Broadfields United

Broadfields United FC is a non-league club based in Harrow, north west London who were formed in 1993, joining the Southern Olympian League from their Broadfields Sports & Social Club base in Headstone Lane.

The club soon grew, running many Saturday and Sunday teams, with United winning Division Four of the Southern Olympian League in 1994-95, moving to join Division One of the Middlesex County League.

Division One was renamed the Senior Division, with Broadfields winning the title in 1996-97, winning promotion to the Premier Division. After two bottom finishes in consecutive seasons, United left the league before returning for the 2007-08 campaign, after the devastation of fire to the clubs’ complex.

‘The Fighting Cocks’ were placed in Division One West, before winning promotion to the Premier Division in 2008-09 under manager Chris Webster. The club left the Middlesex League again in 2009-10 before returning to the Premier Division the following season with Dene Gardner in charge of the side.

Ryan Duffy was appointed manager for the 2011-12 season, going on to win the Premier Division Cup. The trophy was retained the following season. Duffy’s team finished fourth in the Premier Division in 2014-15.

Preston Park, Harefield. Where Broadfield were previously tenants.

An injury time Sam Horan goal against Cricklewood Wanderers led to United winning promotion to Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League, while midfielder James Brophy was snapped up by Swindon Town.

United became tenants to Harefield United at Preston Park, with Mark Barham joining the club coaching staff before taking over as manager in 2016-17, with Broadfields lifting the Middlesex Premier Cup after victory over Hillingdon Borough.

The Middlesex Premier Cup was retained in 2017-18 after defeating Harefield United in the final, with United finished in fourth place in the league. Liam Bird took over as manager in the summer of 2018.

The team continued their ascendancy and won promotion to the Premier Division in 2018-19 as runners-up behind landlords Harefield United. The 2019-20 season ended early owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, with Broadfields sat in seventeenth place.

The club tied up a deal to move nearer their traditional base to share the artificial surface at Tithe Farm with Rayners Lane from the start of the 2020-21 season, which again ended early with United again near the bottom of the table.

Broadfields United FC will play in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division in the 2021-22 season.

My visits

At Preston Park, Harefield

Broadfields United 2 Edgware Town 0 after extra time (Sunday 16^th September 2018) FA Vase Second Round Qualifying (att: c100)

It was a lovely, if windy day as I awoke after night shift around 1pm. I’d contemplated heading to Lord’s for the National Village Knock Out Final, featuring Folkton & Flixton CC from the outskirts of Scarborough.

It was tempting but I knew that it would be a very ‘social’ day. Work restricted me in partaking in drinks, and I knew I could easily become rattled if tired and sober around those imbibing, especially if it led to high jinks.

I’d have only of caught the second innings anyway, so I decided upon the alternative of some beautiful scenery, exercise and to cheer on Edgware Town, who had an affinity with as joint tenants of Silver Jubilee Park.

A bus and tube took me to Northwood station, from where I caught the 331 bus in the nick of time for the pleasant route to Harefield from where I walked a few hundred metres down Breakspear Road North to Preston Park.

The clubhouse was busy on arrival. I had a quick chat with two fellow ‘hoppers’ from Northampton over a quick drink before paying £6 admission including a programme to enter the ground.

Preston Park looked in beautiful nick. The wide pitch looked pristine but would later prove to be a little firm and have a few bobbles under the lush green covering. I was about to have a walk round when I came across another familiar face.

Mishi Morath, the loyal Dulwich Hamlet fan also fancied this match. We had a good chat about all things Hendon and Hamlet, the new divisions we found our teams in and the infamous play-off final from the previous May.

Harefield United’s PA man had received some uncomplimentary reviews on the Non-League Matters website in the past. The same fella was on the mic for Broadfields. The substitutes received a reprimand from him for warming up on the pitch before the game.

The ground had two warm up pitches outside the main arena. Before kick-off our announcer made a few fans days when trying to read out the two teams. Some of the foreign names had him struggling! He then gave the good news that extra programmes had been sourced for those who’d missed out.

