FA Cup Fever - Oxhey Jets Preview

Oxhey Jets v Hendon

Saturday 1^st October 2011

FA Cup 2^nd Qualifying Round

The Boundary Stadium

I’m not going to do it. However much you might want me to, I’m simply not going to. There will be no punnery on the name of our opponents tomorrow in this post today. Now we’ve laid the ground rules, it’s time to look ahead to tomorrow’s FA Cup tie at Oxhey Jets of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.

I’ll lay my cards on the table right now and admit that what I know about our opponents can be written on the back of a postage stamp. Luckily, I have really small handwriting, so here goes.

Oxhey Jets were formed as recently as 1972 and will be celebrating their 40^th anniversary next year. They began life in local Watford leagues before joining the Herts County Senior League Division 1 in 1981 from which they gained promotion into the Premier Division in 1984 and 1989. Between 2001 and 2004 the club won the Premier Division 3 seasons out of 4, and were accepted in 2004 into Division 1 of the Spartan South Midlands League. A year and a championship later they were promoted into the Premier Division and entered the FA Cup for the first time.

This season’s run to the 2^nd Qualifying round has matched their previous best in the competition, when they met AFC Wimbledon 5 years ago at The Boundary Stadium – the same season they got through to the 3^rd round of the FA Vase. Currently managed by Benny Higham, who made 755 appearances for the club, the side have enjoyed a decent start to the season and are currently unbeaten in their last eight matches, including a 3-3 draw in midweek against Hillingdon Borough. Last weekend saw them progress in the FA Vase with a late 3-2 win over AFC Dunstable thanks to a goal by Gavin Hart, formerly of Northwood amongst others. Another name that will be familiar to Hendon fans will be that of Lewis Putnam, who was with us for a month or so towards the end of last season. Both are likely to start tomorrow.

To get to this stage, Jets have conceded just one goal and accounted for Wodson Park, Great Wakering Rovers and Hertford Town. The win over Great Wakering was particularly impressive having taken their higher level opponents to a replay and then beating them at The Boundary Stadium. As against AFC Hayes, the Greens face not so much a banana skin tomorrow on the Herts / Middx border, as a huge pile of discarded Monkey food waste. So long as Hendon are as professional as they were in the first half against AFC Hayes then they should progress with some degree of comfort, but that is by no means a given. Oxhey Jets in the past have beaten sides like St. Albans City circa 2009 3-0, so they are by no means a side to be underestimated.

Certainly midweek will have given Gary Mac a few selection dilemmas, notably in goal and up front. Berkley Laurencin has nothing nothing to warrant being dropped and was unfortunate to have been involved in the car accident prior to Monday that meant he was unable to play. That said, Sean Thomas was faultless and kept a clean sheet. What do you do, keep the man in possession, or bring the previous impressive number 1 back in? It’s a good headache to have and far preferable to the one Gary had in the second half of last season. The other beneficiary of the accident on Monday was Elliott Charles who led the lean superbly in Greg Ngoyi’s temporary absence. Although early days, he looks to be the physical target man type of centre forward we haven’t had at the club probably since Rob Haworth – but with added goal threat. There might the temptation to go with 2 up front, which then begs the question, which midfielder do you leave out? I suppose that’s why I’m not a manager. I mean apart from not having the coaching badges and requisite experience, I really don’t have the balls to start dropping players when they don’t deserve it. Macca, over to you.

Fortunately, Jets will be no stranger to the Greens’ coaching team as goalkeeping coach Paul Faulkner’s brother Mark is on a coach at Oxhey, so you can expect some friendly banter flying between the two benches tomorrow afternoon. I’m looking forward to it. A new ground, new opposition, FA Cup, potential upset and blazing hot sunshine on the menu. It ought to be a cracker.

Others in Cup Action

There are a number of other Ryman Premier sides in cup action tomorrow including bottom of the table Leatherhead who take a break from their struggles in the league to travel up to Bedfordshire where they take on Biggleswade Town and ex Hendon man Harry Hunt. Fellow strugglers Concord Rangers travel to deepest Norfolk to take on Wroxham, Horsham go to Burnham, and Aveley travel to Wembley’s conquerors Hanworth Villa. All four clubs, who are currently in the bottom four of the division will be looking to progress against lower level opponents.

East Thurrock, currently sat just outside the relegation zone host St. Albans City who are likely to have Brian Haule in their squad, Harrow Borough have a tough trip to Dartford and Carshalton a similarly tough trip to Kent to take on Dover Athletic, now managed by Nicky Forster after the midweek departure of Martin Hayes, a fortnight after scoring for Lingfield against Horsham in the previous round.

Margate host fellow Kentish side Thamesmead Town at Hartsdown Park, hoping to turn their home form around, Bury Town travel to Redbridge, Canvey Island host Bishop’s Stortford and Billericay go to Chipstead. The last two Ryman Prem sides in action are Cray, who host Erith Town on Sunday, and Lowestoft Town who host Hemel Hempstead Town, who lost their boss and ex Hendon coach Colin Payne in the week.

League Fixtures

All of which means that just two scheduled league fixtures will go ahead. AFC Hornchurch host Wingate & Finchley, and Lewes will be looking to maintain their 100% home record against Wealdstone. The two Middlesex sides will be looking to bounce back after disappointing midweek reverses, the Stones obviously against Hendon and Wingate who were hammered 4-1 by Billericay Town and have now lost four of their last five games in all competitions. Hornchurch are unbeaten in their last five league matches, winning four of them and it’s hard to bet against them continuing this run. Lewes meanwhile lost disappointingly in midweek at resurgent Kingstonian but are a mean bunch at The Dripping Pan, and will provide Wealdstone with a very stern test. I suspect their physical strength will prove too much for the Stones, and fully expect them to get themselves back on track. Both games to finish 2-0 home wins. Which obviously means they won’t.

One New Signing, Two Games, Three Points and For the Love of Greg

It had to end sometime, and sometime came on Saturday afternoon, as predicted. Kingstionian ended their awful run with a committed and gritty performance that by all accounts fully warranted the three points. If the winner came around in slightly acrimonious circumstances with Michael Peacock receiving a caution for a handball by Dave Diedhiou. Bobby Traynor paid no attention to the mistaken identity and simply beat Berkley Laurencin from the spot. A strong penalty shout at the other end for a similar offence was turned down by the man in the middle, and with it went any hope of the unbeaten run entering a tenth match. With some of the luck we’ve received over the last couple of weeks in terms of penalty decisions, (Lewes at home, Margate away, AFC Hayes away) I don’t think we’re in much of a position to really quibble too much.

On then to last night and our first local derby against Wealdstone. I really wanted to preview the game yesterday, but sadly didn’t get a chance. It would have been along a similar theme to my Kingstonian one – hand out a few plaudits, say how I respect the way the club is run and that they would be a good model for Hendon to follow over the next few years (which I think we’re not doing a bad job of for what it’s worth), and that at the end of the day, we’ll get beaten because we’ve won just one of our last nine league meetings (losing the other eight).

Then I read their forum this morning. Some of the reaction has been fine, complaining about Gordon Bartlett’s tactics, the referee and lack of support up front for Richard Jolly. Even some of the criticism about the more cynical parts of Hendon’s performance is fair game, so many times I have had a whinge about the antics of Steve Terry or Jimmy MacFarlane back over the years. Is it being savvy or is it out of order? A debate for another time, but I’m no great fan of gamesmanship. Some of the more reactionary stuff has got me chuckling away, particularly the amount they seem to know about our club that I would imagine many on the Trust committee are unaware of.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I can understand the reaction both at the end of the match and later on. It’s never nice losing to local rivals, after all it’s something we Hendon fans have had plenty of practice in. Somehow though, on the whole we’re able to take it on the chin rather than froth at the mouth hurl abuse at the opposition and then froth even more when they respond with a smile and a wave. If you dish it out, you’ve got to be able to take it as well. Nearly every pantomime villain footballer is able to do that – look at Joey Barton (loathed as I am to use him as an example). Fans can’t expect to take the moral high ground having spent large parts of the evening using language that would make someone with Tourettes blush. Our fans' relationship with Delroy Preddie is a good case in point.

