It was 14 years ago today... (Looking Back to Leyton Orient)

That Hendon taught the Orient how to play…

Let us take a step backwards in time to my proudest moment as a Hendon fan. Today marks the 14^th anniversary of the club’s FA Cup 1^st Round Replay win at Brisbane Road against Leyton Orient. Our previous season’s road to Ninian Park had seen us exempted to the 4^th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup in the 1997/8 season and two Colin Simpson goals had been enough to see off St. Albans City at Clarence Park to set up a place in the 1^st Round proper. This was in the days,  if I recall correctly, where the 1^st round draw would take place at 5pm on the Saturday afternoon. The cheers in the bar as we were drawn at home to near neighbours Leyton Orient was something else. A great draw, and the excitement began.

Orient, with sports promoter Barry Hearn even then at the helm, swiftly offered the Blues, as we were in those days, the chance to switch the tie to Brisbane Road with the guarantee of a crowd in excess of 5,000. Thankfully, Ivor Arbiter declined the invitation, instead choosing to bring the ‘giants’ from North East London to Claremont Road and letting them sweat things out in our cramped little changing rooms. The game was all ticket, the game was moved forward to 2pm on Police advice with countless other matches taking place in the capital on the same day. I remember well the feeling walking up Claremont Road from Brent Cross tube station talking to a couple of pessimistic O’s fans. Previous seasons had seen them humbled by Non League opposition at the first hurdle, the fear was that history would once again repeat itself.

Choosing to enter the ground through the rarely used turnstile at the Shopping Centre end, there was already a good crowd in. Portaloos had been brought in and lined the top of the terracing at that end, and the walk around to the banqueting suite end was something to savour. By the time the gates closed, there were 2,421 fans in the ground, it was a great sight seeing so many people packed into the ground, sadly a sight that was all too rare.

Hendon 2-2 Leyton Orient – Saturday 15^th November 1997

Let's all do the Simpson - Gary Mac shows Paul Hyde how to do it

After 50 seconds, the writing seemed to be on the wall. A ball into the box was headed clear only for the waiting Dean Smith (if memory serves) to smash the ball back past Gary McCann to give the away side the lead. Those of us congregated behind Macca’s goal perhaps feared the worst, but remained hopeful. Hope turned to murky misty glee when we realised that at the far end a bit later our friend from his days at Hayes - Paul Hyde, the Orient custodian had thumped his clearance against the onrushing Colin Simpson and was left helpless as the ball sailed over his head in the gloomy North London sky and into the back of the net. It wasn’t until we saw Simpson wheeling away with his shirt halfway over his head that we realised we were back in the game. Orient took the lead again on the stroke of half time, and although the action happened right in front of my nose I simply can’t remember who scored or how they did it. Never mind that though, our story has yet to get going.

After the break, Hendon were outstanding. Freddie Hyatt gave what the watching former Chelsea legend Alan Hudson described as the ‘perfect inside forward performance’ and was unfortunate not to score from a free kick that forced Hyde into a tip over. Roared on by a vocal following, reward came when John-Simon White’s cross to the far post found Simpson unmarked. The number 9 simply stooped, and nodded the ball inside the far post beyond Hyde’s somewhat limited attempts to keep the ball out. At the final whistle, supplied by former top flight referee and current County Championship umpire Martin Bodenham, the away side blew a sigh of relief at still being in the competition and attention moved on to the replay in 10 days time.

Team: Gary McCann, John-Simon White, Simon Clarke, Paul Kelly, Richard Nugent, Steve Bateman, Steve Heard, Freddie Hyatt, Colin Simpson (Tony Lynch), Tony Kelly (Matt Howard), Junior Lewis

Sub not used: Curtis Warmington

Tommy Taylor, the Orient manager boldly and publically proclaimed after the match that Hendon had missed their chance and that Orient would probably win the replay 5-0. Hearn meanwhile admitted his relief that they were still in the hat saying ‘I thought we would score six, especially after taking the lead.’ Frank Murphy got wind of this, and needed little to add to prepare his charges for the return. On top of that, Taylor made an approach for two goal hero Simpson, who wasn’t under contract and could thus move within 7 days of any approach being made. So although not illegal, it looked like a deliberate attempt to unsettle the player and destabilise Hendon’s preparations for the replay. Taylor would get his man in the end, but not before Hendon’s interest in the competition came to an end.

