McCann: Hendon are in transition but the target is still promotion

Goldy Capela scored on his debut for Hendon on Saturday. Pic: Steffan Bowen (Image: Archant)

Hendon were play-off finalists in the Ryman League Premier Division in May but they lost Charlie Goode to Scunthorpe United in the summer, while Kevin Maclaren and Casey Maclaren have both been banned until 2016 following a bar brawl last December – and Elliott Brathwaite, James Fisher, Chris Seeby and Scott Shulton are all injured.

Hendon lost seven of their first 14 league games, while making their earliest exit from the FA Cup in 30 years – and they suffered a further blow last week when long-serving midfielder Lee O’Leary, who had taken over the captaincy from Kevin Maclaren, departed for Kingstonian.

However, the Dons secured a 3-1 home win over VCD Athletic on Saturday, with 18-year-old forward Goldy Capela scoring on his debut – and McCann feels the Dons are now heading in the right direction.

“We’ve had quite a bit of adversity to deal with since the last kick of last season,” he said. “The team’s been going through a transitional period and there’s still transition going on.

“We’ve adjusted the squad in the last three or four weeks and we’ve also lost Leo [O’Leary], so we’ve had quite a bit to deal with – and for the boys to get themselves to the level that they did at the weekend and put a performance together of that ilk was great.

“There was a lot of togetherness, a lot of energy, a lot of work for each other. It was really pleasing for me to see.

“The players we’ve lost are all players that have been in and around my XI and they weren’t accounted for, they weren’t expected. It’s left us with the heart of our team ripped out really so it’s been a difficult period for us all.”

Hendon lie 17th in the table but McCann is refusing to give up on another promotion challenge at such an early stage.

“We’ve had lots of obstacles to overcome, more so than anyone in the league I should think, with the losses we’ve had within the squad,” he said.

“Do we change in terms of what our goals are? We’re going to go flat out until game 46 and see where that takes us.

“The league is much more evenly contested, that’s clear to see. I think there are only four or five wins between us and the top three, so it’s just about getting back-to-back wins and going on a little unbeaten run.

“If we can be in touching distance at the turn of the new year I expect us to kick on, because when you go through a transitional period a team evolves and it evolves for the better.

“The players that are coming in are buying into what we’re about and what we require, and it takes time.

“I do expect us to get better over the course of the season so I want us in touching distance come the turn of the year, which we’re very much geared towards trying to make happen.”

New signing Capela made an instant impact for Hendon, arriving on dual registration from Dagenham & Redbridge and promptly scoring the hosts’ third goal against VCD Athletic just nine minutes after coming off the bench, following strikes by Leon Smith and Sam Flegg.

“That will give him confidence,” said McCann. “He’s a young lad that we can’t pin too much on but he’s got a lot of ability and I know Dagenham think very highly of him.

“He’s an offensive wide player, very powerful and strong – a very similar ilk to Aaron Morgan and Leon Smith. He’s got a bit of tenacity to his game as well. He fits the bill but he’s a young man so we just have to try to let him express himself and play with the freedom that a young player needs.

“He’s one addition but we will be looking to add one or two more over the coming weeks, just to give the squad a better balance. I think we need another defender and another central midfielder.”

A new central midfielder is needed because the long-serving O’Leary departed last week.

“It was a disappointment,” said McCann. “I think I’d be the first one to admit, and he would also, that his performance levels haven’t got anywhere near where they need to be.

“We’ve been fighting to get his performances where they need to be and the added responsibility of the armband has just been too much for him, and the opportunity arose last week with Kingstonian coming in for him, and he’s decided to go.

“I think the timing on their part and the timing on his part was rubbish, but we turn the page, we move on and I know the boys we have around us are with us, and the performance on Saturday showed that. They’re all pulling for each other, all pulling in the same direction.

“We’ve made Mark Kirby captain. He’s been a captain for the last five years at Enfield before we signed him [in May], so he’s a natural replacement, he’s a natural leader and he’s someone who’s on top of his game at the moment. The transition won’t be a difficult one.

“As much as it was a negative to lose Leo, in the long-term it could prove to be a positive because his performances were short of what was needed. A new challenge, for him, is maybe what he needs.

“It’s not ideal, losing your captain mid-season, but we’ve got a perfect replacement in Kirby and we’ve got other players in Kezie Ibe, Russell Short and Sam Flegg, plus Scotty Shulton when he’s fit, and these are respected players. We have no problems on that front really.”

Hendon are now preparing to take on two sides who sit immediately above them, travelling to face Merstham on Saturday before visiting Enfield Town on Tuesday.