Gary McCann had announced the signing yesterday morning of Elliott Charles (taking the number of Elliotts in the squad to a club record 3!) who had appeared against us for Concord Rangers on the opening day of the season and he went straight into the starting line-up after three players were involved in a car accident on their way to the ground. Berkley Laurencin, Dave Diedhiou and Greg Ngoyi arrived late meaning that Sean Thomas, Kevin Maclaren and Charles came into the starting line-up, and James Archer replaced Bradley Fraser with James Parker moving to centre half alongside Michael Peacock. The depth of the squad has definitely come to the fore and despite having one of the largest budgets in the club’s history at his disposal, there is no doubt that Gary has used the money well.

The game was largely disjointed, largely because both sides were lining up with identical 4-5-1 formations and largely because of the way Hendon players insisted on going down at the slightest opportunity and continually chirped away at the referee. All very Finding Nemo, I’m sure you’ll agree.

What good football there was came mostly from those in Blue, and Sean Thomas needed to be at his best on more than one occasion to stop them taking the lead, notably from a deflected Alex Dyer effort in the first period and from a Chris O’Leary header. The Stones had loud shouts for a penalty waved away as well as Scott McCubbin appeared to be pushed over in the penalty area much to the chagrin of the home support. Although sporadic as an attacking force, the Greens were working hard, defending well and Charles was causing Sean Cronin in particular plenty of problems in his role as a lone striker. The big striker was perhaps fortunate not to pick up a caution late on in the half when he clattered Jonathan North late, which given the yellow cards given out to O’Leary and James Hammond wouldn’t have been unfair.

The second period continued in much the same vein as the first, Thomas saved well from Jolly and David Hicks headed not far wide from a Eddie Adjei cross. Greg Ngoyi, showing no ill effects from the accident earlier on came on with 20 minutes left to join Charles up front and the Greens began to show more attacking threat. Indeed, both men ended up scoring the goals to give the Greens the points inside 60 seconds of eachother,  Charles stabbing home a richly deserved debut goal after a terrific North save before Ngoyi intercepted a weak Cronin backpass straight from the restart, rounded the Stones goalkeeper and finished simply for his fifth goal of the season. The celebrations were that from a man who looked as if he had a point to prove and much akin to Lee O’Leary’s when he scored a winner for the Stones against us three or four years ago. In spite of late pressure from the home side, the Greens held on with a degree of comfort, Peacock and Parker in particular completing excellent performances at the heart of the back four with another clean sheet.

An Artist's Impression of a stereotypical Hendon fan

So another unspectacular and solid showing yielded another 3 points and swiftly laid to rest the memory of the Kingstonian horror show. For fans of the ‘Mongs’, as the Wealdstone fans affectionately describe us, we were able to leave the ground reveling in a job well done. A rare three points against our ‘big brothers’ in what will no doubt end up being our ‘biggest game of the season’, our ‘cup final’ against the ‘only real Semi-Pro side in Middlesex’ who will ‘definitely finish above’ us come the season end. All we have to look forward to is our ‘unsustainable future’ with our ‘decent budget’ supporting a club that’s ‘on its arse’. A club that we don’t ‘genuinely care’ about like Stones do about their club.

I have no axe to grind with Wealdstone fans, I’ve been to a few games as a neutral in the past and enjoyed the atmosphere, I’ve got nothing but respect and admiration for Gordon Bartlett, the way the club has survived their 17 homeless years and the various innovative initiatives their board and supporters group come up with to try and boost attendances and raise funds. As I’ve said before, a lot of the reaction to the game I’ve seen on twitter and their forum has been reasonable and fair, and some of the more reactionary outlandish things may well come true, who knows.

I don’t really get why they need to pontificate on the future or otherwise at Hendon though. I don’t bother myself with what goes on particularly at other clubs, it certainly doesn’t affect my mood like it seems to have done one or two Stones fans. We’ve been hearing the same kind of thing from them for a number of years now. No fans, no ground, no point. Is it a testament to our efforts that we’re able to compete at the same level as a club of Wealdstone’s size? Are we punching above our weight or are we, a fans owned club really staking the financial long term security of the club on a punt at promotion? I don’t know figures, but I would imagine that with all things considered (including the Jolly fund) there wouldn’t be too much difference between the funds available to McCann and Bartlett. Every single penny being spent on players has come from last season’s cup run, the good-will and deep pockets of supporters and from sponsors, the portfolio of which seems to be ever increasing. Perhaps Wealdstone are underachieving given their average crowd? Perhaps all that energy last night put into moaning about Hendon’s continued existence would be better channeled into moving their own club forward so they really needn’t concern themselves with us any longer. I imagine all involved at our ‘shit club’ would love to attract 400 plus through the gate week in week out, that would after all double our Matchday income. Realistically, that’s not going to happen so we need to look at other ways to bridge that gap.

Larger numbers on the terraces doesn’t mean more ‘passion’ (I loathe that word being applied to football), nor does it give you a right to expect to be playing at a higher level than clubs with half your home gate. It’s what happens on the pitch that matters most of all and for the last five years or so although Stones have proven themselves to be better than us eight times out of ten when playing eachother, over 42 matches in a season they haven’t. And last night over 90 minutes, they didn’t. It remains to be seen what happens when we meet again in January.

Until then, it’s great to be a Mong.

Player Ratings:

1. Sean Thomas: Outstanding ‘debut’ on his first match back as a permanent signing. Made a number of excellent saves and looked as if he’d been playing behind the back four for years. Has given the manager a real selection headache with Saturday in mind. 8

2. James Parker: Moved into the centre to become Michael Peacock’s fourth partner at the heart of defence this season and looked as if he’d never been away. 7

3. Scott Cousins: Same as ever. Steady, good leadership, defended well, used the ball well. 7

4. Michael Peacock: Another superb effort from the big fella, did extremely well to keep Jolly largely in check and dealt with balls in the air impeccably as always. 8

5. James Archer: Returned to the starting line-up at right back and put in another good, steady performance. Turning out to be a very smart addition by manager. 7

6. Kevin Maclaren: Did well coming into the side at short notice for Dave Diedhiou and kept things nice and simple in midfield. Didn’t get swamped by the neat quality of the Stones midfield. 7

7. Jamie Busby: Quiet, effective performance in the middle of the park, nicely disciplined and broke forward well when given the chance. 7

8. Carl McCluskey: Another smart intelligent performance from the big guy, linked up well at times with Elliott Charles and put in another very big shift. 7

9. Elliott Charles: Excellent debut, strong, powerful and gave Sean Cronin a real tough time. Led the line well, held the ball up, looks a great addition to the squad. Well deserved goal as well. 8

10. Elliot Godfrey: Intelligent performance, passed the ball well and remained disciplined. Perhaps not given as much space as he’d have liked though. 7

11. Casey Maclaren: Showing no ill-effects from his knock at Margate, Casey was his usual hard-working self. Has shown a much better attitude this season in terms of his behaviour and discipline. 7

Subs:

13. Craig Carby: Late substitute for Elliott Charles.

15. Greg Ngoyi: It was destined to happen I suppose. We’ve been on the receiving end often enough. Smartly taken goal, lively 20 minutes, job done. 7

16. Dave Diedhiou: Late substitute for Kevin Maclaren

Star Man: Sean Thomas

Match Rating: 6/10

Verdict: Overall a point would have been about right and Wealdstone can feel aggrieved to have lost the game and received the worst of the referee’s decisions. That said, Hendon showed a clinical edge again taking the few chances that fell our way to wrap up the three points.

Blown a Hole To Kingston Come - Weekend Preview

Kingstonian v Hendon

Saturday 24^th September 2011

Ryman League Premier Division

Kingsmeadow

For the first time today, I had writer’s block. I never realised until today just how debilitating it can be. I wanted to preview tomorrow, and had made a dozen aborted attempts. Somehow, it just wasn’t working. That was until some kind soul on my twitter feed linked me to a picture. You can see it below. 

