Hendon

Hendon FC is a non-league football club from north west London who were originally formed as Christ Church Hampstead in 1908, finishing as champions of the Finchley & District League Third Division before changing their title to Hampstead Town FC a year later.

Hampstead Town became members of the Athenian League in 1914 after adding further divisional titles in their previous league. In 1926 the club became Hampstead FC as they moved into their Claremont Road home, going on to finish as league runners-up in 1928-29 and 1932-33.

Another change of name to Golders Green FC followed in 1933. A final name change was initiated in 1946 as the club became Hendon FC. The Athenian League was the top ranked amateur league of the time, with ‘The Dons’ ending as runners-up again in 1947-48, 1948-49 and again in 1951-52.

The title finally arrived at Hendon in 1952-53 in what was to begin a golden era at the club. In 1955 Hendon reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup at Wembley after seeing off Hounslow Town in the White Hart Lane semi-final. Bishop Auckland went on to lift the cup with a 2-0 win.

Famous players of the day included Leslie and Dennis Compton before they found fame with Arsenal, England and Middlesex CCC.  Laurie Topp and Miles Spector were amongst others to enthrall the Claremont Road crowds. A second Athenian League was lifted in 1955-56.

Hendon reached the last four of the Amateur Cup again in 1960. Enfield were disposed of at Griffin Park, before Kingstonian were defeated 2-1 at Wembley. Led by Dexter Adams, Hendon were trailing 1-0 with just three minutes remaining. Topp was sent upfield to equalise before Terry Howard scored the winner in the last minute in front of a crowd of 60,000.

Action from the game can be seen here.

A third league title arrived in 1960-61. Hendon became members of the Isthmian League for the 1962-63 season, with the league title being secured in 1964-65, with further glory to come in what was a memorable campaign.

Hendon returned to Wembley after a 4-1 thumping of Finchley at Highbury. The Greens went on to lift the trophy 3-1 with two goals from David Hyde and one from Jimmy Quail. The team led by Rob Burgess contained three England amateur internationals; goalkeeper John Swannell, Roy Sleap and David Hyde. The team was skippered by Bobby Cantwell.

To see action from the final, click here.

A semi-final win at Roker Park over Whitley Bay saw Hendon return to Wembley in 1966 in an attempt to retain the cup against local rivals Wealdstone. The Dons went down 3-1 despite going into an early lead through Geoff Riddy.

Action from the victorious semi-final can be seen here.

Hendon reached the first round proper of the FA Cup on many occasions, but they went one better in 1969-70 before going out in round two against Brentwood Town at Claremont Road. A new dominant side was being built to bring further honours to the club.

Following a 2-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Griffin Park, Hendon once again found themselves at Wembley for the Amateur Cup final. This time they defeated Enfield 2-0 thanks to John Baker and Tony Bass. As well as the veteran Swannell, the team also included amateur internationals Rod Haider, Peter Deadman and Alan Phillips. 

Perhaps Hendon’s greatest claim to fame came through the 1973-74 FA Cup campaign. Victories over Barnet, Leytonstone and Merthyr Tydfil saw the Greens being drawn out away to top flight Newcastle United in the third round.

Haider equalized at St James Park in front of a gate of 33,840 to send the tie to a replay, which was moved to Watford’s Vicarage Road and was played on the Wednesday afternoon because of the power cuts of the time. A crowd of 15,385 saw the Geordies go through with Terry McDermott and Malcolm MacDonald amongst the goals on their way to that season’s final.

Hendon reached round two again in 1975-76, but went out to Swindon Town as the team began to split up. Over the next fifteen years or so Hendon finished in mid table of the Isthmian League on many occasions without pushing for league honours. Success came occasionally by way of the London Senior, Middlesex Senior and Isthmian League Cups.

Financial troubles hit the club as the receivers were called in in 1994 when Chairman of the time, Victor Green lost interest and moved onto Stevenage Borough. The Dons were saved at the last minute by Ivor Arbiter who had the UK rights to guitar company Fender.

