Hadley

Hadley FC is a non-league football club based in Arkley, a couple of miles east of Barnet in the county of Hertfordshire, that was formed in 1882.

Hadley initially played their matches on Hadley Common, in Monken Hadley, in the London Borough of Barnet. Hadley became members of the North Middlesex League before joining the Barnet & District League after World War II, and moving their home ground to Wrotham Park.

In 1955, the club moved to play at North Barnet Playing Fields and joined the North Suburban Intermediate League before becoming members of the Mid-Herts Football League. Hadley were crowned as champions in 1975-76 and 1976-77.

Hadley joined the Hertfordshire County Football League the following season, winning the Third Division title at the first attempt. To progress up the league’s the club moved to a new ground in St Albans Road, Barnet, but it was only available for one season, so once again Hadley were on the move again; this time to Chandos Avenue in Whetstone in 1985.

The latest move worked well for the club as they were promoted to the Premier Division in their first season at the ground. The club made the move to the Amateur Football Association and the Southern Olympian League, moving grounds at the same time to Woodside Park Club in Totteridge.

In 1992 Hadley moved to the Brickfield Lane ground in Arkley, which was the former home of Wingate FC, who departed to merge first of all with Leyton and then later Finchley. In 1999-00, the club rejoined the Herts County Senior League. 

The Division One title was won under manager Ian Gray in 2001-02. They went on to be crowned as Premier Division champions in 2003-04 and 2004-05 with Mick Hore at the helm.

Hadley applied to join the Spartan South Midlands League for the 2007-08 season, but the move was blocked by the Herts County League. Hadley left that league to join the West Herts Saturday League and won the league title after Guy Slee had taken over as manager.

It was a case of second time lucky, as Hadley were accepted into Division Two of the Spartan South Midlands League for the 2008-09 season with Ian Gray returning to lead the side as the previous boss moved into the Chairman's seat.

The first team entered into an agreement to share Parkfield, the home of Potters Bar Town, for their matches, while the club’s other sides remained at Brickfield Lane.

Hadley continued their progress with promotion to Division One at the first attempt, and then went up to the Premier Division straight away in 2009-10 as league runners-up. 

The team consolidated their place in the top flight of the SSML, as Alexis Nicholas was appointed as player-manager in January 2012, bringing in a new influx of players. Franco Sidoli arrived as Hadley manager for the 2012-13 campaign.

Geoff O'Vell replaced Sidoli in the summer of 2013, lasting one season as the team finished in mid-table before former top-flight star Micky Hazard, who led the team to ninth place in the 2014-15 league season; the club's highest ever finish. 

The Herts Charity Shield was lifted in 2015-16 while the Bricks ended their Spartan South Midlands campaign in sixth position. Brickfield Lane was brought up to the league requirements with first-team matches commencing on the ground from the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

It saw Hadley struggle and narrowly avoid relegation despite a run to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. Hazard departed in October 2017 to be replaced by Anthony Clark, who led his side to another sixth place. This was surpassed with a third-place finish in 2018-19 before the club was moved to the Essex Senior League after non-league reorganisation.

Hadley were sitting in fourth when the 2019-20 season was ended early owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as emulating their previous best FA Cup run. That season, plus the one that succeeded it, was abandoned. When things returned to normality, Hadley were placed back in the Spartan South Midlands League.

A third place in 2021-22 was enough to win promotion to Division One Central of the Southern League. Ninth and eighth-place finishes were collected as the club settled into its elevated environment. A playoff semifinal defeat to Berkampsted followed in 2024-25.

Hadley FC will play in the Southern League Division One Central in the 2026-27 season.

My visits

At Potters Bar

Hadley 1 Eastbourne Borough 4 (Wednesday 5th October 2016) FA Cup Third Qualifying Round Replay (att: 302) 

Despite Hadley getting Brickfield Lane up to the required standard for league matches, they entered into an agreement with the local residents that the floodlights must go off at 9.30pm. Therefore, it wasn’t possible to stage a replay at the ground that had the possibility of going to extra time. The match was moved to Parkfield, home of Potters Bar Town FC.

My pal Tony Foster had never been to a game at the venue, so he drove. A decent crowd was already gathering when we arrived. Admission was £7, with the programme an extra quid. The bar was doing a thriving trade, and Hadley had set up their own gazebo doing hot drinks and cakes.

Parkfield hadn’t changed from my previous visit. To read a full description and see additional photos, please click here. 

