HENDON FC – 118th SEASON – 2026–27

Hendon FC are now into their 16th season under the ownership of their supporters, following their takeover of the club in the summer of 2010. Cyrus Cooper, who took over from Simon Lawrence in 2023, is the Club Chairman.

Hendon has an illustrious and proud history. The club was formed in 1908, beginning its existence as Christ Church Hampstead. In their inaugural season, the club finished as champions of the Finchley & District League Third Division. There was regular success in the early years, but not before the first of four name changes.

Ahead of the 1909–10 season, the club became Hampstead Town and immediately won the Finchley & District League Second Division title, and the First Division title followed a year later. Further successes followed as the club gained senior status in 1912 (entering the FA and county cups for the first time) and competing in both the London and Middlesex Leagues. On the back of this, the club was elected into the Athenian League in 1914, one of the best competitions in amateur football, this just six years into the club’s existence.

Hampstead Town had played only two matches in 1914–15 (both away draws) when season was abandoned because of the outbreak of war. In their eventual debut season, 1919–20, the club finished a highly creditable fourth. The club finished runners-up in 1929, 1933, 1948, 1949 and 1952, before eventually winning the title in 1953. Further titles followed in 1956 and 1961.

The second renaming of the club came in 1926, when the suffix Town was dropped, and the club was simply called Hampstead. Seven years later the club became Golders Green and the final change came in 1946 when the club took the name Hendon.

There had been another Hendon club – it reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1883 – and, in 1932, Hendon and Hampstead met in two friendlies, the second of which was to raise funds for the former club. Sadly, Hendon – which appeared to add and drop the Town suffix in their dying years – ceased to exist a couple of years later, but their continued existence meant Hampstead had been unable to take the name in 1933. It was as Golders Green that the club made its first appearance in the FA Cup competition proper, losing in the first round to Southend United in 1933–34.

In 1963, after more than half a dozen rejections in the previous 50 years, the club was accepted into the Isthmian League and the Greens were members for 55 seasons, always competing in the top division. Success continued as they finished runners-up in their first season, followed by the first of two league titles a year later. Hendon were again champions in 1973, adding to their runners-up achievements in 1966, 1974 and 2015. Indeed, in their first 11 seasons in the Isthmian League, Hendon never finished lower than sixth. Since then, the club has had both good and bad seasons in the League, the low point coming in 2025, when the Greens were relegated.

During the amateur era, the club reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup on five occasions, winning in 1960 (against Kingstonian), 1965 (against Whitley Bay) and 1972 (against Enfield) but losing in 1955 (against Bishop Auckland) and 1966 (against Wealdstone).

The club throughout its history has enjoyed FA Cup success. As well as 21 appearances in the first round (most recently at Aldershot Town in 2012), there have been six appearances in the second round (latterly in 1999–2000 at Blackpool) and one in the third round in January 1974 which saw the Greens draw 1–1 at Newcastle United before losing the replay 4–0 at Watford FC’s Vicarage Road.

The club has also enjoyed much glory in county cups, winning the Middlesex Senior Cup no less than 16 times out of 28 final appearances, as well as winning the Middlesex Charity Cup 14 times (two of which, in 1945 and 1988, were at Wembley Stadium). The London Senior Cup has been won on six occasions, with a further 10 appearances in the final, including a 2–1 defeat in April 2024. The 16 London finals is the competition record.

Hampstead moved into its Claremont Road ground in 1926, the first game being an FA Cup tie against Berkhamsted Town on 18 September, which Hendon won 4–3. The final match was played 82 years later, almost to the day, on 20 September 2008, when local rivals Wealdstone won 4–1 (Hendon’s last goal at Claremont Road came from defender/midfielder Dave Diedhiou, who is now the player-coach having racked up 71 goals in 539 appearances entering 2026–27).

After leaving Claremont Road, Hendon spent four years ground-sharing with Wembley FC and, from 2013, a three-season arrangement with Harrow Borough FC at Earlsmead. In February 2014, plans to return close to the London Borough of Barnet at the old Kingsbury Town FC ground, Silver Jubilee Park (the borough boundary is around 20 metres behind the clubhouse) were announced.

Hendon moved into Silver Jubilee Park in 2016, sharing with Edgware Town & Kingbsury, but it took until January 2017 for a first home League win to be achieved. A last-day draw, completing a run of 22 points from 10 games, saw the club avoid relegation. The 2017–18 season was nearly glorious. Led by the prolific 92-goal attack of Niko Muir (40 goals – he was back with to the club from 2023–26, finishing in the top 10 of the club’s scorers with 115 goals in 255 appearances), Zak Joseph (18), Ashley Nathaniel-George (17) and Josh Walker (17), Hendon roared to third place in the Isthmian League – a second top-three finish in four seasons – and reached the playoff final. Sadly, it was not to be as Dulwich Hamlet won a penalty shoot-out.

