We’re so determined to get promoted because it’s been a long time coming, says Hendon boss Gary McCann

HENDON manager Gary McCann says his club are ready to spoil Margate’s promotion party tomorrow.

McCann led the north London club to runners-up in the Ryman Premier League table with 95 points from 46 games, finishing three points behind champions Maidstone United and ten points clear of third-placed Margate.



 Gary McCann (pictured on his Twitter account) has been in charge of Hendon for just over ten years' and they go into tomorrow's Ryman Premier League Play-Off Final against Margate on an impressive 25-match unbeaten run.

It was Hendon’s best campaign since the club won the Isthmian League title back in 1973.

The Greens have led a nomadic life since leaving their Claremont Road ground in Cricklewood in September 2008, playing their home games at Northwood, Wembley’s Vale Farm and they now play at Harrow Borough’s Earlsmead Stadium.

The club will be playing Vanarama National League football for the first time if they upset Margate tomorrow.

McCann reflected on the club’s campaign so far.

“It’s not finished! I think we’ve had a season to remember, there’s no question about that!  The best the club has achieved in recent times but we’re looking to go one step further tomorrow.

“We’ve put two cups (League Cup and London Senior Cup) on the shelf as such but the big one is tomorrow! We’re all very much geared and focused and looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”

Hendon finished their league campaign with a 2-1 home win over Leiston on 25 April, before beating Tooting & Mitcham United 3-2 (after extra time) to land the London Senior Cup on Thursday 7 May.

McCann admitted playing a competitive game while the play-off matches were put on hold while the Enfield Town mess was sorted out served its purpose during a time of limbo.

“I go as far as going to say it did! To play a competitive game in between definitely served its purpose,” admitted McCann.

“We struggled to get our levels where we needed to be in the game. I think that was more to do with the focus on the mind being very much so on the play-offs than the rest. 

“I know it’s a Cup Final but the biggest goal for any player in any season is promotion and when you get yourself as far as we have it’s very hard to turn your attention to a Cup, even being a Cup final.  We weren’t very good in the Cup Final if I’m being honest!”

Goals from Casey MacLaren and Andre Da Costa sealed a 2-1 home win over Metropolitan Police in Thursday night’s play-off semi-final.

McCann said: “It was a bit of an edgy start. I don’t think we started as well as I know we can. You expect that with the magnitude of the game tends to play a part at times.

“Once we got a foothold in the game and that came after they scored and deservedly so, we were deserved winners in the end.

“But it was a tough game but you don’t expect the play-off semi-final to be any different.”

McCann revealed it was hard for his players’ to focus during training sessions as they prepared for Thursday’s game.

“It’s not been easy for any of us. It’s been something that I would say that’s not been experienced too often by any manager or any football team to have a period of wait and uncertainty to a degree of when and in our case who. At least Margate and Dulwich knew their opponents!

“But it wasn’t very easy and there’s no getting away from the fact. It was very difficult to keep the players’ focused. We had five training sessions in between and to get the intensity levels to where they needed to be in training because there’s normally a focus at the end of it.

“When you’re not knowing when your next game is, it’s difficult.

“We’ve come through it. We’ve got ourselves through the other side of the semi-final. We now have a play-off staring us in the face and the wait was very much worth waiting for in the end!”

McCann is now relishing tomorrow’s play-off Final against the club with the biggest budget in the entire Ryman League.

Margate ended Dulwich Hamlet’s promotion aspirations by winning a high-quality game 2-1 at Hartsdown Park.

“When Margate set out there’s not a team or manager in the division who didn’t expect them not to win the league, even their management and their players expected that to be the case,” said McCann.

“They’re obviously a side to be feared. There’s a lot of experience and a lot of quality in their squad and I don’t even talk about their 11 – they’ve got 20-22 players in their squad who are top end that you can only look back and admire.

“We’ve had three games with them this year and each game we stood toe-to-toe to them each game.  Each game was a very close encounter. We edged two of them and drew the other.  That sets us in good stead.  The confidence in the camp is where it needs to be.

“We’re on a fantastic run of unbeaten games. The winning mentality is clear for everyone to see on a game-to-game basis and we just need to harness that tomorrow to where we need to be.

“We know it’s a very tough game but Margate know they’re in for a tough game as well – so may the best team win.”

Hendon go into the game on an impressive 25-match unbeaten run. Their last defeat was a 2-0 away defeat to Peacehaven & Telscombe at the end of January and tomorrow’s game will be their 26^th game since the start of February.

McCann said: “It’s taken a huge effort. It’s just not 25 games. I’ve said this in the press recently. 25 games unbeaten and three of those last six weeks of the season we’ve played four games in eight days so to keep an unbeaten run in tact over that sustained demanding period of games it just speaks volumes of our squad.

“They never know when they’re beaten and they know how to win games of football at present and that’s a quality in a team.

“There’s a real togetherness. We’re well-organised and everybody knows their jobs and that plays a part when you have a run like this.

“All those factors need to be in motion and they have been over the last part of the season.”

McCann, a former Hendon goalkeeper, took charge of the club ten years’ ago in February.

“I’ve had good times there. It’s been tough, really tough. We’ve had a nomadic life for the last five years with groundshare agreements and such like, which affect the resources.

“We’ve worked with a minimal budget over the course of the last six years and our budget this year deserves to be bottom two and I can’t highlight that enough!

“It’s a group that’s not taken 47 games like maybe a Margate team. Margate have put that team together over the summer and this (Hendon) team has been put together three, four, five years. In our squad there will be four, five, maybe six with 250 games under their belts and that speaks volumes to where we’re at.

“It’s taken us three or four years to get to this point in terms of the players. That’s why we’re so determined to get promoted because it’s been a long time coming.”

Meanwhile, Hendon confirm that tickets are not available in advance. All supporters will pay on the day at the turnstiles. 

The club are keeping their normal ticket prices of £10 (adults), £5 (concessions) and £1 (under 16s).

Visit Hendon’s website: www.hendonfc.net

Hendon  v  Margate
Ryman Premier League Play-Off Final
Sunday 17^th May 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Earlsmead Stadium, Earlsmead, Harrow, Middlesex HA2 8SS