We headed round to the far side of the pitch near to the dug outs, where Hadley coach, the former Tottenham and Chelsea midfielder Micky Hazard, was quickly losing his temper with the near side linesman.

The first game, the previous Saturday, had ended in a goalless draw. Plenty of supporters had travelled up from Eastbourne for this replay. Hadley came flying out of the blocks, eager to impress and cause a cup upset. Hazard and the rest of the coaching team gave plenty of encouragement to their players and advice to the officials.

The ‘home’ side really did play some lovely football, and it was by no means against the run of play when they took the lead on the half-hour mark. Hadley’s defence cleared a corner to winger Zane Gangadeen, who set up Ivan Machado, whose twenty-five-yard shot went flying into the top corner of the net.

The Borough players appeared to be a little rattled, although their strength and quality gradually came to the fore. Their star man Elliott Romain was scythed down just a few minutes after the opener in the penalty box, with Nat Pinney putting away the spot kick.

The same player made it 2-1 just before the interval when he put away a knockdown from a cross. At half time, we went round for another cuppa. The bar wasn’t selling alcohol, much to the grumbling of the fans.

Hadley gave it their best shot after the break, putting plenty of pressure on their National League South colleagues. Hesham Benmansour broke through but dragged his shot wide. It was to be the last decent change for Hadley.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Romain broke away before dragging the ball back for Gavin McCallum to fire home. Charlie Mann was having a superb game in the Hadley goal, doing his very best to keep the score down, but he was helpless in the dying embers as Romain turned home a cross-shot from Josh Street.

We headed back, having both enjoyed an excellent evening out. I was dropped off at Stanmore in time for a few drinks back at Kingsbury.

At Brickfield Lane

Hadley 1 Edgware Town 2 (Wednesday 10th October 2016) Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division (att: 95)

Steve Barnes decided to accompany me to this match and cheer on our local side. We met early and headed by bus to Barnet, where we enjoyed seeing England knock off the winning runs in the ODI cricket against Bangladesh in the Butchers Arms.

We also enjoyed fine ales in Ye Old Mitre Inn and the brewery tap of Barnet Brewery in The Black Horse before taking the 107 bus to Brickfield Lane. There was time for a swift half in the foodie, but decent, Gate pub and restaurant over the road from the ground.

The programmes had already sold out on our arrival. Admission was a very reasonable £6. It was good to see a sizeable support for the Wares in attendance in the very smart little ground.

Although the clubhouse still wasn’t fully fitted out, it was open with tea, snacks, and cakes available. Micky Hazard was in there chatting away and obviously enjoying being involved at the grassroots level.

Once past the pay hut behind the goal, the rest of that end had a narrow piece of hard standing. To the right was similar to a small stepped cover on the halfway line. Both those sides were enclosed by neat wooden fencing. 

The far end had a strip of hard standing and then open grassed areas. The final side was fairly open with land for training beyond the pitch and a new modern seated stand.

The first half saw some excellent football being produced by both sides. With Edgware struggling since their promotion, I expected a very difficult night for them on the evidence of the Hadley side I’d seen in the FA Cup the previous week. The visitors more than held their own before going behind to a goal from Hesham Benmansour.

After the interval, Edgware put in arguably their best performance of the season. The returning Stu Blackburne was having a fine game. The pressure eventually told when George McCluskey smashed home after keeper Mann parried a cross.

The winner came when a cross went all the way through to Blackburne, who lobbed the keeper. The three points were well deserved. We went back over the road for another quick half while waiting for our bus to arrive.

We still had time to head down to Kingsbury to round off a fantastic few hours out with a celebratory couple of pints.

Hadley 0 Hitchin Town 3 (Wednesday 7th December 2016) Herts Senior Cup Round Two (att: 61)

I headed to Brickfield Lane for the second game of the day, following the UEFA Youth League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre between the home side and CSKA Moscow.

After taking buses and getting snarled up in awful traffic, I headed to the Red Lion in Barnet after a couple of pints over the road in Ye Old Mitre Inn. My choice of the second pub was because I needed a proper feed, and it was part of the Toby Carvery chain. I left full and most satisfied!

The 107 bus seemed to take forever along the A411 towards the ground. I headed straight to the pay box to secure a programme, but they were still to arrive. It seemed that there had been a traffic accident in Barnet that had caused the jams. The Hadley chairman was stuck in it along with the programmes.

