That Man Is A Hero #2: Gary McCann, The Goalkeeper

It was a bank holiday Monday at the end of March, presumably Easter Monday but I can’t be sure. Hendon were taking on Aylesbury United at Claremont Road in front of what today would count as a bumper crowd of 405 and in the Greens line-up was yet another new goalkeeper. Scott Ashcroft, Andy Harris, Jan Wagenaar, and Tony Wells (not to mention 45 minutes of David Speedie) had all filled the number 1 shirt with varying degrees of success throughout the season. The man chosen by Frank Murphy, himself in the job for a mere matter of weeks was his former custodian from Dulwich Hamlet, Gary McCann.

We lost that game 3-0 and there was little about the afternoon’s proceedings that suggested in any way that we might have witnessed the birth of a true Hendon legend.(Ah yes, legend, that oft overused and abused description in football, much like world-class or ‘quality / top top’ player). However, as time has worn on over the last 15 years (minus 1 day) the name Gary McCann has slowly but surely been etched, ever more heavily into Hendon folklore.

31^st March 1997 was the day it all started and the same date, 15 years later could well play a pivotal role in shaping the club’s short-term on-field future as final preparations for the trip to the Dripping Pan tomorrow to play Lewes in what can only be described as a play-off six pointer are put in place.

Gary went on to play a key role in the end of season run that saw the side win all but one of their seven matches after his debut against Aylesbury and end the season in a heady 16^th spot which looked very much impossible at the beginning of March that year. Perhaps the first sign that he was a little out of the ordinary as far as goalkeepers went was a glimpse of what happened in the 2-1 win at Hitchin Town. The home side were given a late penalty and Gary managed to get down well to save it. I have a feeling Rudi Hall was the man who took it, but I may well be quite wrong. However, this wasn’t just down to luck, but the fact that Gary had noticed a photograph in the Matchday programme of a penalty from Hitchin’s previous match. Noting which way the take sent the ball, he guessed that the player would do the same thing again. He did, Gary was right and we were on our way to one of the most comfortable and enjoyable run-ins I’ve witnessed as a fan.

The following season was another excellent one to watch. Finishing the season 4^th in the table and picking up the Full Members Cup in the process, these achievements were eclipsed by events against Leyton Orient which I have described earlier in the season. In the replay at Brisbane Road, Gary was not alone in being outstanding. The match video shows a couple of outstanding saves, one in particular from a late header was quite brilliant, but what struck me most was the way he commanded his penalty area and caught pretty much everything that wasn’t already dealt with by the heads of one of his centre halves. 

Gary McCann not following the example of Paul Hyde, clearing from Carl Griffiths against Leyton Orient

 Those of you who know him will be aware that as goalkeepers go, Gary didn’t have the advantage of height compared with say, Dickie Wilmot, Will Viner or various others who have bedecked the yellow or red or grey jersey in recent years. However, he was one of the most commanding goalkeepers I’ve seen. Anything that came into his 6 yard box was his, he rarely dropped a cross and all of that helps to give the back three or four a lot of confidence. Not only that, but he was loud, and that was something that particularly lends itself to the making of a good goalkeeper. When Peter Schmeichel was at the peak of his powers, comment was often made of the way he used to bawl out Steve Bruce or Gary Pallister but no one doubted the motives behind him doing so. The penalty area was his domain and woe betide anyone who didn’t do his bidding in there. I still remember Gary very nearly coming to blows with Steve Bateman – hardly a shrinking violet himself - following a slight misunderstanding.

Gary continued to play a full part in the 1998/99 season, becoming the first goalkeeper I’ve seen in a Hendon shirt to be dismissed for a professional foul (I think, possibly handball outside the area) against Bromley at the beginning of the season, making a pretty astonishing 63 appearances and playing his own part in two more cup wins, the Full Members Cup for a third time, and perhaps more memorably in the Middlesex Senior Cup final against Wembley. The game went to penalties (two spot kicks in normal time had been already been converted) and Gary bravely stepped up to take one of Hendon’s five. Bravery quickly became misguided confidence as he sent his effort high over the angle of post and bar, sending Hendon fans behind the goal diving for cover as the ball disappeared somewhere in the direction of Edmonton.

Credit where credit is due though, Gary showed real strength of character to shrug off his woeful attempts at being Matt Le Tissier, instead wisely choosing to personify Mark Crossley from the next Wembley spot kick by making an excellent save. Some of us may have been questioning whether Gary really was a sports shop owner or whether in fact he was a script writer. Something that to this day remains unknown.

Twelve months later his career was in the balance. Already having suffered a nasty injury early in the season at Enfield, Gary came off worst in a challenge at Earlsmead against Harrow Borough in April with Damien Markman in the first half. He was carried off, and it soon became clear that we wouldn’t see him again that season, nor for some time afterwards either. His next appearance came in a Full Members Cup Tie at Heybridge at the end of December 2000, a game which was lost 6-5 but marked the beginning of Gary’s on field rehabilitation. He recovered enough to appear in a further 20 matches during the fraught end of the season that never ended before more surgery in the close season.

Frank Murphy moved on and Dave Anderson took over, his first match in charge being a friendly at home to Southend United. Gary played, despite not being anywhere near fit and probably did himself few favours. David Hook came in and Gary, when fitness was regained had spells away from Claremont Road with Slough Town, with whom he enjoyed further FA Cup glory, and Aylesbury United whose loyalty to Adam Wheeler saw them not really ever accept Gary. This hadn’t been lost on the Hendon faithful and their only loyalty to their former charge was returned when the Ducks came to Claremont Road in October 2002, losing 3-1 with Wheeler in goal, as they chanted Gary Mac’s name for much of the evening. He made 13 appearances over the three seasons of Dave Anderson’s stewardship, his final game keeping a clean sheet at Bedford Town after David Hook suffered back spasms before the match. In all Gary ended making 196 appearances for the club and had already put his name amongst the best goalkeepers to play for the club in the semi-professional era. 

Pondering his next move..

Little did we know though, that this was only the start of the journey we would find ourselves on with him, as we shall see in part two.