I was halfway through writing a review of my Saturday afternoon spent in front of twitter watching updates coming through from Maldon when my phone flashed. ‘Sh*t, it’s in’ I thought and nervously switched tabs on Firefox to the FA website. Hesitating before pressing F5, I silently said a prayer. ‘Southend Manor or Redbridge, Southend Manor or Redbridge’. The FA site confirmed my suspicions, the draw for the final qualifying round of the FA Cup had been made. Deep sigh, and I opened the link. It took a moment to load, prolonging the agony. There we are. Scroll down. Further down. ‘Ooh, Sutton v Leatherhead, that’s a toughy for the Tanners. Game 29. Luton Town, hoho, don’t fancy the poor sods who got the….. bugger.’
I didn’t really think ‘bugger’. I didn’t really think anything. I just swore repeatedly for a few minutes audibly. The 1st round suddenly looked an awful lot more distant than it did just moments previously. If the Chelmsford match last season had all the difficulty of an away draw at a league side but with a fraction of the glamour, then this tie has all the glamour of an away draw at a league side but with a fraction of the potential prize money available. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.
Firstly, a quick note on how we found ourselves getting prepared for a trip up the M1 to Luton, which was of course by way of our 3-1 win in Essex on Saturday. Other commitments sadly kept me away but my phone kept buzzing at regular intervals. After going a goal behind to set the nerves jangling just after @HendonFC said that we had just shaded a quiet opening half hour, the longer time went on without a text coming in starting GOAL, the more I worried. Sometimes, I’m not sure whether it’s a blessing not being at games. Apples and pears I suppose.
Fortunately, two texts starting GOAL in quick succession settled me down just after the hour mark as first Carl McCluskey and then Greg Ngoyi netted to turn things around quickly. James Lawson was then dismissed for an off the ball incident before Elliott Godfrey provided the coup-de-grace latching onto a long Sean Thomas punt and poking the ball over the advancing Darren Behcet to seal a win that looked pretty unlikely just half an hour previously and which by all accounts, was a tad harsh on our hosts.
And so immediate attention turns to the League Cup and FA Trophy before the game at Kenilworth Road on the 29th October. Perhaps slightly strangely, considering the distance in footballing terms between the two sides, there are a few famous links between the two clubs that ought to get the two sets of fans reminiscing together. Peter Anderson made 125 appearances for the Greens between 1968 and 1971 scoring 58 goals before moving north to Luton where he made more than 180 league appearances before moving to Belgium and later on the United States before ending his career as player-manager at Millwall.
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| Peter Anderson, in his NASL days |
Iain Dowie signed for Hendon in November 1986 and made his debut in a 4-1 at Hitchin Town, setting himself a high standard by scoring twice. Over the next couple of years the beanpole striker kept scoring. 23 in his first season, 28 the following season and then 27 by the time he left the club in late 1988, Luton acquiring his services for what remains a club record fee received of £30,000. The rest is pretty much history, as he enjoyed a couple of seasons at Kenilworth Road before moving on to Southampton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and then Queens Park Rangers, all the while scoring 12 goals in 59 appearances for Northern Ireland, a tally that leaves him joint 4th on their all-time goalscorer list.
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| With thanks to Sporting Heroes.net - Iain Dowie in Luton kit |
The third man to have had a significant influence at both clubs is one Bontcho Guentchev. I’d love to know his thoughts on the draw, but knowing that he was very much a cult figure at both Hendon and Luton, any appearance by the great man at Kenilworth Road will be lapped up by all four sides of the ground. He made more than 65 league appearances at Luton between 1995 and 1997 before heading home for a brief goal-filled spell at CSKA Sofia and then turning up at pre-season training on Clitterhouse Park in July 1999 dressed in a Bulgarian World Cup 94 track suit. Again, the rest is history. The great man went on to star in our run to the 2nd round at Blackpool in 1999 before returning later on to join the coaching staff and introducing his sons to the glorious surroundings of Claremont Road and latterly, Vale Farm.
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| When he were a Tractorboy - Bontcho |
As far as ex-pros go at Non League level, Bontcho was an absolute class above. Although he spent much of his time on the bench, he never bitched and moaned, he always gave the impression that as well as helping less talented players out, that he absolutely loved every single minute that he was on the pitch. Even when he made the odd cameo in his 40s a few years ago. Both sets of fans of varying vintages are bound to have plenty of memories of all three men.
Early signs are that Hendon are treating the game as they have any recent big game at League clubs, and quite rightly too. The two clubs will agree prices, hopefully they’ll come in a little cheaper than the £18 currently charged to get in the away end in a bid to encourage plenty to attend – particularly amongst the home fans where I imagine the lure of Hendon hasn’t really set pulses racing any higher than comatose. And who can blame them? The benefits of the game though, and any potential large crowd for Hendon are pretty significant though. Baring in mind that realistically, we won’t be getting the £12,500 prize money for winning in the 4th Qualifying Round, the more people through the gate means more money in the coffers in a few months time.
What we mustn’t do, and what I’m sure Gary, Freddie and Junior won’t be doing is allowing the players to take their eye off the ball and simply focus on the potential financial rewards. As well as that we need to be seen to do ourselves justice on the pitch. We didn’t do it at Stevenage (in fact, that episode was wholly embarrassing) and we didn’t do it against Woking. There is a different ethos around the club now though, more professional, more structured and dare I say it, more focused. The squad has players who have a bit of experience behind them – Scott Cousins was part of the St. Albans set up when they were in the Conference, Isaiah Rankin has years of professional football under his belt, Sean Thomas has spent a lot of his early career around the professional game and England youth teams, Elliott Charles has played for Barnet’s first team, Elliott Godfrey has plenty of experience of playing in front of big crowds from his time at AFC Wimbledon. As much as anything else though, it’s a real chance for some of the talented younger players to make a name for themselves and show that they have what it takes to play at a higher level. This stage could be made for someone like Carl McCluskey, for example, who for the most part hasn’t simply looked like he belongs at this level this season, but that he looks better than a Ryman Prem player at times.
The more I think about it, the more excited I’m becoming. Roll on October 29th!
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