Leyton Orient 0-1 Hendon: Tuesday 25^th November 1997

Brisbane Road at this time was a three sided arena much in the style of Dean Court or the Kassam Stadium is these days as it was undergoing redevelopment. The 4-500 Hendon fans were crammed into a section of the main stand, at the corner of the ground at the stand-free end and were in great voice. I felt nervous, even more so than the first time around. I thought our chance had probably gone, but at the same time, felt that Orient were beatable.

It felt like 90 minutes of bombardment. Wave after wave of ball flew in and around the Hendon 6 yard box yet they were repelled by a heroic effort form everyone concerned. Steve Bateman and Matt Howard were about eight foot tall on the evening and when they were beaten, Gary Mac wasn’t. He gave a truly commanding performance in goal making a number of excellent claims and one or two top draw saves as well. Simpson had the opportunity to give Hendon a first half lead and further endear himself to his future employers when he was played through on goal and although he beat Hyde, he also narrowly beat the far post.

The moment came in the 2^nd half and was a genuinely classy goal. The ball fell about 15 yards inside the Orient half and was controlled by Hyatt. A shimmy and a step over later, all of which was bought for full price by his marker, the ball was spread wide to John-Simon White who was steaming (literally and figuratively) as only he could down the right flank before sending a nectarine of a cross onto the forehead of the onrushing Junior Lewis, about 15 yards out who sent the ball fizzing past the flailing Hyde and into the roof of the net. The enclosure we were packed into erupted. I couldn’t believe it, we were ahead at a Division 3 club. I’d never felt anything like it. People were hugging eachother as if they were part of the same family rather than a load of strangers brought together by a common purpose. That was nothing though compared to what came less than half an hour later.

I can’t tell you how long the closing stages dragged on for. Every minute felt like ten. The pressure the home side put us under was immense, but somehow we held out. Refrains of ‘In Dublin’s Fair City’ rang out somewhat nervously as the frustration grew amongst the home fans with every overhit ball forward that Gary Mac was able to mop up. When the final whistle finally sounded, the place went mad. Taylor and his charges were booed from the pitch whilst the Hendon players and coaching staff came and celebrated in front of us. The scenes were immense, fantastic and unbeknown to us, being played out live on Radio 5 Live. This side had just written themselves into Hendon folklore along with the Amateur Cup, Isthmian championship, Barassi Cup winning, Newcastle United and Reading humbling sides of the 60s and 70s. It was a wonderful time to be a Hendon fan and one that hasn’t been matched for me since.

Team:  Gary McCann, John-Simon White, Simon Clarke, Paul Kelly, Matt Howard, Steve Bateman, Steve Heard, Freddie Hyatt, Colin Simpson (Michael Banton), Tony Kelly (Curtis Warmington), Junior Lewis

Sub Not Used: Greg Tello

The 2^nd round pitted us once again against Cardiff City at Ninian Park for the 2^nd year running, and this time we were beaten comfortably 3-1, Nas Bashir getting a second half consolation for the Tangerine clad Blues. The media glare took itself elsewhere, Richard Nugent’s teddy cried himself to sleep and we were left with the league and Puma Cup to focus our attentions on.