Not the kind of hole Carl McCluskey likes to play in. - With thanks to AFC Wimbledon's Twitter Feed and @colinzealuk

He described it as a ‘Womble hole’ either unaware that the Wombles are fictional or using their links with Wimbledon (Wombledon?) and making funny speculation. The truth of the matter is that mindless simpletons have taken it upon themselves to vandalise an area of turf in the centre circle with what appears to be a giant iron.

All of this has sent my writers block packing and brought back to mind an incident a few years back at Claremont Road. I’m pretty sure it was Enfield we were playing during the season that literally never ended, 2000/01, the season that saw us playing almost every day more often than not on a surface at Claremont Road that looked more like Passchendale 1917 than a football pitch. During the warm up, it became clear that something was amiss. About 10 yards outside the penalty area at the clubhouse end was a gaggle of Enfield players in a circle. As they dispersed, it looked as though there was something buried in the pitch. Upon closer inspection there was definitely something buried in the pitch. And upon even close inspection than that, the definite something turned out to be a football.

Claremont Road, April 2001. Buried Football not pictured

It soon became clear what had happened. Facing relegation square in the face, and faced with a lean mean Green machine facing only their 9^th match in a fortnight. the dastardly Enfield players had taken it upon themselves to hack away at the soft surface with their boots and bury the ball in the hole, rendering the pitch unplayable. Luckily for everyone concerned, Mr. Mike Tingey the man in black wasn’t conned, allowed the game to go ahead and goals from Jason Solomon, Paul Adolphe and Bontcho Guentchev consigned our North London neighbours to defeat.

Now, let me make it abundantly crystal clear that I am not accusing anyone connected with Kingstonian of any malpractice whatsoever. They would be daft to. Despite the fact that Hendon are top of the table and unbeaten in all competitions, despite the fact that K’s can’t buy a goal at the moment, never mind a point or a win and crashed out of the cup last week, I genuinely cannot see past a comfortable home win. (Any member of the squad or management team stop reading now in case I subconsciously infiltrate your minds with my fatalistic musings).

Since returning to the Premier Division the two sides have met on four occasions in League matches and all four have been won by the K’s. On each occasion they have scored 3 goals. Hendon have scored just twice, in the narrow home defeat at Vale Farm last season. If ever the K’s need to get their season back on track, then as they did 2 years ago after their horrendous start to the season, there is no better side to be facing than us. Ignore the league table, ignore the form guide because it’s not so much an Indian sign that Kingstonian have over Hendon, but a whacking great concrete Russian one.

Looking through the K’s squad, you can’t help but think Alan Dowson will get the mix right sooner rather than later. He’s proven himself before not only at Kingsmeadow but previously with Walton & Hersham. Although he hasn’t yet undertaken the kind of surgery we saw a couple of years back on the squad, changes have been made since the beginning of the season as he tries to kick start things on the pitch. In have come Rocky Baptiste from Harrow / Thurrock, Adam Francis (son of Gerry) from QPR on loan and in their side in a midweek friendly was one Ali Chaaban who has already netted against the Greens in pre-season for Boreham Wood. With Bobby Traynor, Simon Huckle and De’wayne Clarke already on the books there is no shortage of talent available to Dowson going forward – enough to cause most sides at this level a problem.

So what has gone wrong so far this season at Kingsmeadow? The goals against column really tells its own story (20 conceded in 8 matches in all comps) and the recent release of Dean Hamlin, along with the temporary addition of Neil Jenkins suggests that Dowson knows that problems lie defensively. Reading the K’s message board is interesting with many different theories being offered up as to the reasons for their poor start to the season. As we know from our 2^nd half of last season, confidence is a fragile thing and that uncertainty will have to be ruthlessly exploited if Hendon are going to come away from the match still top of the pile.

So what am I expecting? Having backed K’s to win 5 and draw 2 so far this season, and them proving me resoundingly wrong on every occasion (except the win against Tooting), I really can’t see any reason to change that for reasons I am sure you will all appreciate and consequently I fully expect to see the home side triumph, maybe by the odd goal in three.

What I do think is worth stressing though, is that whatever does happen on the pitch tomorrow that the K’s would be crazy to think about removing Dowson from his position as manager. Not only has his record over the last three years in particular given him the right to get Kingstonian out of the bottom four and up towards the play-offs, but previous evidence points towards him achieving that as well. Any K’s fan who is seriously thinking of calling for Dowson to go need only ask himself one question. Who, out there at the moment would you rather have in the hot seat at Kingsmeadow. Mick Sullivan (sacked by Leatherhead earlier this week)? Francis Vines? Graham Roberts? Is there really anyone out there who hand on heart is better suited for the job than Dowson? If there is, then by all means let me know because I cannot imagine anyone I would rather have if I were a K’s fan.

Alan Dowson. Still the man for the job.

Elsewhere there is a particularly tasty looking match up at the Dripping Pan where Lewes will be looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat at Chertsey in the FA Cup as they host in-form and goal mad Cray Wanderers. Two of the division’s other form sides meet at Bridge Avenue as AFC Hornchurch host Wealdstone, Aveley face a tough looking test in search of their first win as they travel to Bury Town whilst Lowestoft will be looking to get their league campaign back on track whilst heaping more home misery on a Carshalton Athletic side still to record so much as a goal at home so far. Concord Rangers meet Met Police, buoyed by their win at Hornchurch in the Cup last week and there’s an all-Essex meeting at Rookery Hill as East Thurrock play host to another in-form side Billericay Town. Harrow Borough will want to make it 3 wins in a row against Hastings United at Earlsmead, manager-less Leatherhead host Canvey Island in what looks a difficult match for whoever is in the dugout. Margate play Tooting in the 2^nd leg of their double-header, 3-0 up from the first game and finally, Wingate & Finchley will want to bounce back from 3 straight defeats as they entertain struggling Horsham.

Predictions

AFC Hornchurch 2-1 Wealdstone

Bury Town 3-1 Aveley

Carshalton Athletic 1-1 Lowestoft Town

Concord Rangers 2-0 Met Police

East Thurrock United 1-3 Billericay Town

Harrow Borough 1-1 Hastings United

Leatherhead 1-2 Canvey Island

Lewes 3-2 Cray Wanderers

Margate 3-1 Tooting & Mitcham United

Wingate & Finchley 2-2 Horsham

That Man Is a Hero #1 – Paul Whitmarsh

With a mid-week free of on-field action for a change, the time feels right to introduce the first in what I hope might be a fairly regular series profiling those who have made my years as a Hendon fan slightly more pleasurable than painful. Where better to start than with the man whose facial enhancement lends its name to this very blog. Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce Paul Whitmarsh.

This dastardly Bolshevik liked to masquerade as a brilliant centre forward

Whits, as I liked to call him, was already unique amongst Isthmian League centre forwards when he first joined the club in the Autumn of 1997 amidst our sensational run past Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, as he had never stuck the ball past a Hendon goalkeeper. At least if he had, he had been good enough so as to miss the target. Already prime cult hero fodder, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Having begun his career at West Ham as a junior (not Lewis, more of him later) Whits moved on to Doncaster Rovers where he made a handful of appearances in the old Division 3, previously known as Division 4 and now know as League 2, and scored a single finger full of goals. In 1994 he moved south down the A1 to Stevenage Borough and from there, back near his Beckenham birth place to Dulwich Hamlet where he first linked up with Frank Murphy and began his ascent to one of the most dangerous strikers in the division.

Don (caster) Whitmarsh

He was the leading scorer at the Champion Hill club for 3 consecutive seasons and after Murphy took the Hendon job in March 1997, the question on the terraces wasn’t a case of if Whits would join him and his other former team mate Gary McCann at Claremont Road, but when. The answer to that question came as human pinball machine Colin Simpson was tapped up by Tommy Taylor at Leyton Orient and would consequently complete his move to Brisbane Road at the end of Hendon’s cup run, and Murphy with money to burn as a result of the cup success looked for a replacement. £4,500 - £15,000 (depending on who you believe, the true figure remaining ‘undisclosed’) later, Frank had his man.

