By Ben Kosky YOU can take the man out of Hendon FC, but it s quite clear that the reverse isn t true. I discovered that a couple of months ago when I mentioned to Iain Dowie – then manager of QPR – that his old club were finally bidding farewell to their

By Ben Kosky

YOU can take the man out of Hendon FC, but it's quite clear that the reverse isn't true.

I discovered that a couple of months ago when I mentioned to Iain Dowie - then manager of QPR - that his old club were finally bidding farewell to their Claremont Road home.

Immediately Dowie's eyes lit up as he proceeded to name several of his old Dons team-mates, pay tribute to manager Ted Hardy, and fondly recall cup exploits against Wembley from two decades earlier.

"The ground was never the best thing about Hendon Football Club," he concluded - camaraderie, a love of football and a sense of community, Dowie implied, were far more important.

And those sentiments come across loud and clear in Hendon Football Club: the first 100 years, lovingly compiled by lifelong Dons fans David Ballheimer and Peter Lush.

Several star names from Hendon's heyday in the 1960s and 70s - Laurie Topp, Jimmy Quail and Peter Deadman - give their recollections of life at Claremont Road in an era that yielded three FA Amateur Cup wins.

The foreword was written by Rod Haider, who scored perhaps the most famous Hendon goal throughout those 100 years - the FA Cup third round equaliser to clinch a replay against mighty Newcastle United in the 1973-74 season.

David Bedford and Denis Compton, both famous names in other sporting contexts, both get a mention, and there are warm words for the stalwarts behind the scenes - Bill Fisher, long-serving secretary Graham Etchell and chairman Ivor Arbiter, who saved Hendon from folding in 1994.

The authors have left no stone unturned in their efforts to trace the club's history, even including details on the 'original' Hendon Football Club, who played amateur football for more than half a century.

It wasn't until after the Second World War that the name was adopted by the 'current' Hendon FC, originally founded as Christ Church Hampstead before becoming Hampstead Town and Golders Green.

Frequently moving from one part of north west London to another, the club's history often mirrors social change - and, sadly, a common thread is that of missed opportunity.

Failure to gain election to the Isthmian League for several years and the enforced decision to decline a place in the expanded Conference just five years ago are two such examples that leave the reader musing on what might have been.

And what might yet be. Near neighbours Enfield and Wealdstone crop up frequently throughout Hendon's history and it can hardly be ignored that both have fallen from former glories, balanced on a precarious financial tightrope and found themselves homeless in recent years.

The authors conclude with the sentiment: "A new chapter in the club's history is starting. Let us hope for another memorable 100 years."

All fans of non-league football will drink to that. They'll enjoy the book as well.

Hendon Football Club: the first 100 years is published by London League Publications and is available at £14.95, or £14 post free at llpshop.co.uk. It can also be purchased from Hendon Football Club Supporters' Association.