Liam Blaney on Wingate & Finchley’s bid to bounce back from last season’s play-off disappointment

The Wingate & Finchley FC squad photo for the 2024/25 season — Wingate & Finchley’s 2024/25 squad – (Credit – Martin Addison)

The 2023/24 season was one of the best in Wingate & Finchley’s history. The Blues achieved a record points haul in the Isthmian Premier League and qualified for the play-offs in the process. And while we don’t want to dwell too heavily on the events of the previous season, the way it played out was at the front of most minds as the 2024/25 campaign got underway against Dulwich Hamlet last month.

A lot has changed. Last season’s deadly strike trio of Carvalho, Long, and Chukwu have moved on to pastures new (Maidenhead and Welling United), and former club captain and goalkeeper Ben Goode has returned to Chesham. All four will be starting the new season at least one, if not two divisions higher, and it is no less than they have earned.

New faces now roam the Maurice Rebak Stadium, ready to take on the challenge of picking up where the 23/24 squad left off. Ogo Obi, signed from Chesham, will be tasked with replacing some of the goal threat which we have lost, while the midfield ranks are bolstered by the likes of former Stevenage players Arthur Iontton and Andronicos Georgiou.

Manager Ahmet Rifat has been known to pick up quality players from all levels and this summer has moved to sign wing-back Ayo Tanimowo and midfielder Brian Garzon from a division below, with both players impressing in pre-season and eager to show their worth at this level. Together with numerous other new joiners, the Blues squad is looking particularly strong this season.

There remains consistency throughout. New club captain Billy Cracknell will once again patrol the back line, accompanied by the ever dependable Ben Frempah, who played more minutes than any other Blue last season. Rhamar Garrett-Douglas will hope to recapture some of the brilliant form that he brought to the right edge last season, and up top, Luke Deslandes and Zack Newton, both of whom are likely to be integral to any success delivered on the pitch this time around.

And let us not overlook the welcome return of first team coach Ricky Machel from Watford. He was instrumental in setting up the team alongside Ahmet last season, and his return to the set-up will be a real boost as the season gets underway.

The club’s fixtures are packed with local clashes, including the return of Hendon to this division. And if the North London rivalries weren’t enough to convince you to pop down to Summers Lane, the division has a number of new, and big, names in it this season. Dartford and Dover Athletic have dropped into this division having previously played in the National League.

Off the pitch, there are London Brewing Company beers now on tap in the clubhouse bar, and a new digital ticketing system in action. There is a sense of positivity around the whole of Finchley right now. Get down to Summers Lane early in the year to witness some top-class football, indulge in some first–rate beer (or drink of your choice), and to be involved in a really welcoming North London community.

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