Things improved on the pitch despite low crowds as a succession of managers worked well with the resources on offer. The team reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1998-99, with the home tie against Notts County at The Loot Stadium, as Claremont Road had been renamed in a sponsorship deal, being shown on live TV. The following season Hendon reached round two before bowing out at Blackpool.

Plans had been put in place by the owner for Hendon to move to Copthall Stadium and selling Claremont Road for housing. This fell through because of issues raised by the local council regarding the use of the land.

Following Arbiter’s death in 2005 the supporters set up their own Trust as they were concerned as to how long any money would last. The club were reprieved from a first ever relegation at the end of the 2005-06 season following Canvey Island’s request to drop down the pyramid.

After much speculation, the final game at Claremont Road was staged on the 20^th September 2008 as local rivals Wealdstone dampened the mood further with a 4-1 win. Hendon led a nomadic existence for the rest of the season, before settling into groundshare agreement at Vale Farm with Wembley FC for a three year deal from the summer of 2009.

In August 2010 the ownership of the club was completed with the Dons Trust taking total control. However, the finances proved difficult to handle and an appeal went out at the beginning of the 2011-12 season for new investment and a possible return to private ownership.

It was also announced that the club would be changing home grounds from the start of the 2013-14 season as a deal had been signed to share Earlsmead with Harrow Borough. Manager Gary McCann continued to perform wonders with the team while the club lacked income streams.

A new director Rob Morris joined the club towards the back end of the 2013-14 season offering great hope for the future. His company had secured a lease at the former home of Kingsbury Town at Silver Jubilee Park. A new state of the art artificial surface was to be installed enabling lots of football.

Edgware Town had been reformed to recommence playing in the 2014-15 season and took up residency at the ground, while Hendon began to hold functions and meetings at the clubhouse.

The Dons started the 2014-15 season with many under age clubs playing under their name, to improve youth development; many being based at Silver Jubilee Park. It was hoped that improvements could be made to the ground to satisfy the Isthmian League ground.

The news gave everyone at Hendon a boost. The team performed superbly in the 2014-15 campaign and reached the play-offs following a second place finish. Metropolitan Police were defeated 2-1 before Margate won the final 1-0 at Earlsmead to secure promotion to the National League South.

After a season near the bottom half of the table, Hendon moved into Silver Jubilee Park for the 2016-17 season. The Dons debut season in their new home was one of struggle and can be read about here.

The team struggled in their new surroundings; not winning a home league game until January 2017. Manager McCann worked wonders to eventually find a winning formula on the pitch as players came and went. Safety was secured on the final day following a 1-1 draw with Staines Town.

The 2017-18 campaign was a different story. Most home games can be read about here as the Dons forward line of Niko Muir, Ashley Nathaniel-George, Zak Joseph and Josh Walker proved too much for opposition defences, while the goalkeeping of Tom Lovelock continued to prove secure.

Hendon reached the play-offs, hammering Folkestone Invicta at SJP before missing out on promotion, going down in penalties against Dulwich Hamlet in front of 3,321 fans at Imperial Fields, Tooting.

The disappointment of defeat proved to be the first of three setbacks within a fortnight. Owing to non-league reconstruction the club was placed into the Southern League Premier Division South, meaning increased mileage and costs.

A week later manager McCann and his backroom team resigned to take up the same roles at Hampton & Richmond Borough. Over the course of the next few weeks all the first team squad left for pastures new, with several heading off to Hampton.

Jimmy Gray was appointed as the new manager, having to start from scratch with the playing squad. Former Luke Tingey returned within a few weeks, but all other first team squad members were brought in from elsewhere.

The club endured a very difficult 2018-19 season despite getting off to a flying start. Ricardo German scored regularly before leaving in January 2019 as form dipped away badly. Player in and outs became too frequent. The goals of Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick just about got the side over the line to save themselves from relegation.

Manager Gray made wholesale changes for the 2019-20 and despite an occasional glimmer of promise the warning signs led to him being replaced by Lee Allinson who arrived from Biggleswade Town in November 2019.

Allinson replaced nearly all the players from when he took over as results picked up. The club signed some of the squad on contracts including former Wealdstone keeper Jonathan North before the COVID-19 crisis halted the season with Hendon well clear of any relegation danger. 