There were plenty of familiar faces in the crowd as Wares started slightly the better of the sides. The visitors plied their trade in the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League; one above the hosts.

A good move put in Edgware’s Onalolu Onabolu, but his low shot was kept out by the feet of United keeper Matt Faley, before both sides squandered chances with the ball finding the high netting behind the goals.

A diligent Broadfields' official was busy counting the crowd in small sections and writing it down. An Edgware fan suggested we kept moving to bolster the gate and their half of the receipts!

On thirteen minutes Wares stopper Sam Irish made a fine save from a powerful Ronny Mfinda effort. The game was becoming stretched from an early stage in warm conditions, with both sides stringing some nice moves together.

Edgware boss Fergus Moore shouted instructions from the bench as though he was kicking every ball. His counterpart, Liam Bird barked his order rather more vociferously and with much less subtlety.

Just before the half hour mark, Broadfields mounted an excellent fast move, but Dene Gardner dragged his effort wide. The teams cancelled each other out for the remainder of the half, when I grabbed a cuppa from inside the bar.

The second half became rather scrappy with lots of poor ball retention not helped by the firm surface. It mirrored the Aylesbury United v Marlow game I’d seen seven days previously; which coincidentally featured teams also playing in green and white, and all blue.

The hosts began to gain the upper hand, with Rex Kimona seeing his shot saved by Irish after being put in by Mfinda. Faley scuffed a clearance at the other end, redeeming himself by tipping over a shot from Wares’ Tomasz Siemiemzuck.

A foray from the Fighting Cocks full back Paul Sommer saw his low cross attempted to be put in by a combination of Mfinda and Kimona, but they made a bit of a hash of the opportunity.

An excellent long low ball from the hosts other full back, Damion Cruickshank sent in Kiona who blasted his effort high over the bar when in on goal. The game looked destined for extra time with half chances being wasted.

A huge scramble in the United six yard box somehow saw the ball kept out by several defenders and the keeper as Edgware seemed certain to break the deadlock with five minutes remaining.

United wasted the best chance of the game in the last few minutes after skipper Harry Henry had a shot saved by Irish. Mfinda put the rebound over from just eight yards. The decent referee Thomas Baines blew his whistle for full time shortly after to signal extra time.

The intrepid announcer continued to amuse himself, but not many others by giving out the West Ham score and generally waffling on. It was a great excuse to put my earplugs in and listen to the live game; although Dion Dublin's punditry made that tiresome after a while.

Broadfields' ascendancy continued when Sam Horan saw his cross bounce off the top of the Edgware bar, before the visitors got a foothold and produced their best spell of the encounter without creating a clear cut chance aside from Onabolu hitting the side netting.

United went ahead just before the turnaround when Irish dropped a corner. The ball eventually fell to Kimona. The keeper got a good hand on the shot but could not keep it out. Players were becoming tired in the second period as the one goal looked like it would decide the tie.

Cruickshank put any doubts to bed late on as he summoned the energy to go on a fantastic long run, playing a one two with a colleague before hammering the ball across into the far corner to make it 2-0.

Edgware’s day was summed up when substitute Rio Beach miscued a pass that inadvertently found fellow replacement Stanley Anum whose weak effort was gathered at the second attempt by Faley. United thoroughly deserved to progress.

There was quite a bit of time before my return bus, so I walked into the centre of the pretty village to grab some water and relax taking in the scene. I had a chat to the Northants fraternity and Mishi at the bus stop before my return journey in time for some shut eye before work.

Details of my visits to Preston Park for Harefield United can be seen here.

At Tithe Farm, Rayners Lane

Broadfields Utd 0 Oxhey Jets 3 (Thursday 20^th February 2020) Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division (att: 68)

Rayners Lane offered Broadfields a temporary home as their shared ground with Harefield United was under water following the recent storms. I’d been meaning a return visit to Tithe Farm for a few months, so this offered a good opportunity.

It was better than ideal as it was the first of two rest days from work. It was a blustery evening as I stepped out into the night sky and made my way by tube and then the H12 bus which dropped me near where the gate used to be.