His debut came from the bench on the Saturday (29^th November 1997) after the Tuesday before (‘that night at Brisbane Road’ as Clive might describe it) at Carshalton Athletic when he replaced Colin Simpson in a 2-1 defeat. His first start came a fortnight later in a 4-0 home win against Walton & Hersham and his first goal at Bishop’s Stortford the following Tuesday in a 2-1 win. The legend had been born.

Although before the legend became anything more than a leg end, a little settling in and life support was needed. Rumour had it that he our hero had fallen out with the management at Dulwich and was being played in a more withdrawn role to the one he thrived in. His lack of confidence was very apparent in his early appearances, as he scored just one further goal in his next eight matches. Outside the penalty area he displayed a wealth of quality that stood him apart from any centre forward I’d seen in a Green and White shirt before and a first touch bettered up until that point only by Peter Taylor. In front of goal, things didn’t run for him. He hit the woodwork, forced saves from the goalkeeper, narrowly missed the target time and time again. And then, came Dulwich to Claremont Road.

Something to Prove

It felt like he had something to prove. To Hendon fans, to the powers that be at Dulwich, to himself perhaps as well. And so he did. Saturday 21^st February 1998 was the day things changed. In a performance that was a little Beckham-v-Greece-esque Whits pretty well single handedly won the game for the Greens. He scored twice, ran 75 yards to clear an effort off the line with McCann beaten and was generally inspirational. With the monkey firmly shrugged off his back and booted over the covered terracing deep into Clitterhouse Park, he spent the remainder of the season scoring a further eleven goals to finish the season with 15 in just 25 appearances, 13 of which came in his last 14 games.

All that laid the firm basis for the goal crazy 1998/9 season that saw Whits combine with Junior Lewis for 70 goals between them in what was by far and away the most potent strike-force I’ve seen, 42 of which came from the boot, head and bum of the ex-Dulwich man. Somehow, despite these goals and the backup of quality like Freddie Hyatt, Steve Heard and Jon Daly the side finished the season languishing in 13^th. A definite underachievement in spite of the double cup wins in the Middlesex Senior and Full Members Cups.

The season was probably one of my favourite to have witnessed as a supporter as well. Whitmarsh and Lewis linked up beautifully and when Whits, in particular, was sent through one-on-one with a goalkeeper, no matter who that keeper was (even Andy Pape as Enfield were beaten for a change), you expected to see the net bulge. He could power the ball past the keeper, he could finish deftly, he could even on occasion use his head. I remember watching over and over again on video his finishes on a Friday night match at Claremont Road against Enfield where he chipped the ball beautifully over the advancing imposing frame of Pape, and the following Tuesday at Aldershot Town where he somehow nicked the ball past the even more imposing frame of Gary Phillips and into the net. Brilliant finishes both, the quality of which he replicated on a regular basis. And just as great as the finishes was the celebration he had dreamt up with Junior, where the lanky number 11 would kneel down and polish Whits’ goal-den right boot. Sure, there was a slight whiff of Gorgonzola about the routine, but I never got tired of seeing it.

Astonishingly (or perhaps not so), Whits’ total of 42 goals included just one hat-trick, coming in a 5-3 win over Bishop’s Stortford, funnily enough 13 years ago yesterday. He scored a brace on 10 further occasions however including in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final against a Davis Haule inspired Wembley, and to my knowledge very few of the goals came from the penalty spot. As with so many great Goalscorers, his record from 12 yards was at best bafflingly indifferent. Not that it mattered greatly, such was the quality of his finishing when the ball wasn’t dead.

The following season wasn’t his best. Beset a little by injury, loss of form and loss of Lewis, Whits struggled to notch 13 goals in 39 matches, bringing his final total for the club to an impressive 70 in 120 appearances. He left for the Southern League and Welling United in the summer of 2000 after an unsuccessful trial at Bristol Rovers and before the end of the 2000/1 season, he was back in the Ryman League with Sutton United. The summer of 2001 saw him move over to Ireland for work reasons and making a few appearances for, amongst others, UCD (University College Dublin). His whiskers remained at Claremont Road though, nesting for a while under Ted’s cap before emerging in the summer to become the spirit of this blog.

Whits back in Green, sadly not Hendon but UCD

Whits would have celebrated his 38^th birthday on Sunday just gone (I say would have, he did as I’m told life does continue outside Hendon Football Club), and he remains very firmly in my top 10 players I’ve seen wearing the green and white. In that time there have been some good centre forwards, but Whits is the only one to date that I am convinced would have made a good career for himself in the professional game. His first touch was immaculate, able to habitually caress a high ball instantly on his instep. His movement was superb, I’ve not seen a centre forward able to engineer himself a fraction of a second’s space in the way Whits did. I’ve not seen anyone in a green and white shirt (or blue and white as it was at times in his time at the club) consistently beat an offside trap by intelligently timing or arching his run in the way Whits did. I’ve not ever seen anyone get sent off for making contact with an opponent’s boot with his knee in the way Whits did. I sincerely doubt I will see a player of his ilk in a Hendon shirt again, and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to witness him at his best playing for my club.

Thanks for the memories Whits, it was an absolute pleasure. (And thanks also for failing to score against us. That really does make you a one off.)

Paul Whitmarsh (18^th September 1973)

Signed: November 1997 from Dulwich Hamlet

Left: August 2000 to Welling United

Hendon Appearances: 120

Hendon Goals: 70

Comfy Cup Progress - AFC Hayes 0-3 Hendon

AFC Hayes 0-3 Hendon

Saturday 17^th September 2011

FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round

Park Farm or Farm Park

I love records. Forever Changes by Love is one of my favourites and one that I really need to listen to on vinyl before I depart this dear beloved earth. Another of my favourites is an unbeaten record. Without going into too much detail just in case I stick a jinx on, the Greens are now enjoying their best unbeaten run since going 9 unbeaten between the end of October 2007 and New Years Day 2008. In addition, Saturday’s clean sheet meant that they haven’t conceded a goal away from home in their 4 away matches so far this season. The last time the club kept 4 blank sheets in consecutive matches on the road was in March & April 1994, the only game of which I remember was a midweek 4-0 win over doomed whipping boys Wivenhoe Town. (With thanks to the fantastic ever increasing in-depth archive that is on the website)

The win on Saturday was as comfortable as the score-line suggests. From the moment Jamie Busby stroked home another debatable spot kick given in the 2^nd minute, the result was never really in doubt. Once again Greg Ngoyi was felled for the penalty decision, once again the goalkeeper was the guilty party, and once again, there was some doubt as to the validity of the claim. However, there was no suggestion this time that Ngoyi might have tumbled a little easily, but I thought the goalkeeper managed to get a pretty strong hand on the ball as he dived at the striker’s feet. The man who mattered disagreed however, and pointed to the elf-meter mark (one for any German readers) and Busby, never one to look a racing horse in the tail, sent the unfortunate keeper the wrong way.

The Greens, resplendently mawkish in their new yellow and black away strip, took the game to the hosts, looking to kill things as early as they could. Carl McCluskey and Elliot Godfrey were linking up well down the right flank, Dave Diedhiou was dominant in midfield and the back four were able to patrol the halfway line without much incident. It didn’t take long for the game to effectively be ended as a contest as just past the quarter hour mark, the McCluskey / Godfrey double act combined nicely and the Canadian’s low cross was guided inside the far post by the side-foot of Greg Ngoyi to reclaim a share of the lead in the race for the goal-den sock alongside Busby.

Little of consequence occurred in the remainder of the match, truth be told. Hendon’s pressing game disappeared into the West Middlesex abyss after the break, whilst AFC Hayes, for all their tidy passing, lacked the guile or wit to really trouble the back four of Parker (who came on at half time for his first minutes of competitive action this season), Fraser, Peacock or Cousins. Berkley Laurencin only had one save of any note to make, a decent tip over from a speculative looping long range effort but he did once again look pretty commanding when called upon to deal with crosses into the box.

The coup-de-grace was administered in the last couple of minutes when a free kick about 25 yards out was danced around and over by Cousins and Godfrey before Busby sent the ball over the wall, past the rooted goalkeeper and into the roof of the net. Goal, set and match. Progress made, cheque in the post and we await the release of the 2^nd Qualifying Round with relish.