The side continued to gradually improve in the lower reaches of the division, prior to manager Allinson being joined by his dad, Ian, who became general manager and assistant. The 2023-24 campaign saw a vast improvement as a run in the FA Trophy included an away win at Oldham Athletic. The best news however, was a transfer back to the Isthmian League.

Hendon FC will play in the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Hendon 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2 (Saturday 8th October 1983) Isthmian League Premier Division

I was a young student living in Boreham Wood just on the verges of North London. Whenever I travelled to and from the city I passed the floodlights of Hendon FC which had first intrigued me in 1974 as we sat on a coach on the way to the League Cup final. 

It was about time for a visit. Obviously the bright lights and many games and grounds to see meant I had a wide choice. I decided to wait until what I thought looked like a very attractive fixture.

I took the train to Cricklewood where I took the fifteen minute walk to the ground. It was very early so I continued down to Brent Cross Shopping Centre to obtain my Non League Annual and get some food. I arrived back at the ground around 2pm to go into the clubhouse which was already busy as the visitors Wycombe Wanderers had a decent following. 

The game was in the Isthmian League which back then supplied the champions into what was then the Alliance Premier League, before it became the Conference. Wycombe won a reasonably entertaining game 2-1.

I was quite impressed with the traditional ground with the four big corner floodlight pylons. The Main Stand down the road side contained the changing rooms with shallow terracing either side, including an excellent club shop. 

The far end also had a few rows of terracing. By the entrance in the corner there was all the usual facilities: toilets, refreshments, blokes selling raffle tickets etc. 

Then just along starting behind the goal was a terracing to the corner flag of about ten rows. A slightly deeper terracing ran down the Clitterhouse Playing Field side with a shed of around sixty yards in length. 

It had all seen better days but it had tradition. I'd had earlier an insight when it appeared in 1989 on Sportsnight when Fulham took on Wigan in the Rugby League Challenge Cup.

Monday 31st May 1999

When I moved to London I went up to Claremont Road for a look on the day of the Watford v Bolton play off final at Wembley. The gates were locked so instead I had a drink of reasonably large proportions with a Southampton fan in the clubhouse. 

I told him about Scarborough's disastrous relegation and I immediately had a friend for the afternoon! I went for a very long walk before hand which must have made me thirsty. I remember it well as it was the day before my first ever day working for the MCC at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Hendon 1 Thurrock 1 (Thursday 1st January 2004) Isthmian League Premier Division

My original plan was to go to the Edgware Town game that day, but the game was called off. It meant a late rethink and I decided to catch the Northern line down to Brent Cross and then walk up to Claremont Road.

I had a pint and a bite to eat but I couldn't get involved. In hindsight I would have probably been better recovering my energies at home. I called it a day at half time and caught the bus home.

October 2006

I called in one day in 2005 to take some photos as there were rumours doing the round that the club would be moving out and the ground would be sold, no doubt for housing. The turnstile was open so I could have a walk around at will and take some decent pictures. 

The old place had hardly changed since my first visit, save for the back few rows of terracing been fenced off on the playing field side.

At Vale Farm

Hendon 0 Harrow Borough 3 (Saturday 1st January 2011) Isthmian League Premier Division (att: 206)

I was on night shift at work but wanted to go to a game during the day. It had been a long time since I'd seen Hendon in action and I was yet to see them at their new 'home' as tenants to Wembley FC. Added to this I always like to give support to any club owned by its supporters.

I had a walk to Neasden before boarding the 245 bus, which dropped me very near the ground. I had a task to complete before relaxing in visiting the nearby home ground of South Kilburn FC for a look around and to take some photos.

I went into the clubhouse at the ground around 1.45 and to be honest I wasn't hugely impressed. There was a dearth of traditional ales either on tap or in bottles. There was no satellite TV so therefore no chance of watching the lunchtime game. Not that I could blame them with the rates that Sky charge clubs.