The game only kicked off a few minutes late, despite the congestion. It turned out to be an excellent contest on the carpet of a playing surface. Both sides tried to play football the proper way. The Canaries, who were the cup holders, fielded a strong lineup.

Hadley were playing mainly on the break, and it was the visitors who went ahead after twenty-five minutes. Hadley keeper Mann had already pulled off a fine save before he could only parry a shot from Ben Walster for Mason Spence to put home the rebound.

The second goal came six minutes later when Liam Brooks was brought down in the box. Walster put away the penalty with aplomb. At half-time, I enjoyed a much-needed warm cup of tea and a very pleasant warm mince pie. It seemed quite appropriate with Christmas looming.

Hadley played some really nice stuff after the break, with Bwanga having a fine game up front. However, it always looked likely that the third goal would be at the other end, and so it was. Spence put home a Walster cross at the far post.

Despite around five minutes still remaining, I caught a bus that was due to save a further long wait. I didn’t miss any goals.

I took buses to the Wetherspoons at Colindale with the intention of meeting friends who’d been at Wembley for the Tottenham v Moscow Champions League game, only to find that only Doombar bitter was available. I headed to Kingsbury instead!

Hadley 0 Colney Heath 0 - Hadley win 4-1 on penalties (Saturday 19th December 2020) FA Vase Third Round (att: 150)

I sat at home on Saturday morning, hoping that the Brickfield Lane pitch would survive further rain after passing an initial 10am inspection, as I had a hunch that the chances of matches over the following few weeks could be minimal. Hadley’s Tweet that there had been another deluge around midday had me concerned.

A further inspection was to take place when the match referee arrived, leaving me in the potentially awkward position of being left without any game if I was stuck halfway on public transport.

On the bus towards Edgware from Queensbury, the visitors posted online that the game was on. Previous experiences had told me that it was best to wait for the hosts to confirm. On reaching Edgware, there would still be time to get to the game at Rayners Lane.

As it happened, there was no need for concern. All was good, and I jumped aboard the 384 bus towards Cockfosters. This relatively new service cuts out the time spent on the 107 through Borehamwood, travelling up the A1 to Stirling Corner.

The jolly driver set the tone for the rest of my outing. I’d ordered my place for the match online as capacity was limited owing to Covid restrictions. Unfortunately, a mate couldn’t make it, but I was assured that the ticket would be taken up by the amiable Olly Heed, who was distributing them from outside the Windmill Pavilion.

My eyes must have resembled the old fruit machine reels landing on a jackpot as I saw people with beers, which was an unexpected bonus. I joined the queue where the couple behind the counter poured the bottles into plastic glasses and kept everyone in check with social distancing.

I was impressed that Hadley had seemingly got involved with local brewers, as I ordered a Dunstable Pale Ale, only to realise it was Whitstable when I got nearer. A sign of excitement and age catching up with my eyesight!

As it happens, the club did have its own ale: Brick IPA from the Muswell Hillbilly Brewery, but sadly, none was available. Not to worry, a couple of Kent’s finest did the job before I proceeded through the gate.

The near end had a basic roof added in recent times, adding to a neat and tidy setup. My initial impressions were that the pitch was better than I anticipated, although the areas around the dugouts were muddy, and surface water lay beyond the perimeter fence.

Taking up a position just past the away side bench, I was in a good position to see a couple of incidents that could have put a very different slant on the result. An early aerial challenge by a Heath centre back could easily have been construed as a deliberate elbow and resulted in a red card.

Shortly after, a touch too many from the defenders saw Hadley forge a chance that fell to Solomon Ofori a few yards out, but his weak effort on goal was saved by Alex Clarke. The visitor’s bench was going spare with their side, instructing them to wake up.

There was a nasty clash of heads, which delayed play when Hadley’s Luke Alfano and Paul Wright smashed into each other. Wright continued bandaged up, but Alfano had to go off. While that incident was accidental, there was plenty of niggle going on elsewhere.

Teddy Stacey fired low across the box for the home side without a teammate getting on the end, while the Magpies had a couple of efforts blocked up the other end. Marcus Mealing had a shot easily saved by Hadley custodian Luke Ward.

At the interval, I grabbed another beer, making hay while the opportunity still existed. News was breaking of a more stringent lockdown to be enforced, as I had a pleasant brief chat with veteran striker Scott McGleish, who had a run out the previous week since he left Edgware Town and was mulling over where he’d play next.