Considering the number of Ryman Premier sides that were ‘upset’ by lower level clubs, the description on the club’s twitter feed of the performance as ‘professional’ was fairly appropriate. The two early goals set up a routine last 75 minutes and although the ball was given away more than I might have liked in the 2^nd half, I always thought we had another couple of gears to go through if needed. AFC Hayes, for their part, looked decent enough in possession, and tried to pass the ball, but they lacked any real cutting edge. The pitch was fairly uneven though and didn’t really help the game as a spectacle, I think the players deserve credit for making the game as watchable as they did (I think the 4* rating in the NLP was a bit generous though). As fans of Lewes, Wingate, Wealdstone and Kingstonian amongst others will no doubt attest, slipping over on great big steaming horse turds of cup ties is no fun at all and I’m very pleased that my weekend wasn’t marred by an early exit in the FA Cup.

So what next then? Who or what do I fancy in the 2^nd Qualifying Round? Most people would say a nice home draw against a lower division side, and I am no different to most people in this respect. In other respects, I am very different, but not in this one. What I want to be avoiding is an away draw at somewhere like Dover or Woking (although there would be decent crowds I guess as a small consolation) or an all Ryman Premier tie. We get enough of those in the FA Trophy thanks very much. The draw is being released on the FA website in 41 minutes time. I’m already hammering away at the F5 button on my keyboard.

UPDATE!

Away at Oxhey Jets! Away at Oxhey Jets! That’ll do me nicely. Winnable on paper, a new ground relatively local and easy to get to and a closer look at Lewis Putnam. Let the anticipation begin!

An Oxhey Jet?

Player Ratings

1. Berkley Laurencin: Rarely tested but did well when called upon (not my words, but those of Football Manager) to deal with the limited threat posed by the opposition. 6/10

2. Bradley Fraser: Looked more secure alongside Peacock and dealt with some comfort with the AFC Hayes front line. Encouraging. 6

3. Scott Cousins: Another tidy performance from the skipper, passed the ball well and looked solid defensively. 7

4. Michael Peacock: Shook off the cobwebs from Tuesday night to dominate in the air once again. Very rarely loses an aerial battle. Still sporting a wrist support. 6

5. James Archer: Did well going forward, but was occasionally a little loose in possession. Replaced at half time. 6

6. Dave Diedhiou: Back to his usual dominant self in midfield breaking up attacks and passing the ball simply. Better again. 7

7. Jamie Busby: A couple of goals, one more from the spot and a nicely taken free kick that looked simple in execution. Best player on the park. 8

8. Carl McCluskey: Lively first half, with a couple of touches of genuine class. Unlucky not to score on the stroke of half time, denied by a good save. Visibly ran out of steam after the break. 7

9. Greg Ngoyi: Another lively hour or so from the front man, given more support than usual and grabbed a well deserved goal. Never let the opposition centre halves settle on the ball. 7

10. Elliot Godfrey: Set up the second goal with a lovely cross and was unlucky with a couple of other balls into the box that either just eluded a yellow shirt or weren’t quite connected with properly. Faded a little after the break. 6

11. Byron Bubb: First game back in his 3^rd spell at the club, hit the post in the 2^nd half and used the ball quite well. Not the best when not in possession though. 6

Substitutes

12. Kevin Maclaren: Came on with 20 minutes remaining and did the simple things effectively. Enabled the yellows to keep possession better. 6

13. Danny Dyer: Replaced Bubb for the final 10 minutes, looked pretty lively.

15. James Parker: Slotted in at right back as if he’s been there all season. One excellent interception from a dangerous ball over the top. 6

Star Man: Jamie Busby

Match Rating: 5/10

Verdict: Comfortable progression into the next round in the end. The early goals certainly settled any nerves and you certainly got the impression that if needed, the side could have stepped it up a couple of gears. Tidy stuff.

FA Cup Fever - AFC Hayes Preview

AFC Hayes v Hendon

FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round

Saturday 17^th September 2011

Farm Park

I have a love / hate relationship with FA Competitions. I love the FA Cup, I hate the FA Trophy. We have a decent recent history in the FA Cup, we have an appalling record in the FA Trophy no matter which angle you choose to look at it from, even upside down. The last 2 seasons in the FA Cup have seen us progress to the final qualifying round and in the case of last season, beyond. Even though seeing us drawn live on ITV away at Chelmsford was enormously anti-climactic, the day out was great. I heard one fan describe the tie pre-match as being as ‘tough as Sheffield Wednesday away, but with none of the glamour’. He wasn’t too far wrong. We put up a decent performance, although aided perhaps a little by the red card shown to the Chelmsford goalkeeper, in what was a pretty thrilling contest but fell a little short. Still, the cup run brought in much needed revenue, as the run to the 4^th Qualifying Round did in 2009/10 when we were humbled (or outclassed) by Woking 5-0 at Vale Farm.

We begin this season’s trek towards the ultimate goal of an appearance a mile and a half down the road on the 182 at Wembley’s 2^nd stadium in May with a short journey to meet AFC Hayes, or as I like to call them, AFC Brook Hayes. (Punnery at 11.03am, a new low). The sides have met on a couple of occasions competitively, most recently in the final of the Middlesex Senior Cup at Northwood in April 2009. Despite dominating much of the game, the Greens were made to pay for their missed chances as two former Hendon trialists Victor Osobu and Dean Papali scored to give the side formerly known as Brook House what is to date, their only Middlesex Senior Cup win.

If only he hadn't hit the bar at Blackpool, this dream would definitely have become reality for Bontcho

The side formerly known as Brook House were formed as recently as 1974 originally as a pub side in the Hayes and District Sunday League working their way up from the 7^th Division. 8 years later another local team, Grange FC moved to Brook House’s new ground at Farm Park and the two sides merged to become Brook House FC, playing their games on Saturday afternoons in the now defunct South West Middlesex League. In 1984 they became founder members of the Middlesex County Football league and 4 years later moved to the Spartan League. In their first season, they achieved promotion to the Premier Division where they remained until 2004 when they achieved promotion to the Ryman League Division 2. 30 years from the bottom division of the local Sunday league to step 5 of the Non League pyramid is a rise bordering on meteoric.

As Hayes merged with Yeading to become Hayes & Yeading United, so Brook House became AFC Hayes and moved across to begin the 2006/7 season in the Southern League after restructuring where they have remained ever since, receiving a reprieve from relegation at the end of 2009/10 due to various clubs going under.

Their best run in the FA Cup came in 2005/6 when they reached the 2^nd qualifying round. Victory tomorrow will give them the chance to equal that record and with Hendon defending an unbeaten record so far this season this tie has all the makings of a banana skin. After an up and down start to the season, the side have settled down nicely and go into the game with 4 wins on the trot under their belt, including in the previous round where they beat Tring Athletic 4-2. They boast some experience and relatively familiar faces amongst their ranks with former Hendon defender Gilbert Nuako, who has had plenty of experience in the Blue Square South with Hayes & Yeading, Dennis Maharjan who has scored goals from midfield for Edgware, Leyton and Enfield Town amongst others, Trevor Charlery, son of former Watford striker Ken, Dean Papali and Kevin Chakadoza, both of whom have appeared for the Greens at one time or another in pre-seasons past.

With Isaiah Rankin likely to have been added to the ever growing injury list at Vale Farm, options for Gary Mac to change the side around a little look pretty limited. He’s added another striking option to the ranks in the shape of Joel Greaves, who has had plenty of experience south of the river and was described by Rakki Hudson as a ‘goal machine’ on Twitter. ‘Joel the Goal’ or ‘Goal-king Joel’ have quite nice rings to them. The webmasters can have them in the bank for free. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the squad tomorrow, particularly with Daryl Atkins cup-tied after his goal filled exploits so far with Wembley (11 goals in 8 appearances for the record). Elsewhere around the side, I don’t expect there to be too many changes, if any, from Tuesday evening.