I had a quick bottle of light ale before deciding to try The Swan pub which was just a few minutes away. Unbelievably the side of the road which the pub stood on was in darkness owing to a power cut. The utilities contractors were trying to resolve the problem, but the pub remained shut. I went for a walk before returning to the ground.

I settled on Guinness and had a chat with a groundhopper who recognised me from a previous game and Paul, a Fulham fan I'd met when his team played Scarborough in the Football League. A figure from my childhood stood in the same room. The runner David Bedford is a lifelong Dons fan and was on the board of directors.

For a full description of the ground on my previous visits, go to the Wembley page here.

Since then Mr Bedford had used his influence as many of the sponsors involved with the London Marathon, which he was heavily involved in, also had advertising boards on display at the ground. 

The nearest open end had a row of railings with adverts installed for fans to lean on. The plate with the inscription 'The Ron Clarke Memorial Gates' had been moved and placed against the back wall of one of the covered areas. Hendon had also added a club shop behind the goal.

The teams stood inside their compound, being delayed on their entry to the pitch as one of the linesmen wasn't ready! When the game did kick off it was played with skill at quite a pace in gloomy and increasingly damp conditions. I had included the game on my fixed odds accumulator and I had put the home side down for a win.

The catering at the ground was decent enough and I kept having a wander whilst listening to reports from elsewhere on my radio. I sat for a while in the decent Main Stand but was sad to see some of the seats were damaged. The first half finished goalless and I retired with plenty of others to warm up in the clubhouse.

The second half continued as before the break with Borough looking slightly sharper. They took the lead in controversial circumstances when it looked like the Hendon keeper had been fouled. The Dons were then unlucky not to be awarded a penalty. Harrow then went two up through a fine solo goal which cheered their support up who had tried their best to create an atmosphere throughout.

It was getting increasingly cold so I made my way to the exit as I wanted to catch the shops and get back home for a sleep before my night shift. I discovered when I put on the teletext at home that I had missed a third goal.

On reflection I felt a bit sorry for Hendon losing their beloved home ground but also had a lot of respect to their Trust who had kept the club going. It remained to be seen where their future lies as things can change rapidly in London regarding football grounds and club's status. Something they could do with is an influx of younger fans as there wasn't too many in attendance.

Friday 4th November 2011

The old Claremont Road ground had stood idle since Hendon had left in 2009, but rumours were abound that the demolition of the ground was imminent.

I needed a walk and a bit of shopping, so I took the train back to Dollis Hill and walked to Matalan in Cricklewood to buy some new shoes. From there I took the twenty minute walk round under the railway and up the slope to the sad sight that the ground now was.

The area around the clubhouse was boarded up and security around the rest of the ground was tight, meaning I couldn't gain access inside. Fortunately enough I still found places to reach over the boundary walls and take some pictures.

I walked away feeling sad and having total empathy to what the Hendon faithful must be going through seeing the ground deteriorating with the towering floodlights on the skyline while they play in Wembley. At least it was only three or four miles away, if that was any consolation. Some clubs have had it worse.

Hendon 1 Harrow Borough 2 (Tuesday 5th March 2013) Isthmian League Premier Division (att: 153)

Having finished my night shifts I was on the look out for a match that evening. My pal Gary Griffiths was over from Thailand, so I arranged to meet him and Rydell Gray at Wetherspoon's in Wembley High Street for some food before heading to Vale Farm. 

While enjoying our meal I got news of Scarborough Athletic's home match with Barton Town Old Boys had been postponed owing to fog. I sent texts to those heading to the game to try and save them a wasted journey.

Our match was quite a feisty affair. It was a shame the gate was so poor for a local derby, but it was in competition with the Champions League clash between Manchester United and Real Madrid on ITV.

Saheed Sankoh put Boro ahead on nine minutes when he put a cross away. The Dons thought that they'd levelled near to the break, but the linesman ruled out Lee Angol's effort for offside. Following the interval Harrow doubled their lead as Danny Leech headed home.

Darren Currie got the 'home' side back into the game from the penalty spot on fifty two minutes, but it was to be Boro who deservedly took the three points. Hendon's Dean Cracknell was lucky to stay on the pitch after a shocking high challenge near to the dug outs. Boro's manager Dave Anderson who had also had a spell in charge of Hendon was particularly upset.