A new era dawned in summer 2018 as The Football Association announced that Hendon would be playing in the Southern League Premier Division South, the Greens’ first League change since 1963. An even bigger change came as manager Gary McCann, his coaching staff and every senior player moved on to pastures new.

A new, much-improved pitch was laid in 2022, while there have been regular improvements to the clubhouse and spectator facilities. In May 2024, the Greens got the news from the Football Association they were craving, that they were being reassigned to the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2024–25 season. Unfortunately, the departure of Lee Allinson in December 2024 led to a precipitous fall down the table, ending in a first ever relegation in club history.

The 2025–26 season was one of struggle, but Hendon collected enough points to ensure they will play in the Pitching In Isthmian League South Central Division for a second season. In charge at Silver Jubilee Park now is former Welywn Garden City manager and St Neots Town assistant Adam Fisher, who succeeded Ben Bukowski in March 2026. Off the field stability was assured with the signing of a ten-year lease to remain at Silver Jubilee Park.

Did you know that ......

• 100,000 watched Hendon against northern giants Bishop Auckland in the 1955 Amateur Cup Final at Wembley.

• Following an invitation from the F.A. to test the system, Hendon were the first club to play under floodlights at Wembley Stadium. The first team beat the reserves 1–0.

• In October 1951, Hendon became the first team in Britain to win a floodlit cup-tie when they won a London Challenge Cup match against Arsenal at Highbury.

• In 1964–65, Hendon created probably a unique record for a visiting team when they won two matches scoring four goals at Highbury in the same season. Arsenal were beaten 4–3 in a London Challenge Cup tie – after the Gunners led 3–0 – and Finchley were downed 4–1 in an FA Amateur Cup semi-final.

• The club’s original colours were blue, but changed to green in the 1930s, when the club was Golders Green. In 1997–98 the club replaced their now traditional green and brought back the original blue resulting in an outcry from supporters and the green was restored two seasons later!

• England’s three highest capped Amateur Internationals between World War 2 and May 1974 were all Hendon players. Rod Haider (65 caps), John Swannell (61) and Mike Pinner (52) lead the way with Peter Deadman (40) and Laurie Topp (32) make it five Hendon players in the top ten of England cap winners.

• Hendon progressed through the first round in which they entered the FA Cup for 29 consecutive seasons, 1985–2014. The run ended against AFC Sudbury in 2014.

• In June 2015, Charlie Goode became the second Hendon player, after Phil Gridelet, to play for the England Non-League team, now England C. Peter Deadman turned down the honour in May 1974, not wanting to miss Hendon’s end-of-season run-in. He would have been one of the very few players to earn Amateur and Semi-Professional honours.

• The club’s nicknames are the Greens or the Dons. They were the Green, even when they wore blue in the mid-1930s but at the time, the club was still known as Golders Green.

• Many Hendon players have stepped up to the Football League, including Iain Dowie and Junior Lewis. In 2018 and 2019, respectively, Ashley Nathaniel-George and Ricardo German joined Crawley Town. Also in 2019, Jacob Gardiner-Smith signed for Wycombe Wanderers while, in January 2023, six months after leaving Hendon, Jayden Clarke signed for League 2 Gillingham.

• Hendon set a new club record with a 25-match unbeaten run in 2015. After a loss to Peacehaven & Telscombe in January, the Greens did not lose again until the Ryman League Premier Division Playoff final in mid-May.

• Hendon’s longest serving manager was Gary McCann, who was in charge from February 2005 until May 2018. Both his assistant Freddie Hyatt – like McCann a former player – and the club’s physical therapist Mark Findley gave more than 10 years of service.

• Four Hendon players reached double figures in goals in 2025–26, Sam Shaban, 25, Flo Ada, Dave Diedhiou and Niko Muir, all 10. All but Muir have returned for 2026–27.

Manager Adam Fisher is assisted by Jermaine Hall, while physio duties are handled by Sophie Harrison.


7	Ashford Town	17	10
8	Portchester	16	9
9	Egham Town	16	10
10	Hendon	15	8
11	Southall	13	8
12	Kingstonian	12	9
13	Windsor & Eton	12	9

Hendon

Match Outlook

South Central Division