I also had a nice, quick chat with a fellow fan taking pictures, albeit with a better camera. It turned out to be Stuart Fuller, the chairman of Lewes FC. I told him you could get a photo of Arkley Windmill from behind the far goal.

The match continued to be quite fractious and stop-start in a fiercely contested local derby. The referee handed out multiple cautions, including to both managers. The Colney Heath bench was especially forthcoming with their feedback. I really couldn’t see either side scoring, especially after Clarke made a brilliant save from a fierce Ed Davis drive.

Ofori continued to cause problems for the defence. I saw him as a Step 5 version of Raheem Sterling, being of a similar stature and style of play, getting into good positions and with lots of tricks, but just lacking in the danger zone.

His side continued to show more attacking intent, but some dogged and determined defending from the Magpies meant a lack of clear-cut chances. Long and loud appeals for handball in the Colney Heath box from players and fans alike were waved away.

As the game drew to a close, I noted just how well Hadley had organised the day and how volunteers were still doing their bit, with balls that went outside the ground being returned promptly and then sterilised before being available for further use.

Penalties would decide the match and were thankfully to be taken at the clubhouse end with Bradley Marriott making it 1-0 to Hadley. Jay Lovell and Jack Woods both put their kicks over the bar for the away team, either side of Sam Edwards, making it 2-0.

It was 3-0 when Billy Baird slotted home. Colney Heath scored to make it 3-1 before Davis sealed his side’s place in the fourth round draw, sparking off celebrations as the crowd slowly made its way out. I thought it was a fair result.

Waiting for a bus back over the road, there was something happy but sad about watching the queues of cars waiting to get back onto the main road. I was happy that I’d witnessed a really decent occasion, but was saddened while listening to news updates that it was going to be some time before we’d see the likes of it again.

Kings Langley

Kings Langley FC is a non-league football club from the village of the same name, which is located just south of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. The club was formed in 1886, becoming a founding member of the West Herts League in 1891-92.

Early home games were played at Groomes Meadow, Blackwell Meadow, and Kings Langley Common before settling in at Home Park in 1913. Kings suffered a couple of relegations before fighting their way back. They struggled in the Herts County League before dropping back down to the West Herts League.

The club folded in February 1930, but was reformed within a few months. A new pavilion was opened at Home Park by Stanley Rous in 1934 as the club decided to move to the Southern Olympian League, winning a couple of league titles along the way.

Kings re-joined the Herts County League after World War II, winning the Division Two title at the first attempt and then going on to lift the Division One title on a couple of occasions. Three seasons in the Parthenon League proved too expensive for travel, so the club returned to the Herts County League in 1955.

The Premier League title was lifted in 1965–66 and 1966–67. Over the next decade or so, the club yo-yoed between Division One and the Premier League. Kings were struck a devastating blow when they lost Home Park to redevelopment in 1980.

Kings Langley led a nomadic existence playing at Oxhey, Rolls Royce & Buncefield Lane, and finally the Leavesden Hospital ground. In March 1997, the club secured some land on Hempstead Road, to the north of the village, to develop a new ground, which was named Gaywood Park in memory of Colin Gaywood, a generous benefactor to the club.

Kings struggled initially to maintain their Premier League status, but gradually consolidated. In 2000-01, the team finished in third place, going on to join the Spartan South Midlands League Division One. After a couple of seasons, the club was relegated because Gaywood Park didn’t reach the grading standards.

Kings bounced back under manager Steve Heath, going up as runners-up from Division Two in 2007-8 and finishing second once again the following season. In 2009-10, Paul Hobbs took over as manager as the facilities at Gaywood Park continued to be improved. His side secured a third-place finish in the 2010-11 season.

Hobbs retired in 2012 to be replaced by the managerial duo of Ritchie Hanlon and Paul Hughes. A runners-up finish in 2013-14 saw Kings secure a Premier Division place. The team went on to lift the Spartan South Midlands League title in 2014-15 to be promoted to the Southern League.

King's amazing run continued as they won the Division One Central title at the first attempt and won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. Budget cuts were rumoured to be on the horizon early in the 2016-17 season. Managers Hanlon and Hughes resigned and departed for Hayes & Yeading United. Paul Hobbs returned to steady the ship.

Hobbs departed in December 2017 to be replaced by Steve Conroy as the side narrowly avoided relegation for the second successive season. The competition was expanded for the 2018-19 season with Kings Langley putting in a tremendous performance in Premier Division South to finish just outside the play-offs in sixth. 

