The subject of this Green & Gold is one of only two men who merit inclusion as a manager only, i.e. without having made a playing appearance for Hendon.

Ted Hardy's career had seen him in charge of amongst others Leyton, Bishop's Stortford, Dagenham, Leytonstone and Ilford, and Enfield before he was appointed Hendon manager just before Christmas in 1985, succeeding Gary Hand. The Greens were languishing at or near the bottom of the Isthmian League table and had suffered some crushing defeats, most notably 5-3 at Epsom & Ewell, having led 3-0 early, and 4-0 at Windsor & Eton. The defence was leaky, the midfield lacked bite and the forwards were lightweight.

Hardy's reputation as a no-nonsense manager was already the stuff of legend, having won the Isthmian League title with Enfield and the FA Amateur Cup with Bishop's Stortford - one of his four appearances as a manager in the final. Used to almost unbroken success and wealthy clubs, a battle at the foot of the table for a club with significantly fewer resources was a very different challenge.

It quickly became clear to Ted that the team needed the injection of equal amounts of quality and experience, though few of the players were hardened battlers against relegation. The return of goalkeeper Mark Broughton was important as was the arrival of Roger Wade, who marked his New Year's Day debut with the goal that brought a point against Bishop's Stortford. A couple of weeks later, Ted was forced to make more changes after a pitiful 3-0 defeat against Kingstonian at Richmond Road, a match which marked the arrival of Micky Kiely, to partner Colin Tate in attack, and veteran left-back John Knapman.

Two weeks later, there were three more arrivals, Derek Brown and Dave Clark from Dartford and Tony Gibson - a key member of the Enfield squad which had dominated non-league football for almost a decade. Of all the players to represent Hendon, few have been as uncompromising and - there is no nice way of putting it - efficiently violent at Gibson. What he brought, however, was not only a winning mentality, but a midfield presence that allowed Knapman to move to left back and a certainty that the younger Hendon players weren't going to be bullied. In the trio's second match, a 2-0 victory at Worthing, Hendon had a new face in the dugout, albeit for only this game - John Still.

Things got worse before they got better and the nadir was reached on 23 March 1986, a 5-0 drubbing at Farnborough, a result that left Hendon eight points behind 20th-placed Epsom & Ewell, having played nine more matches. It would be the Greens' final defeat of the season as Ted engineered a miraculous turnaround. With free-spirited midfielder Steve Parsons on board for a few weeks, Hendon suddenly were dangerous opponents and five wins and five draws - plus victory in the Middlesex Senior Cup final - meant the Greens had their fate in their own hands when they travelled to Slough Town for the last game of the season. Three key results were a come-from-behind 3–3 draw at Wokingham and quickfire League double over fellow strugglers Billericay Town (4-1 away, 4-2 at home). At Wexham Park, Wade - looking suspiciously offside - scored early with a 30-yard chip, Broughton produced a wonder save to keep the lead at half-time and Andy O'Brien, Kiely and Gibson added further goals to seal a 4-1 win and safety was assured.

One of Ted's strengths was his ability to organise his teams. They may not have been the prettiest to watch, but they were remorseless, efficient and uncompromising. A team that let Hendon play usually found themselves outsmarted and outplayed; a team that wanted to mix it up, got more than they bargained for and usual lost both the battles and the war. A final finishing place of fourth in 1986-87 would have been better with less success in cup competitions, but the Greens lost in the finals of both the AC Delco (Isthmian League) and GMAC (Premier Inter-League) Cups. The quarter-final replay replay (sic) against Harrow Borough - 5-3, having been 3-0 down at half-time - and the two games with Burton Albion stand out as especially memorable. The draw in Staffordshire on a Sunday afternoon came a day after a 3-1 win over Croydon at Claremont Road.

Sadly, it all fell apart early the following season. A shock FA Cup exit against Hertford Town in late September resulted in Ted's resignation. His long-time assistant Micky Janes took over as manager and he led the team out at Wembley in June 1988, mainly with the players Ted had brought to the club or nurtured. He stayed in football until March 1999, when approaching 70 years old, he finished his fourth spell at Victoria Road, having become the oldest man to lead out a team in a Wembley cup final in 1998.

Joined Hendon: November 1985. Left Hendon: September 1987
Trophy won: Middlesex Senior Cup: 1985-86