Things had changed since my previous visit. New blocks of flats were against the road. The entrance was now around the corner past a small sided court and the car park where the clubhouse previously stood.

A new two storey building had gone up with a gym and community facilities upstairs and a bar downstairs along with offices and changing rooms. I paid my fiver admission plus another quid for a decent programme before heading to the bar.

A couple of United officials commented that there may be confusion as some paid to go into the ground and then enter the bar at the front like I did, while others were going straight to the bar and may go out the front into the ground without paying.

Inside the bar I found Bob, a regular Hendon home and away mate and another gent I recognised from other local venues. Another good pal Lee Cousins was also inside getting ready to play pool.

He was with friends and family who were playing an away game in the league at the venue, so it turned into a nice social occasion to sit alongside the match. The bar was certainly neat, with two pool tables, multiple dart boards and a large screen showing live football.

The complex opened normal times, so it was doing well from local residents becoming regulars. My only slight disappointment was the lack of hand pulled ale and a poor selection of bottles as an alternative; but it was top class aside from that.

The new 3G pitch looked to be of good quality with its smart fence surround. An area of open seating had been retained out the front, while the stand on the far side had been upgraded and named in honour of Tom Lynn and Tony Pratt.

Broadfield came into the game at the foot of the table following their promotion the previous campaign, with Oxhey sat in mid table. The Jets started off on the front foot as top scorer Reece Cameron burst forward but misjudged his square pass to top scorer Reece Cameron which allowed the ‘home’ defence to snuff out the danger.

Jets continued to push forward, but Broadfield played their part two. Their big forward went close on a couple of occasions and hit the woodwork. I didn’t recognise who it was as I was enjoying a decent game which was played at a good pace.

It was also being played in a decent competitive spirit until about ten minutes before the interval. It could have been argued that referee Chay Hathway had been a little lenient up to that point.

A rash tackle went in on Jets midfielder Nick Kerley who had to be replaced. The Oxhey bench were incandescent with rage that Mr Hathway only showed a yellow card. Two minutes later it was the turn of the Broadfields bench to go spare.

Cameron went up with a defender in an aerial challenge who went to the ground screaming and indicating that he thought he’d been elbowed. The forward tried to appeal his innocence. Another yellow was shown. Personally, I think both cards were of the correct colour, but that’s the beauty of neutrality.

At the break I retired to the bar with the score blank for a Guinness and to catch up with Lee who’d watched little bits when not involved with the pool. It was him who’d spotted the identity of the big Broadfields striker.

It was former Hendon and Edgware Town player Tyriq Hunt who I’d seen bag a hattrick for North Leigh in their FA Cup tie at Aylesbury Vale Dynamos at the start of the season. I should have spotted him a mile away with his unique gait.

Jets opened the scoring three minutes after the break when Jamie Speer saw his shot come back off the post with Andrew Brennan following up to smash home. It was 2-0 shortly after when a long range shot was spilled by keeper Mike Anguzu with Andre Lopes capitalising on the mistake to pounce.

The frustration was too much for Hunte who was sin-binned for his protestations for ten minutes. He came along the touchline to stay warm with stretches and had a nice chat. However, Tyriq played he always had a smile on his face. He was a thoroughly nice young man.

That said, he needed to get himself fit and lose some weight. He’d piled it on since I’d last seen him. His team could have done with his assistance as Jets continued to dominate and saw two efforts of their own come back off the frame of the goal.

The first went in near the end of the match as Cameron hit his twenty first goal of the season, again after Anguzu could not hold the initial shot to make it 3-0. I headed off for a bus shortly after and heard the full-time whistle before boarding.

I later read that Eddie O’Connor; veteran of 830 Jets appearances nominated Cameron as his man of the match just ahead of teammate Giordmaina. I tended to agree with his decision. Meanwhile, I headed back to JJ Moons at Kingsbury for a few pints and to catch up with my pal Steve Barnes to round off an excellent evening.