Conroy resigned over a budget disagreement as the club was moved to Premier Division Central, to be replaced by Dean Barker, who lasted just a few months prior to the appointment of former Watford academy assistant Chris Cummins.

Kings sat in tenth when the 2019-20 season ended early owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, before the side sat just outside the play-offs when the 2020-21 campaign was suspended. Back in the Premier Division South for the 2021-22 season, the side narrowly avoided relegation.

They reverted to the Premier Central division, with the team being relegated to Division Central at the end of the 2022-23 campaign following the resignation of Cummings the previous November. Jordan Parkes picked up the pieces, but the team was relegated once more in 2024-25. Steve Heath returned as manager shortly after.

His side reached the playoffs in 2025-26, losing their semi-final to Winslow United.

Kings Langley will play in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division in the 2026-27 season.

My visits

Kings Langley 2 Basingstoke Town 0 (Tuesday 13th September 2016) Southern League Premier Division (att: 112)

Kings Langley had been on my radar for a while, especially since their meteoric rise in recent seasons. I had seen the ground on numerous occasions, albeit at high speed on the West Coast trains hurtling past at high speed.

I had got as far as Harrow & Wealdstone station for a pre-season friendly against QPR, but my timings were all over the place, so I had to abort. A fine late summer's evening seemed an excellent opportunity to finally tick the ground off.

Once again, I travelled via bus and tube to Harrow & Wealdstone before taking the train to Kings Langley. There was a bus service to the ground, but I wanted some exercise and to take in the lovely scenery. 

Unfortunately, I went slightly off track as I was enjoying the stroll along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal for some time and ended up adding half a mile on to the route.

Admission was £10, with the programme good value for just £1. Feeling hungry, I went for a cheeseburger and tea, which again was a very reasonable price at £3.50 for both. The tea bar was built into the side of the small clubhouse and had a tiny toilet cubicle. Youngsters kicked about on the second pitch. It had a real community feel about the place.

Gaywood Park had been receiving plenty of stick on various forums, but I thought it charming. The roadside had a small, low-seated stand with newly laid terracing on either side. There was another small seated stand behind the far goal. The canal side had two small modern covered standing enclosures. The final end by the second pitch had a small area of hard standing.

The visitors from Basingstoke had brought a plentiful eclectic mixture of away fans with them. I’m not sure that many were members of a slimming club or gym. Tattoos on open areas of women’s skin were the order of the day.

Kings had a real family crowd. Some young lads tried to make an atmosphere behind the goal before getting bored and going for their own match in the fading light. I was really enjoying the ambiance, save for the annoying midges, which seemed to relish some Yorkshire flesh in the hot weather.

Basingstoke were managed by the experienced Terry Brown and had a very young and enthusiastic team. However, they went down early in the game when Josh Chamberlain went down the wing and crossed to the far post, where Stevie Ward smashed in an unstoppable volley.

‘Stoke’s youngsters couldn’t find their way through the Kings' defence despite their pace. Manny Daku was excellent up front for the home side, holding the ball up and causing problems until he was forced off with a knee injury.

Shortly after the half-time interval, Kings doubled their lead. Daku’s replacement, Sean Coughlan, beat a man near the byline, then cut inside to shoot past the Dragons' keeper from an acute angle. It was another tremendous goal.

How Basingstoke could have done with a finisher. They continued to have the majority of the play until full time, but they hardly had a shot or found a clear way through for all their energy and elaborate play on the grassy but bobbly playing surface.

At the final whistle, I decided to walk away from the village along the main road towards Hemel Hempstead and catch the train from Apsley. I had time to kill before the direct train, so I enjoyed a fine couple of pints of Oliver's Island in the excellent Paper Mill Fuller’s pub by the canal side.

It was a great way to round off a really enjoyable evening out. There’s nothing like enjoying the football and then a beer in warm temperatures. I even made it back for last orders in Kingsbury!

Kings Langley 3 Hendon 2 (Saturday 29th August 2020) Friendly (att: c190)

I had spent the back half of the week in Germany for some most welcome football, groundhopping, food, beer, camaraderie, and sightseeing. The good news was that crowds were being allowed back to football in Step 3 and below back home.