On paper, I would expect Hendon to come away with a reasonably comfortable win, but football isn’t played on paper, it’s played on grass (just to eradicate any doubt). If the Greens match the AFC Hayes players for commitment and effort then the extra quality we have ought to come to the fore. I’m sure Gary Mac will have the players’ minds focused, not that motivation should be much of an issue. Many of the players will have experienced the highs that accompany a good cup run, the optimism, the increased media attention and at this level, such exposure doesn’t come around very often. Additionally, defeats to lower division opposition in the competition are rarer than a Cristiano Ronaldo pass within 40 yards of goal. In my time watching Hendon, the only one I can remember was when Met Police arrested our progress at the first hurdle a few years back.

In actual fact, looking through the archive on the website the 1^st stage of the FA Cup has given me some good chuckles, and some Hendon players their career highs.

• 1995/6: Beating Flackwell Heath 8-0, Phil Gallagher looked vaguely like a half decent centre forward scoring twice. 57 year old Geoff Pike also netted a classy free kick but they all played second fiddle to Junior Haynes who netted a hat-trick, failed to have a penalty saved for a change, and injured himself celebrating his 3^rd goal.
• 2000/1: Davis Haule seeing red in the 3-2 win over St Margaretsbury in a game that was filmed and then seeing Frank Murphy’s face fall in the post-match interview when he was told that the camera had missed the incident because a pillar obscured the cameraman’s view. Davis was subsequently fined for lamping the St Margaretsbury player in such a silly area of the pitch.
• 2002/3: Rob Haworth finally netting his first goals in a Green shirt after what felt like the best part of 4 dozen efforts failing to find the target in the first 6 weeks of the season against Tooting & Mitcham
• 2003/4: Iain Duncan diving full length at the far post to beat James Courtnedge with a header of all things in our 4-0 win over Enfield. Reports of a sighting of Shergar in the crowd were never validated.
• 2004/5: Martin Vrhovski’s ahem, ‘man of the match’ performance that included a late late winner against the giants of Holmer Green.
• 2005/6: Mark Burgess over hitting a clearance from the edge of the Biggleswade United penalty area into the top corner of the net for the first ever goal scored by one of the Burgess twins at any level, including back garden kick-abouts.
• 2006/7: Just a win. 4-0 against Arlesey.

So as you can see, tomorrow has quite a lot to live up to. I have no doubt that it will…

Just one final thing before I go, anyone interested in finding out what happened to Martin Vrhovski might want to check out the Facebook game I AM PLAYR and have a close look at the assistant manager / coach.

Ruel Rocks Greens - Tuesday Night Review

Hendon 1-1 East Thurrock United

Ryman League Premier Division

Tuesday 13^th September 2011

Vale Farm

Shortly before half time last night I had written one 3 letter word to sum up the opening period of ‘action’. ‘Nil’. Nil shots on target, nil shots on goal, nil cohesion, nil passes finding their intended target. I could go on, but we haven’t the time, and quite honestly, I haven’t the inclination. There was some good news just over the horizon in the shape of an improved 2^nd half performance, sadly the worst was still to come. First though, let me track back and talk about the team selection.

With Ryan Wharton and Casey Maclaren the latest to join the hordes of walking wounded on the sidelines, Gary Mac was forced into two changes. Kevin Maclaren replaced his brother in midfield and Bradley Fraser came in for his first start of the season alongside Michael Peacock. There was a change up front as well as Isaiah Rankin was handed his first start in place of the rested Greg Ngoyi who dropped to the bench. There were also places amongst the substitutes for James Parker, Byron Bubb, Daryl Atkins and Junior Lewis – appearances by any of whom would have been their first this season. The visitors made 2 changes from the side that beat Horsham at the weekend with Reiss Gilbey returning from suspension and Petric Elbi coming in for Neil Richmond and Tom Stephen. Sam Collins was a familiar face in the East Thurrock side, wearing the number 3 shirt and playing at left back having signed from Concord Rangers last week.

I cannot emphasize enough just how poor things were in the first half. We were leggy, sluggish, and really played into the visitors hands by playing too long. Isaiah Rankin, when he wasn’t being caught offside, was having to work extremely hard to get the ball under control and then wait for any kind of support. The Rocks were a well organised outfit and looked very comfortable dealing with the limited threat Hendon posed. The first highlight came just before the hour mark when Michael Peacock did a fair impression of Phil Tufnell circa 1995 on the boundary ropes, although with hands involved, and ended up in the book.

According to the report on the Hendon website, East Thurrock took the lead just after the half hour mark, it felt nearer the hour mark to me but time keeping has never been a strong point of mine. Not for the first time, the Greens gave possession away cheaply just inside the East Thurrock half and Kyel Ruel picked up the loose ball inside the centre circle. He ran directly at the heart of the Hendon defence, skipping past a half hearted challenge from Peacock and then the sprawling Fraser before finding himself clear on goal. Laurencin came out to narrow the angle, almost to the edge of his box, so exposed had he been left, and as he spread himself at the feet of Ruel, the striker calmly lifted the ball over him and into the corner of the net. It was a wonderfully taken goal, but there were serious questions about the quality of the defensive work in the lead up to it.

Anyone who may have been expecting the goal to spark the Greens into action were sorely disappointed. Attacks continued to flounder, possession to be squandered and Rankin to be flagged offside. A frustrating evening for the former Arsenal and Brentford man was curtailed early 7 minutes before the break as he limped off with a knock and was replaced by Greg Ngoyi, earlier one suspects than Gary Mac would have liked.

The game very nearly added an extra mark to the entertainment value in the last 45 seconds before the break as first Reiss Gilbey wriggled past James Archer and fed the ball for Petric Elbi who was through on goal. As the East Thurrock number 9 tried to take the ball around the grounded Laurencin and stroke the ball into a gaping net, from somewhere the Hendon keeper reached out a claw and grabbed the ball off the striker’s foot. It was a brilliant piece of goalkeeping; brave, alert, commanding and definitely kept the Greens in the game. Play immediately switched to the other end and good work from Ngoyi down the right saw his cross find Busby. Finding himself almost underneath the ball, the midfielder did superbly to adjust himself and send a scissors volley in mid air narrowly over the far angle of post and bar from about 15 yards out with Wray completely rooted to the spot. As flashes of quality go, that volley was right out of the top draw. Right up there with Freddie Hyatt’s debut goal against Basingstoke and Bontcho Guentchev’s effort at Blackpool that narrowly gave us the lead in the FA Cup.

Had the ball dropped under the bar, it would have been a thoroughly undeserved equaliser. Hopes were high for a better 2^nd half and after a slow start, a little piece of fortune and defensive error saw the sides level. Elliot Godfrey swung in a free kick after McCluskey had been fouled on the Hendon right and Ben Wood, the East Thurrock number 6, got his head to the ball. Unfortunately for him, his goalkeeper had come off his line and was aghast to see Wood’s flicked header loop over him. Greg Ngoyi launched himself at the ball inside the 6 yard box and directed his header into the roof of the net beyond the covering defenders. The substitute ran off in celebration of his 3^rd goal of the season as the inquest amongst the Rocks defence began. The goal sparked Hendon’s best period of the match.

Busby was unlucky to see his left footed drive from what for him, was point blank range yet for someone like Phil Gallagher would have been very long range indeed, cannon off the underside of the bar and rebound just away from McCluskey whilst Godfrey’s first time low drive from 25 plus yards through a forest of legs was superbly clutched at full stretch by the sprawling Wray. To East Thurrock’s credit, they weathered the storm and looked bright on the break, Ruel forced another good save from Laurencin who also made 3 or 4 excellent catches from high hanging crosses under some pressure from lurking attackers.

This Phil Gallagher Is From CBeebies Apparently. Probably a better number 9 than his namesake 15 years or so ago.

Daryl Atkins came off the bench with about 20 minutes remaining for his competitive Hendon debut and it quickly became clear how he’d scored so many goals for Wembley this season. He added pace and livliness to the Greens front line alongside Ngoyi, adding a dimension that missing at times. He sent in a couple of testing low crosses that just eluded his strike partner and with a better first touch could have found himself in on goal on a couple of occasions as well. Definitely one to keep an eye on based on this cameo.