This FA Cup run still lives on fresh in the memory, it’s hard to believe that it was 14 years ago that the pinnacle of my time as a Hendon fan was reached. It feels like about 3 have passed. But in that time a lot of water has passed under the bridge, Gary Mac, Freddie and Junior have moved from being part of that great few weeks on the pitch to being integral, important parts of the club off the pitch now. Enough with the looking back though, time to look ahead…

Make Me Proud, That's All I Ask

Luton Town v Hendon

Saturday 29^th October 2011

FA Cup 4^th Qualifying Round

Kenilworth Road

Around about this time two years ago I fell into a big trap that was fully signposted ‘Idiots jump here’. I don’t consider myself an idiot especially, and I’m certainly not an idiot lemming that would willingly plunge into an abyss of pointless optimism and hope. Yet in the build-up to Hendon v Woking, our first FA Cup 4^th Qualifying Round appearance under Gary Mac I became strangely reckless in my thinking. Almost dreaming, you might say. Because I thought an upset was genuinely on the cards (no pun intended). Suffice to say, those hopes were washed away with the autumn rains within a quarter of an hour of kick off as we found ourselves 2-0 down. 2 became 5 and I felt well and truly humbled. At least I had the consolation of a pint being bought for me by Danny Dyer’s dad to assist my sorrows towards an overwhelming conclusion.

In our previous appearance in the 4^th Qualifying Round under Tony Choules at Stevenage I had no such illusions of grandeur. I went expecting a hammering, I came away with expectations fulfilled. (I’m not going to start on the woeful lack of respect and discipline shown by some of those on the pitch during the afternoon, it’s too embarrassing). I’m reasonably confident that we’ll end tomorrow afternoon with 11 men on the pitch, discipline has improved markedly from last season, never mind the Choules era where finishing matches with a full compliment was the exception rather than the rule. I’m less certain about the chances of not being well and truly outclassed though.

In spite of that, I’m looking forward to the game and the occasion, even if it won't be as big a day as our trip to Ruislip a few weeks ago. Both clubs should be applauded for keeping prices reasonable, £12 appears to be about par for Blue Square South Football and as a result, fans of both sides ought to be feeling like they’re receiving good value for money tomorrow afternoon. In addition to that, I’ll be going to a ground I’ve never been to before and part of what for us will constitute a big crowd. Games like this always bring out idle speculation as to who and how many are going to attend. I’ve seen some claim tomorrow will attract 6,000, others just 2,000. I’ve seen some claim that 600 Greens fans will make the trip to Kenilworth Road, the realistic number is more likely to be 250-300 at the most. That may sound like a disappointing figure to many readers and of course, we’d all love there to be double or triple that number in the away end, but I don’t like figure masseuses for whatever reason.

Will Forever be known as The Hendon End after tomorrow. Maybe.

Luton’s are perhaps the most illustrious name to have found themselves dropping into the Non League game (maybe Oxford United’s fans would disagree) and the reasons behind their demotion from the Football League have been well documented in other places so I won’t try and explain the complex run of events that very nearly tore the club in two. That they survived is a testament to their supporters, the next step – and it doubtlessly will be – is to re-establish the club back in the League. The man charged with achieving promotion this time around is Gary Brabin, the man who led Cambridge United to the play off final in 2009, and if the Luton messageboard is to be believed (although I suspect the sentiments expressed occasionally contain extra tongue in cheek) then the jury is very much out on the Liverpudlian’s time in charge so far.

On the pitch, the Hatters can boast a squad almost as large as Hendon’s, albeit with infinitely more Football League experience. Scanning down their squad list, a number of names jump out at you. Fancy having Mark Tyler and Kevin Pilkington as your goalkeeping options for example, that’s well over 700 professional appearances between them to begin with. Add in a sprinkling of Keith Keane, Danny Crow, Tommy Wright, Shane Blackett, Jamie Hand and Janos Kovacs amongst others on top of various other names of relative repute presents a pretty daunting prospect for the Greens.

Nick Owen: A key figure in stabilising Luton Town

But, and yes, this is a big Queen Latifah sized but, bigger shocks have happened, and there will be a few upsets this weekend. Maybe fate will decree that the XI Green and White shirts will have 10/10 days whilst Luton may go the whole hog and field Easyjet employees in their orange kit. In all seriousness, I don’t think Brabin will be doing us any favours in terms of team selection and even if he was to leave players out, he’s got a wealth of experience and talent waiting in the wings. I would be surprised to see many changes in the Hendon line-up. Dewayne Clarke will be cup-tied so the big question is whether Gary Mac keeps faith with 4-4-2 or whether he reverts to 4-5-1 bringing in an extra midfielder.

