David Ballheimer on tough times for the Greens

Hendon FC players celebrating a goal last season – (Credit – Derek Beech)

Hendon will end 2025 in the worst position they have been in since they became a senior club in 1912.

On 5th December 2024, the Greens were seventh in the Isthmian League Premier Division, three points off the playoffs. On that day, manager Lee Allinson resigned to take charge of Hemel Hempstead Town.

Twelve months on, they sit 16th in the Isthmian League South Central Division after picking up 36 points in 45 matches (eight wins and 12 draws) and have won just four of eleven cup-ties (two ties went to penalty shoot-outs, one won, one lost), a 21.4% win rate.

After Allinson moved on, almost every member of the squad departed too, with only Niko Muir, Lonit Talla and Dave Diedhiou seeing out the season, and Diedhiou didn’t play after Boxing Day. Marc Charles-Smith, Allinson’s former assistant, was replaced as manager by Ben Bukowski in mid-January but the team suffered a 21-game winless streak, which resulted in relegation.

The hopes were that playing at step four would be less difficult and the squad would be strong enough to mount a promotion challenge. Instead, the struggles continued and victories were rare moments of light in a miasma of gloom. Six wins in 20 league matches in a very poor division is disappointing, as were first-game exits in three out of five cup competitions.

It is hard to know why things have gone as badly as they have. The team has a spine of experience playing at a higher level: Josh Strizovic – a rare ray of light in the gloom – has played in goal in step one; defender Dave Diedhiou, midfielders Keagan Cole and Rhodell Gordon, winger Shaun Lucien and strikers Niko Muir and Flo Ada played for Hendon in the Isthmian or Southern League Premier divisions before 2024, and defenders Nikolai Krokhin and J’Ardell Sterling were with the Greens in spring 2025.

The Greens’ attack has not really been a problem, averaging almost two goals per game; Ada, Muir and Sam Shaban all approaching ten goals for the season. At the other end, unfortunately, there are many problems. The defensive three formation has been riddled with holes, through which forwards run through with regularity, poor passing out of defence gives up possession in dangerous situations and mental mistakes gift chances.

Can Hendon turn it around in 2026? Yes, of course, they can, but there must be a few changes, not only in personnel, but also in the way the team plays.

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