Saturday sees the Blues at home for the second match in as many weeks, as we welcome Hendon who take the very short journey across from NW9 to N12. Last week we faced high-flying Dartford, and were unable to halt their 15-match unbeaten run, as they ran out 2-1 winners at the Maurice Rebak Stadium.
Our Opponents
Hendon FC have returned to the Isthmian Premier League this season after spending the last six seasons in the Southern League Premier South Division. In their time in the Southern League, Hendon's best performance came last year, finishing 10th in 2023/24, ten points outside of the playoff places. This was a marked improvement on 2022/23, where The Greens finished 18th, just one point and one place clear of Harrow Borough in the final relegation spot.
Prior to their spell in the Southern League, their last season in the Isthmian Premier League was in 2017/18 where Hendon had an excellent season, finishing third behind champions Billericay, eventually losing in the playoff final to second placed Dulwich Hamlet who were promoted into the National League South.
So far this season, Hendon have 26 points (W7 D5 L13) from their 25 matches, putting them in 19th place, five places and five points behind the Blues. Hendon made an excellent start to life back in the Isthmian Premier League, hovering just below the playoff places throughout the first few months of the season. In early December, manager Lee Allinson departed for National League South side Hemel Hempstead after more than five years at the helm. Alongside Allinson, key players such as Joe White, Samuel Adenola and Kai Brosnan also made the move to Hemel. Since that point, Hendon have been on a difficult run, including seven consecutive defeats without scoring either side of Christmas.
Head to Head
Earlier in the season, the Blues were in dreamland at Silver Jubilee Park as we ran out 6-1 winners over Hendon. It was 4-0 at half time, thanks to goals from Ayo Tanimowo, Ben Frempah, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas and Ogo Obi. In the second half, Obi scored two more to secure his hat-trick, before Sam Adenola scored a consolation for Hendon. Our last league meeting at the Maurice Rebak Stadium was in 2017/18, where a Niko Muir brace for Hendon cancelled out goals from Irnti Rapai and Marc Charles-Smith to ensure a 2-2 draw at the Maurice Rebak Stadium in April 2018.
Last Time Out
Hendon's tough run continues, with seven consecutive league defeats without scoring, the most recent of which being a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Carshalton Athletic last Saturday. On Tuesday night, Hendon were in Middlesex Cup action, losing 3-2 to ten man Rayners Lane, Niko Muir and Billie Busari scoring the goals for Hendon before Rayners Lane staged a comeback to progress to the semi-finals.
The Blues come into this clash in their own difficult patch, without a win since the 2-0 win at Whitehawk back in November. In the run since that game, there have been two draws and eight defeats in the league, the most recent of which being the narrow 2-1 loss against Dartford on Saturday, one where the Blues may count themselves slightly unlucky not to have taken anything away from the game after knocking on the door throughout the last half an hour.
Players To Watch
Despite the lack of goals for Hendon in recent weeks, Niko Muir is always a threat at this level. Muir reached the tally of 100 goals for Hendon before Christmas, bringing up the milestone in just 182 matches for the club. After scoring 40 goals in 2017-18, Muir signed for Hartlepool United for an undisclosed fee, before going on to play for Woking, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Billericay Town and Hungerford Town, returning to Hendon in February 2023. Muir also played for the Blues back in 2014-15, scoring four goals in 24 matches.
There are a number of familiar names in the Hendon squad, and Alkeo Bani is one of the most recent of those to have joined Hendon. Bani played 79 times for the Blues in recent years, scoring five times. He was part of the squad that reached the playoffs last season, and one moment from last season which will certainly be remembered was his thunderbolt goal against Horsham to snatch a point.
For the Blues, there was another new face in the squad last weekend, as Ore Bello joined us from Chatham Town on a loan agreement. Bello was a revelation for Potters Bar last season, scoring 14 goals after joining the Scholars from Dover. We look forward to seeing Ore demonstrate some explosive pace and frightening defenders in the coming weeks. Welcome Ore!
A reminder to all fans that tickets can be purchased in advance here or at the gate on matchday. Cash and card is accepted throughout the Maurice Rebak Stadium, including at our bar where we have a special early bird deal of £4.50 pints before 2.15pm, and our hot food stand where we will be selling our locally sourced gourmet hot dogs. We look forward to welcoming all supporters on Saturday for a huge local clash!
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
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