As I say, I’m not confident of getting a positive result, I’m not even that confident that we won’t get turned over, what I am very confident about though, is that unlike the games against Stevenage and Woking, I will come away from the ground feeling proud of the lads’ efforts. They’ve got nothing to lose, they’ve had a great start to the season and ought to relish the chance to play at a proper ground in front of a good crowd against a good side. Any player that cannot motivate themselves for a day like tomorrow shouldn’t be in the game at any level quite honestly. For inspiration, we only need to look at the efforts of Oxhey Jets four weeks ago and just how difficult they made life for us, how close they came to nicking a replay. The gap in levels between them and us is more than the gap between us and Luton, so why not?

People have been asking me this week what the best I can hope for is. The answer is simple. ‘We win the game and draw one of the Sheffield clubs away from home in the 1^st Round.’ They laugh and reply

 ‘Realistically though, what is the best you’re hoping for’. To which I give them the same answer. I mean, realistically, we could win tomorrow and we could go to Bramall Lane or Hillsborough in the next round. It may seem unlikely, and it does seem unlikely quite honestly, but if could happen. I suppose from a financial point of view, going out after a replay would hit the button. All this is idle speculation of course and pretty pointless except for giving me something to do on an early Friday afternoon.

Is that Hendon? Is that Hendon or Luton? Please don't be Luton.

So with just under 24 hours remaining until what is arguably the club’s biggest match since Blackpool away a dozen years ago, memories of those glorious away days of the late 90s at Ninian Park, Meadow Lane, Twerton Park, Bloomfield Road and particularly Brisbane Road are beginning to resurface. Gary, Freddie and Junior all played pivotal roles in some of those trips (particularly again, the win at Leyton Orient) and will be able to pass on that experience to the players. The feeling after the final whistle at Orient was simply amazing and something I’ve never felt since in my time as a Hendon fan. Were we to pull off the unlikely tomorrow, I think I will be getting pretty close to similar feelings of elation. I daren’t dream of that though. Just make us proud tomorrow afternoon, don’t let us leave and not be able to hold our heads high. Good luck. And altogether now…

In Dublin’s Fair City….

Jetting Off To Essex. Or Sussex. - Oxhey Jets 1-2 Hendon

Oxhey Jets 1-2 Hendon

FA Cup 2^nd Qualifying Round

Saturday 1^st October

The Boundary Stadium

I think, for the first time ever, I was part of a club’s record attendance on Saturday. Sure, it was ‘only’ 376 and it was ‘only’ at a club that have been playing in FA Competitions for a handful of seasons, but it’s still a rather pleasant feeling. And what a lovely day it was too.

The Boundary Stadium is set at the southern end of the ‘notorious’ South Oxhey housing estate which once featured on Newsnight as an example of an area of crime, youth unemployment and so on and so forth. Walking through it on a Saturday afternoon was actually quite pleasant. The sun was shining, people seemed happy. There was a thriving precinct on my right with a busy looking pub at the top and it looked as though the local community was getting behind the Jets with more than one shop displaying  posters advertising the match. The closer I got to the ground, the more apparent it was that the sunshine had spread FA Cup fever across the estate. Cars were queuing to get in and out of the car park, which doubled as a car park for the local swimming pool (lovely day for a swim it was too) and people tried to cram their cars into the small new-build estate just in front of the ground.

There was a healthy queue of people waiting to get into the ground, and a healthy gaggle of people outside nursing cold pints in plastic glasses. Five minutes, an extremely reasonable £6 and complimentary programme later I descended the half a dozen or so large steps to pitch level and made my way onto a shady bit of the grassy bank that runs down the side of the pitch and read the programme in amongst the hordes of youngsters running around with footballs and doing gymnastics on the crash barriers. Great to see so many kids out watching football. On the pitch was a table with what was either a badly publicised visit of the FA Cup trophy on it, or more likely, a convincing replica.