The game ended all square seconds after Ngoyi had flung himself full length to get onto James Archer’s cross, unfortunately his connection wasn’t strong enough to direct the ball inside the far post and it harmlessly bounced quite a way wide. The referee, who erred between being overly fussy and nicely lenient (his decision not to book Dave Diedhiou for kicking the ball away in the first half raised many a quizzical eyebrow) brought things to an end leaving both sides with a point apiece. Probably about right on the balance of play.

With other results going Hendon’s way (Harrow winning at Lowestoft and Canvey losing at home to Bury) there was possibly a feeling that a great chance to go into the FA Cup break with a sizeable gap had been squandered with the listless and disjointed performance. Certainly coming away from the game, although partly relieved to still be top and unbeaten, there was a tinge of regret at not having taken full advantage and extended our lead at the top. Perhaps that is what makes real title contenders, that killer instinct. Time will tell, I’m still enjoying the start to the season massively. Long may it continue.

Player Ratings

1. Berkley Laurencin: I’ve only just worked out that there’s only 2 ‘e’s in his first name and he responded in the right way by putting in one of the most commanding and assured performances I’ve seen from him. Has come such a long way since he first joined the club 3 years ago. 8/10

2. Brad Fraser: I think it’s difficult coming into a settled back four when short of game time and it showed a little. Slipped for the Thurrock goal, but generally did ok. 6

3. Scott Cousins: Quietly competent from the skipper at left back. Didn’t really notice him an awful lot which given some of the defending on the evening, is to his credit. 6

4. Michael Peacock: Looked unusually shaky. Think his first half booking may have played on his mind a little as on at least 2 occasions he made half hearted challenges. Also gave the ball away when Beckenbauer-ing the ball out of defence putting his colleagues under pressure. Sure to bounce back though. 5

5. James Archer: Did well going forward and put a couple of good balls into the box, but was troubled at times defensively, unusually for him. Gives us an extra dimension with his long throw, which is useful. 6

6. Dave Diedhiou: A bit up and down from the big guy, breaking up attacks well, but giving the ball away a bit too much. Lucky to escape a yellow card for a pretty blatant act of dissent in the first half. 6

7. Jamie Busby: In an unfamiliar left sided role, was twice unlucky not to score. The best attacking outlet for the Greens but his energy was maybe missed a little in the heart of midfield. 7

8. Carl McCluskey: Some flashes of brilliance from the big midfielder-cum-striker, but also looked a bit leggy at times, understandably so. Looked more effective when dropping back into midfield. 6

9. Isaiah Rankin: Worked hard but to little avail on what was quite a frustrating evening on his first start for the club. Injury forced him off before half time, he was limping quite heavily when he left the ground. A worry. 5

10. Elliot Godfrey: As always his delivery from dead balls was outstanding and was the cause of our goal. Unlucky to see his low drive from range superbly saved. Tends to go through quiet spells from time to time. 6

11. Kevin Maclaren: Worked hard but was perhaps caught out a couple of times in the first half. Broke things up well and used the ball simply, but effectively. 6

Subs

12. Greg Ngoyi: Replaced Rankin just before half time and looked very bright. Got a well deserved goal and unlucky on a couple of occasions not to connect with balls into the box. 7

13. Daryl Atkins: A lively cameo from the youngster who spent last season with the now defunct Under 21 side. Has scored a hatful for Wembley already this season, looks a good prospect. Encouraging debut. 6

Match Rating: 3/10

Star Man: Berkley Laurencin

Verdict: A point gained or two dropped? That depends very much on whether you’re looking at things from half time or full time. Not a good performance, but plenty of grit shown and once again, the players came back from a goal down to claim a point. East Thurrock were well organised and have added to their squad shrewdly. They’ll be fine. Still top, still unbeaten, still happy.

It Weren't Pretty, But.... (Margate 0-2 Hendon) / Weekend Review

Margate 0-2 Hendon

Ryman League Premier Division

Saturday 10th September 2011

Hartsdown Park

Much like an afternoon spent in the company of Boris Johnson, Hendon’s visit to Margate was far from pretty, but for one reason or another those of a Greener persuasion were left sporting wide smiles on their way home. It was a dry, somewhat blustery day on the East Kent coast and the wind played quite a part in the spectacle, or lack of, that was witnessed by 370 hardy souls.

Once again, this was a victory as much by organisation, graft and discipline as it was by class, but any Greens fan would take that in a heartbeat over another display of flowing passing attacking football but coming away after losing 3-1. Just watching from the sidelines, you’re able to see the shape of the side, you’re able to see how well drilled they are at the moment and that they are working together as a unit. Given the number of new faces drafted in over the summer, that is no mean feat.

Gary McCann named an unchanged starting XI for a world record 4^th match in succession, somewhat, I must admit, to my surprise as I suspected Kevin Maclaren might replace Dave Diedhiou in the heart of the midfield. It wasn’t to be, but the big fella was much improved and the younger Maclaren would go on to have quite an impact on proceedings anyway. On the bench Isaiah Rankin returned for the injured Aaron Morgan, James Fisher was named in place of Bradley Ambrose and Byron Bubb was named in place of Danny Dyer, who was getting some ‘pwopa nawty’ game time with Sean Thomas at Northwood. Chris Kinnear made it an easy afternoon for those noting down team changes by naming just one change to his 16, Craig Cloke replacing Wayne Wilson on the bench.

The first period was almost entirely awful, from both sides. Clear openings were at a premium, as were accurate passes and anything much to appreciate, even for the purists amongst us. James Archer’s long throw was flicked on and partially cleared by Dean Hill, before Greg Ngoyi tried his luck with an overhead effort that was straight at Jack Smelt in the Margate goal after about 10 minutes or so, and it was another 10 minutes before the home side got their first effort in on Berkeley Laurencin’s goal, but Matt Bodkin’s shot bounced away off the frame of the goal. That was as close as Margate came to scoring all afternoon as Laurencin enjoyed a fairly comfortable afternoon from then onwards.

The Greens suffered two first half injury blows when first Casey Maclaren was taken off with what was first suspected to be a broken bone in his leg or foot (thankfully X-Rays gave him the all-clear) and then Ryan Wharton pulled up with a muscle strain 5 minutes before the break. Gary McCann swapped Maclaren’s and James Fisher emerged from the bench for his debut replacing Wharton and fitted in like he’d been part of the side for a couple of years.

James Fisher made an encouraging debut as a first half substitute

Towards the end of the half, Margate fashioned a couple of openings but Tom Bradbrook’s headers on both occasions failed to trouble Laurencin unduly whilst Smelt did well on the stroke of the whistle to save Busby’s effort from the edge of the box, Carl McCluskey’s effort from the follow up drifted harmlessly wide of the target.

The 2^nd half began much as the first had ended, with the home side huffing and puffing hard against the well organised Green machine and although Kwesi Appiah went close with an effort that brushed the side netting shortly after the break, but otherwise getting no change from the Hendon defence. For their part, although Greg Ngoyi was once again working like a trojan up front, the Greens front line never really looked like scoring either. That was until the game changed controversially with 20 minutes remaining.

Ngoyi chased a ball in behind the Margate back line and got into the penalty area. Jack Smelt came out and dived at the Hendon man’s feet. Ngoyi knocked the ball past the goalkeeper and then went down under the goalkeeper’s challenge. Any contact was minimal to say the least, although after the game Ngoyi maintained it was definitely there. This incident brought to mind an interesting conundrum, is a striker ‘entitled’ to go down when challenged in the box? In recent weeks I’ve heard both Alan Shearer and John Motson say that the striker is entitled to go down in exactly these circumstances, but I’m not sure I agree with that. On the one hand, we’re trying to stamp out ‘simulation’ and on the other actively encouraging players to go down under the slightest bit of pressure. After Ngoyi didn’t go down when having his shirt almost removed from his back against Lewes, it became quickly clear that some with influence felt he should have gone down. He did so on Saturday and got his reward. Now, I’m not saying that Ngoyi necessarily cheated, but I do think that players are sometimes given mixed messages. The number of times now you see a striker hanging his foot out to ensure contact is made in the box now before going down, or strikers on their way down before contact is made is amazing. It’s no wonder that referees get so much ‘wrong’ when players are encouraged to blur the lines so much. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a dodgy penalty in the bank for us this season, there will be no complaints from me come March time if one is given against us that costs us points. One player non plussed by the incident was Jamie Busby who sent Smelt the wrong way from the spot for his 3^rd goal of the season.