My pal Lee Cousins was in touch, and he purchased me an online ticket for Hendon’s visit to Kings Langley. The question was how I’d get to the match. Steve Barnes was setting off too early for me, taking in a bit of cricket and a couple of pubs. Lee would be at Edgware to pick up Bob at 1.30.

My flight landed bang on schedule at Stansted from Köln Bonn Airport. I put on a spurt to get through the automatic passport gates and then downstairs to catch the express train back into London with seconds to spare.

I was in touch with my mate, and he said that 1.40 would be fine for a pick-up. Using my knowledge of the tube, I swapped trains at Euston and then at Camden Town to get on the correct branch, meeting Bob outside before Lee arrived. I thought it was some effort, especially considering the hangover I was nursing a few hours earlier.

The ticket cost a fiver, which turned out to be outstanding value for money. At the gate, we had to sign in via a track and trace App and have our temperatures taken. We then headed round to the excellently controlled clubhouse to purchase drinks to be taken outside.

The Oakham OPA beer was absolutely bang on. I was aware that a fella from up north was running the facility for the club and did a fine selection of real ale. He was doing a magnificent job and was a smashing fella for a chat.

The weather was damp and chilly outside in the much-improved The Orbital Fasteners Stadium, as the venue had been titled in a sponsorship deal. It had been tidied up massively on the entrance side since my previous visit.

Out on the pitch, we got a defensive horror show from the Dons in the first half despite looking decent when going forward. Bradley Wadkins gave the hosts the lead after just thirty-five seconds when he latched onto a through ball to lob over Jonathan North.

At the other end, a stray back pass beat keeper Alex Tocarczyk and came back off the post. The energetic Dwade James set up Luca Allinson, whose shot was cleared off the line. The action continued with another King's attack with the wind at their backs.

Another regulation through ball caught out the defence again. Edu Toiny Pendred lobbed North but was thwarted by a spectacular Sammy Gebrai last-gasp clearance. Edu wasn’t to be denied when he doubled the lead despite North’s best efforts.

Hendon started the game with a tall French trialist in the middle of the back four. He was substituted at seventeen minutes and never seen again for the club. His partner at the back, Tommy Brewer, was not a happy man.

His mood darkened in thirty-seven minutes as Edu set up Harry Rush to make it 3-0. Manager Lee Allinson and Brewer had a proper row as the defender came off. It was probably better to sort out any disagreements in a friendly way, as we noted at the time, though it’s as well the stewards didn’t take eithers temperature at the time.

The play continued from end to end despite the score. James was denied by Tocarczyk while North pulled off a top stop to keep out Wadkins after Edu continued to create havoc. We walked around to the area near the gates during the break.

This area now had several steps of deep terracing, neatly backed by a fence for fans to lean on, as well as a covered disabled section while watching on the flat area at the rear. The whole surroundings looked fresh and had plenty of advertising boards, the sign of a vibrant club. I'm sure Watford Ladies using the venue has helped in many ways.

It said everything about the August weather that I bought my first Bovril of the season at the break with a decent cheeseburger from the cabin on the terrace, which was another new feature. The Dons came out with a point to prove and put on a fantastic display for their usual decent following.

They’d pulled a goal back within three minutes of the restart. A Matt Ball corner dropped to Jaden Clarke to smash home in fine style. Kings looked dangerous on the break, but they found defender Eddie Oshodi a formidable, composed opponent.

Just before the hour mark, Clarke stole the ball from defender Jorell Johnson to get a clear run at goal before slotting past Tocarczyk. Dean Hitchcock forced North into a good low save as the entertaining play showed no sign of relenting.

The last half hour of the game could be titled as James v Tocarczyk. Firstly, the big striker beat the keeper with a shot that came back off the post, with James being unable to reach the rebound.

Tocarczyk made a comfortable save before James went on a run that beat three defenders on a jinking run, but saw his shot go over the bar. It would have been an early contender for goal of the season if it had gone in.

North made another stop before James forced Tocarczyk into an amazing stop in the final minute of normal time from close range. Hendon continued to pile on the pressure, but it wasn’t to be. They were victims of their own dreadful defending earlier in the match.

James could well have had a hat-trick. His attitude was absolutely spot on, but he could have perhaps been more ruthless around the goal. He came across as a lovely bloke and perhaps a little too polite at the higher level after tearing Step 5 defences apart for a few years while at Walthamstow.

Lee dropped me and Bill, another veteran Hendon fan, at Canons Park as I headed home to prepare for work the next morning after a fortnight's break. The holiday was over!