The sides were announced, and presently the two sides emerged down the steps in the middle of the slightly crude looking, but well packed stand. I stood up and as the players exchanged the obligatory handshakes (I can never understand the need for this at our level) I noted the lovely view across towards Grimsdyke Golf Course. It was a beautiful vista, quite honestly a refreshing tonic to what happened on the pitch.

The reasons for Hendon’s largely disjointed performance were threefold in my opinion. Firstly, it was a very hot day not suited to a high tempo performance. Secondly, the onus was very much on us to take the game to our lower division opponents and although we lined up with two orthodox centre forwards for the first time this season, Elliott Charles partnering Greg Ngoyi, the way the side has been set up this season has largely been to contain opponents, and that is a difficult habit to get out of. Thirdly, and I think most importantly, was the efforts of our opponents. They sat fairly deep, allowed our back four to have possession and then crowd out the midfield and the two strikers before looking to break quickly. They were extremely well organised, kept their shape well and made life very difficult for Hendon.

Chances in the first period were few and far between, Ngoyi went close early on heading narrowly wide from a long driven Michael Peacock cross, and Elliott Godfrey’s free kick hit a blue head taking the ball high over the bar. Apart from that, until stoppage time, Hendon did little with their possession. Oxhey for their efforts did provide a sporadic threat, and their best effort came from a 30 yard drive from Chris Ingram that had Sean Thomas scrambling across his goal. Fortunately for the goalkeeper, the ball flashed just wide of the post.

The breakthrough came as the clock began to massage half time. Ngoyi got away down the right and cut a low cross into the box. Charles, who did extremely well all afternoon holding the ball up and winning headers, was able to get across his marker and turn the ball inside the near post from about 10 yards out past the statuesque Mark Jessop for his 2^nd goal in consecutive matches. It was a well worked goal, and gave the yellows a lead that to be honest, probably flattered them at the break.

Elliott Charles: Pre Adebayor makeover

Gary Mac made a couple of changes at the break, Byron Bubb replacing the leggy looking Carl McCluskey and the two Maclaren’s swapping places. Any hope Hendon’s faithful had of the floodgates opening were disappointed just 3 minutes after the restart. Oxhey Jets, clearly encouraged by their first half efforts, got back on terms with another goal that was extremely well taken. My view was obscured, sadly, but I did see Lewis Putnam drifting into the penalty area off the left flank, gliding, inviting the challenge that never came and simply slipped the ball inside the far post with the smoothest of finishes. As he was engulfed by team mates in blue, and the local crowd erupted, those in yellow shirts looked around helplessly. 1-1, game on.

For the next 10 minutes or so, Oxhey Jets looked more likely to be honest. Their players were more vocal, roaring eachother on with encouragement, vigorously contesting every challenge, and the crowd responded appropriately. Hendon’s players looked a little shell shocked, and needed some geeing up from Scott Cousins to re-focus their energies. To their credit, they did and regained the lead just before the hour mark.

A free kick was sent into the box by James Archer and headed on by Charles. Ngoyi had done well to elude his marker but delayed his shot. I thought he should have taken it first time on the volley, but he waited an extra second or so. As the defender recovered and looked to have cut out the danger, Ngoyi hit the ball on the half volley low across the goalkeeper and into the net off of the far post. A third well taken goal and overwhelming evidence, if ever any was needed, that I should never don the number 9 shirt at any level.

Again, the goal was a little harsh on the home side and with each decision that went against them, the temperature rose another degree. Stephen Brown picked up a booking, and simultaneously ‘pointless caution of the month’ award, for running fully 25 yards to remonstrate with the referee midway through the 2^nd half as Oxhey looked to find away back into the game. They gave it absolutely everything. The experienced Gavin Hart twice went close with volleys from outside the box, Chris Ingram headed not far over from a corner and late on, Spencer Bellotti had a golden opportunity with a free header after some defensive density, but did not get any power behind his effort at all, allowing Thomas to simply pluck the ball out of the air and kill a few seconds.

