centre-halves, were excellent and limited the number of chances for their forwards. We did really well to keep a lively front three quiet and didn't give their dangerous front men any real chances.
"In the second half, I thought we were very good and completely dominated for large parts of the period. But, the longer we went without scoring, the more concerned you become about conceding a goal and there were two incidents that might have been costly - the counter-attack when Roman passed behind Collins and then Lloyd Macklin's long-range shot which Tom Lovelock saved.
"Our first substitute had a huge impact. Marcel Barrington added pace against the tiring defenders and they could not cope with him. I thought the way he added to the attack it would be a matter of time before we made the breakthrough.
"However, once we had gone in front, another followed and we very nearly added a third in stoppage time."
Posted at 10:06
The first team were indebted to Marcel Barrington this afternoon as he had a key contribution to both goals in the 2-0 win over Metropolitan Police - a result that moved the Greens out of the bottom four on goals scored.
The goals came in the last few minutes, the first saw Barrington make an excellent run to the byline where he played the ball into the box whereupon it was diverted into the net by Steve Sutherland for an own goal.
The second came two minutes before the regular 90 minutes were up when he was the first player to react after Branon Daly was only able to parry Reis Stanislaus's fierce drive.
It secured a deserved win for the Greens who had put in another professional hardworking performance, but, until the intervention of Barrington as a substitute, had been unable to fashion a goal despite having the majority of possession, particularly in the second half.
Results elsewhere mean that the survival bid is now in our own hands, having moved out of the bottom four by virtue of scoring nine more goals than Burgess Hill Town this season.
Next up is the short trip to Harrow Borough on Monday afternoon - we hope to see as many of you as possible there.
Posted at 18:55
Young children in North West London will receive healthy heart lessons and exercise classes thanks to Hendon FC Supporters Trust who have benefited from a grant from national health charity Heart Research UK and SUBWAY stores.
The community group has been awarded £8,600 to facilitate sessions to improve children's heart health and lifestyles in the local area through the use of physical activities such as football, dodgeball, walking and cycling amongst others.
The project will also include the club's fitness coach facilitating sessions in order to make children more aware of which foods are healthy and unhealthy in order to tackle this issue in a fun and approachable way.
The club have already worked with various schools but are looking to further extend their impact, and the project is expected to reach around 360 primary school children.
The initiative was started in February 2017, running through to July and will enable the club to deliver key health messages to children living around the clubs' new home at Silver Jubilee Park in Kingsbury.
Mike Harte, a director of Hendon Football Club said: "The club's objectives have been to strengthen the bonds between the club and the community and to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to HRUK and SUBWAY stores we will be able to encourage local children to take some form of physical exercise that they enjoy, to improve diet and change their lifestyles in a fun way. We also want to encourage their parents to become role models to a more healthy life.
Beyond that we hope that the children and their families will be inspired to join our football coaching sessions, dance and exercise classes and holiday courses.â
Heart Research UK National Director, Barbara Harpham, said: "One of the aims of our Healthy Heart Grants scheme is to help people of all ages to improve their heart health, and the Hendon FC Supporters Trust project is aiming to achieve that. Itâs important for children to understand all about healthy lifestyles to help them live healthier, happier and longer lives."
Sacha Clark, Marketing Director for the SUBWAY brand in UK and Ireland, said: "The SUBWAY brand is delighted to be able to help fund this worthwhile initiative which helps young people to live healthier lifestyles. SUBWAY stores nationwide have enjoyed fundraising and it's great to see local community initiatives such as this come to fruition as a result of the money generously donated by our customers both in store and at fundraising events, like our popular family 5K series."
Posted at 14:16
Gary McCann was happy to return from the Kent coast with three valuable points in the battle to avoid relegation. "It was another good performance," he said.
"I thought we just about edged the first half even though we were a goal down. But we performed to a much better level in the second half.
"The second half display was one of the best displays to date. We completely dominated and took the game to them. In the final half hour we could have really put the game away and won by three or four. Do play this way under the pressure we was experienced made me very proud.
"When we hadn't scored early in the second half, we had to make a change. It was a risk to take off James Harper, but Keagan Cole and Matt Ball did a good job holding in midfield with Marcel Barrington playing further forward. It was a calculated risk and one we had to take.
"Everyone contributed but the two centre halves, Josh McLeod-Urquhart and Arthur Lee, were outstanding. They made sure that Tom Lovelock was almost a spectator until the last five minutes.
"But also special praise for Sam Murphy, who has been exceptional at left-back. This is an unfamiliar position for him and he has taken to it really well, but I still cannot bring myself to put him in the No. 3 shirt.
"We have really benefited from the consistency of selection in the past 10 or so games. Not only have the players done a really good job, they have shown great mental strength when we have had adversity.
"We have three games left and I think if we can win two of them there is a good chance safety will prevail."
Posted at 17:54