We headed off into the night on the bus before I got off early and had to walk home because of illness.

At Earlsmead

Hendon 0 Lowestoft Town 1 (Monday 10^th March 2012) Isthmian League Premier Division (Att: 183)

Jeff Cards, my good friend and former colleague from Lord’s, suggested we caught up for a few drinks while watching some ‘honest’ football. This was music to my ears, so with him living in Ruislip Manor and me still to see Hendon play at a third different venue we pencilled in the clash with Lowestoft.

After visiting his good lady and little girl we had couple of decent pints of Young’s at the very pleasant Black Bull pub, before taking the 114 bus down to Earlsmead. The beautiful day had given way to a cool night with temperatures continually dropping. We had time for a beer in the clubhouse, but sadly the handpumps were off.  We had to make to with John Smiths Smooth.

Admission was the usual £10 for the Premier Division, with the £2 programme for the original postponed game being supplemented with an up to date A4 sheet. The crowd included up to thirty supporting the visitors from Suffolk.

While the match was undoubtedly a good standard, effort’s on goal were non existent. Lee O’Leary for Hendon looked the most likely to provide an opening. After a circuit of the ground while watching, we retired to the bar after a very blank first period.

It was nice to see the main hall of the facilities in full use by a local community group, with the members enjoying their night out.

We returned back out into the cold and stood on the open terrace at the Clubhouse End. The match continued in the same fashion as before the break. It looked at one point that Hendon’s probing may gain reward, but Lowestoft held firm and offered some hope themselves.

Just when it looked like the defences would win and we weren’t going to see a goal, the referee awarded the visitors a contentious penalty in the last minute of the gain, which Jack Ainsley slotted away.

The match was perfectly summed up by a bloke near the exit who couldn't remember going to a game in the past where there hadn't been one chance.

Thank goodness the company had been first class! At least I was back home in the warm by 10.20pm!

At Silver Jubilee Park

Hendon 2 Croydon 1 (Tuesday 9^th February 2016) London Senior Cup Quarter Final (att: 95)

The wet weather was continuing to put lots of non league games in doubt. I was on early shift but wanted to rest up before my weekend away in Lisbon. Seeing Hendon at Silver Jubilee park before their full time move at the end of the season and to have a look how works were progressing seemed a good idea.

I walked all the way from home and arrived to find some changes since my last visit there to see Edgware Town in action. Two new stands were nearing completion down the far side. The skeleton of another was going up at the Park End. A viewing area for disabled fans by the entrance was well on its way. It all looked good.

Admission was a slightly disappointing £10. While I was only too aware of players still wanting the same expenses, it may have been a good idea to attract fans to have a look at how the club was progressing off the pitch. The programme was a further £2 and doubled up for the following Saturday’s game against Hampton & Richmond Borough.

Kick off had been delayed until 8pm as the visitors had been held up in traffic. It gave me ample time to have a bottle of London Pride before heading out into the cold. Much of the ground was blocked off as it was still under construction. I watched from the clubhouse side as Croydon came out looking the better side.

The team in sky blue went close a couple of times before they deservedly went one ahead on forty two minutes as Tristan Toney finished. Hendon drew level right on half time through Ben Pattie, despite protests for offside from the visiting players.

The clubhouse was busy at half time as everyone looked to warm up. It really was good to see a fine facility improving and getting decent usage. It would probably been even busier, but Edgware were in action away from home.

I joined the supporters behind the goal for the second half. Chances were few and far between, but the action was non stop. Croydon were really belying their position two divisions below Hendon. They played some really good football.

However, Hendon gained more and more possession. They couldn’t find a way through but in stoppage time an excellent cross was headed into the bottom corner by Carl McCluskey in stoppage time to break Croydon hearts.

It had been a decent night out and one I would no doubt repeat often as both Edgware and Hendon played at the completed venue from the 2016-17 season.

To view further home games at Silver Jubilee Park, please click on the years below for the corresponding seasons.

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21