At the other end, chances were at a premium. Godfrey went close with a chip that narrowly eluded the angle of post and bar, but when in possession for the most part, the yellow shirted band of merry men were content to keep the ball and run the clock down. The clock did run down in the end, and the referee brought things to a halt. Oxhey’s players slumped to the ground, partly I expect in exhaustion and partly in disappointment at having come so close to taking the tie to a 2^nd match. I don’t think anyone connected with Hendon would have begrudged them a replay after providing us with a much tougher test than AFC Hayes did in the previous round.

I’m loathed to describe Oxhey Jets as ‘plucky underdogs’, it doesn’t do their efforts justice. I was hugely impressed by the set-up at the club. The welcome was extremely friendly, the bar impressive. The ground is not only pretty tidy, but they have plenty of room for expansion should they need in the future as well. Below the main pitch they have a couple of training pitches. They have a thriving youth and academy set-up and clearly, a lot of support from within the local community. I genuinely wish them all the very best for the future, it looks very rosy and will certainly be visiting again sometime in the not too distant future.

For Hendon, progression was the key. In the draw for the next round yesterday, Dave Vadhiou struck drawing us away at either Maldon & Tiptree or Whitehawk, who replay this week. Both sides will be familiar to the Greens having been in opposition during last season’s run to the 1^st round. From that point of view it’s not so attractive a draw as it might have been but again and although both sides will provide very stern opposition, the draw is certainly winnable. I’d certainly have rather got this than away at Dover or Woking.

Player Ratings

1. Sean Thomas: Didn’t have a great deal to do, but looked confident. There’s something more polished about his style than Berkley’s that was probably born on the training grounds of QPR. 6/10

2. James Parker: Apart from slamming a clearance against Lee Armitt in the second half, Parks did well alongside Michael Peacock and used the large amount of possession he had well. 6

3. Scott Cousins: Did really well, picked up heads after the equaliser, usual good use of the ball and did really well against the direct Lee Armitt as well. 7

4. Michael Peacock: Dominating in the air, dealt well with the lively threat of Spencer Bellotti and Lee Inch, usual good performance. 6

5. James Archer: Got forward well on a couple of occasions in the first half, did well again defensively against the impressive Lewis Putnam. Continued his impressive start at Hendon. 6

6. Kevin Maclaren: Not his best performance truth be told. Gave away possession cheaply on a few occasions and was booked after a couple of late challenges. Replaced at half time by his brother. 5

7. Jamie Bubsy: Had a really good battle with Gavin Hart and was the best Hendon player in possession. Didn’t get any shots away at goal, but rarely gave the ball away. 7

8. Carl McCluskey: Looked a bit tired and laboured on the right flank in the first half and put in his least effective performance of the season. 5

9. Greg Ngoyi: An excellent finish for his 6^th goal of the season, and a good assist for the opener. Looks to be forming a decent understanding with Elliott Charles already. 7

10. Elliott Godfrey: A touch unlucky not to score in the 2^nd half, but like other midfield colleagues, found his threat pretty well smothered by hard working opponents. 6

11. Elliott Charles: Excellent performance leading the line. Held the ball up really well, won lots of balls in the air, finished well to give Hendon the lead and set up Greg’s goal nicely too. 8

Subs

12. Casey Maclaren: Came on at half time and gave the Hendon midfield a little more direction. Did ok. 6

15. Byron Bubb: Also came on at the break and although showed some nice touches, didn’t really seem to achieve a great deal. Looked lively enough though. 6

18. Michael Lewis: Replaced Greg Ngoyi and looked very lively and dangerous down the left flank. Hope we get to see more of him over the next few weeks.

Star Man: Elliott Charles

Match Rating: 4/10

Verdict: Hendon had to dig deep to overcome an impressive and very well organised Oxhey Jets side and in the end, the clinical edge in front of goal made the difference. The win was more important than the performance, and that was duly delivered.

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.

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.