From that point onwards, I never really felt like the Greens would go back empty handed, and indeed, the 2^nd goal 8 minutes later simply confirmed my suspicions. If Smelt was distinctly unlucky with the penalty call, he was wholly at fault for the game sealer. He’s not what you’d call the most commandingly built goalkeeper on the Ryman Circuit, but then neither was Gary McCann. The Greens forced a succession of corners, the last of which was half cleared to the edge of the box. It was returned with interest (4.94% apr) by Kevin Maclaren and the ball sailed beyond Smelt, possibly with the assistance of the blustery conditions, and bounced into the netting just inside the far post. Smelt scrambled back and carried the ball back the right side of the line, but the goal had already been given. The apoplectic goalkeeper then smashed the ball out of the ground, halfway to Dunkirk Some behind the goal bellowed for a 2^nd yellow card to be shown, I felt the official dealt with things sensibly – a 2^nd caution would have been unbelievably fussy.

Jack Smelt something fishy when the referee pointed to the spot

The Greens killed the game, Margate forced a couple of corners which were both repelled whilst Curtis Robinson sent a shot not far over the angle of post and bar whilst Smelt saved well from Godfrey as Hendon broke in stoppage time. 2 goals was enough though to settle a scrappy affair and the Greens were able to celebrate a 3^rd straight away win and another clean sheet on the road as well much to the delight of the small traveling band of supporters. A job well done.

Player Ratings

1. Berkeley Laurencin: A fourth clean sheet of the season and a pretty comfortable afternoon for the goalkeeper. Looked secure and dealt confidently with everything thrown at him. 7/10

2. Ryan Wharton: A truncated appearance for the centre half who was forced off with a muscle pull 5 minutes before the break. Did well before that though dealing competently with Bradbrook and Appiah. 6

3. Scott Cousins: A steady decent performance at left back by the skipper, his dead ball delivery as always this season was excellent and put the Margate back 4 under a lot of scrutiny. 6

4. Michael Peacock: Committed performance defending the 18 yard box with his customary command. Excellent as always in the air where he pretty well dominated Bradbrook. 7

5. James Archer: Probably been even more of a surprise than Ryan Wharton with his consistent performances after playing Sussex County League football last season. Another good effort from the full back who is making the slot his own. 7

6. Dave Diedhiou: Much better performance from the big midfielder after an unusually poor display last weekend at Lewes. Used the ball much better and looked more confident in possession than on Sundayg. 6

7. Jamie Bubsy: Good performance from Buzzer, who seems more than ever to quietly but effectively hum around and keep things ticking over. Gave Smelt no chance from the spot to put him back in pole position for the green slipper at the end of the season. 7

8. Carl McCluskey: Maybe a little quieter this time around, but no less effective in the support striker role. Used his height to good effect and continues to impress with his intelligent passing. 6

9. Greg Ngoyi: Questionable penalty aside, another committed, all action performance from the number 9. Gave the 2 Margate centre halves all sorts of trouble with his running and strength that belies his short-ish stature. Covered about 110 miles again. Excellent. 8

10. Elliot Godfrey: In tandem with Scott Cousins, his dead balls have made the Greens a far more dangerous and effective side from set pieces. Good intelligent performance, completed 90 minutes for the first time. 7

11. Casey Maclaren: Lasted less than 20 minutes before a nasty looking knock curtailed his involvement. Thankfully, no break was received and with any luck he should be back available for selection before too long. 6

Subs

12. Kevin Maclaren: Replaced his brother and sealed the three points with a slightly bizarro 2^nd goal, not that he will mind. Did nicely after coming on, looks to be chanelling his aggression positively so far this season. 7

14. Isaiah Rankin: Replaced the exhausted Ngoyi for the last 10 minutes and made a nuisance of himself. A really good option to have on the bench.

15. James Fisher: Made his debut in place of Ryan Wharton and slotted in very nicely. Clearly not quite fit, and looked as though he was struggling towards the end, but a very encouraging start. 7

Match Rating: 4

Star Man: Greg Ngoyi

Verdict: Another committed performance and 3 points ground out. Looked well drilled, very organised and solid against a Margate side who probably didn’t do themselves justice on the day. An element of fortune about both goals, but to be honest, while it’s on offer, everyone connected with the Greens will lap it up.

Other Results:

AFC Hornchurch 6-0 Tooting & Mitcham (Prediction 2-0)

Martin Tuohy struck 3 times as the Urchins crushed Tooting at Bridge Avenue. Leon Smith, Michael Spencer and Jon Hunt completed the scoring.

Bury Town 0-1 Met Police (Prediction 2-1)

An excellent away win for the Fuzz at Bury who have now gone 3 games without a win. Tony Finn was the hero for Met with the 34^th minute winner.

Carshalton Athletic 0-1 Billiericay Town (Prediction 1-1)

Another excellent result as well for Billericay Town and Carshalton who still await their first goal in front of their own fans. Jay May netted his 4^th of the season to give the away side the points.

Concord Rangers 2-2 Hastings United (Prediction 3-1)

A crazy 11 minute spell just before half time saw 4 goals shared in a game that does little for either side. Arron Hopkinson and Matt Hall gave Hastings a 2-0 lead before Kyle Asante, on loan from Southend and a Michael Noone penalty on the stroke of half time gave Concord a share of the spoils.

East Thurrock United 1-0 Horsham (Prediction 0-2)

Horsham fell to their 3^rd defeat in succession as East Thurrock got their season back on track with a 1-0 win thanks to Neil Richmond’s winner 20 minutes from time. Former Hendon man Sam Collins made his Rocks debut in the game

Harrow Borough 0-4 Cray Wanderers (Prediction 0-2)

Cray ran riot at Earlsmead as Boro crashed to their fourth defeat of the season. I have no idea who scored the goals, sorry.

Kingstonian 0-3 Wealdstone (Prediction 2-2)

It goes from bad to worse for K’s fans as they crashed at home to Wealdstone who themselves came away with their 2^nd impressive win in succession. Wes Parker, Richard Jolly and David Hicks were the Goalscorers for the Stones.

Leatherhead 1-2 Lowestoft Town (Prediction 0-3)

A good effort from the Tanners saw them come up just short against Lowestoft who made it four wins on the trot. Lubo Guentchev made it 6 for the season after 25 minutes before Danny Gainsford equalised on the stroke of half time. Guentchev then had his spot kick saved by Chico Ramos in the 2^nd half, but the rebound fell to Stuart Ainsley who gratefully slotted home the rebound to settle a nervy affair

Lewes 4-1 Aveley (Prediction 3-0)

Lewes racked up their biggest win of the season in some style by putting Aveley to the sword at the Dripping Pan. Paul Booth and Michael Malcolm’s goals were added to by Christian Nanetti and Nic Ciardini to give the home side a comfortable win. Reece Morgan scored on his debut for Aveley’s consolation.

Wingate & Finchley 0-2 Canvey Island (Prediction 1-0)

Canvey continued their impressive start to the season by becoming the first side to beat Wingate in the Premier Division. Goals from Leon Gordon and Jay Curran sealed a deserved 3 points for the visitors.

All of which leaves Hendon as the only unbeaten side in the division and top of the table by a point from Lowestoft and Canvey and a further 2 points ahead of Lewes and Cray who complete the top 5. At the bottom, Leatherhead, Harrow, Concord and Aveley all continue to search for their first 3 point haul of the season. The Millers are kept out of the bottom 4 by Kingstonian who drop into 19^th by virtue of their -8 goal difference. Don't be dismayed though K's fans, only 12 days before Hendon visit and your annual 3-0 win.