At the Match Report:

As you would expect the smaller clubs tend to struggle, though not for the reasons you would think. Despite the Premier League duo sitting nearby the non-league clubs in the area don’t struggle to attract the crowds. Although they draw nowhere near as many as Arsenal they certainly get enough through the gate to get by. No, what damages the likes of Hendon and Edgware Town are those cursed property developers.

Hendon had been playing in their Claremont Road Stadium for over 80 years when Fairview Homes swooped and redeveloped it into a housing estate. They now share a ground with Harrow, who were subjected to a similar fate. The story of Edgware Town takes a different path though, with one man’s vision for the club bringing it back from the dead. After winning the treble in the 2006-07 season they found themselves in Division 1 North of the Isthmian League. All was going well, before disaster struck.

Property developers purchased the land that the club’s stadium, the White Lion Ground, sat upon. The club were kicked out of their ground after the local authorities granted planning permission to the developer. As a result they were homeless and penniless and had little choice but to fold. Several years in the wilderness followed before in 2013 a small committee was formed. Dan Manzi sits at the head of it, with Anthony Manzi, Daz Bloor and Ken Batten (the club’s former Chairman) also members.

Dan Manzi explains how this came about, saying “in 2007/08 I approached the then Chairman to hand me over the reigns on the promise we would find a local venue to reestablish the club.” Although Manzi realised it was a large task to undertake, even he acknowledges he perhaps underestimated it. “At some points we thought its probably going to be hard to get it back. We always knew it was going to be a struggle but we always had hope, which drove us on until the end.”

Perseverance prevailed and a deal was reached with fellow local team Kingsbury Town, who no longer used their ground the Silver Jubilee Stadium. Manzi’s business partner owns the ground which means that the rent “isn’t particularly hefty whilst the cost is also sustainable with minimal fundraising and gate money.” It brings other advantages as well. The ground is located near to the original ground and is fairly small. This may sound like a negative but the club have been playing some games at Barnet’s old stadium Underhill this season, which was just too big for the club to fill. Manzi looks back on the time spent at the stadium, saying that “it was empty! It had a few echoes, not a lot of atmosphere and the slope didn’t do us any favours!”

Although acknowledging that it was nice to play in a ground of that calibre, Manzi made it clear that it was the Silver Jubilee Stadium that was now the club’s spiritual home. Sometimes smaller is better. The new ground brings with it better facilities. A decent sized hall which can be used for fundraising and which will inevitably bring a greater sense of community - vital for smaller clubs such as Edgware if they wish to survive long term.

But how has this all been financed? Manzi owns a football coaching company called Excel Sport, which he says “effectively financed the resurrection.” As well as using the company to relaunch the club it will (in theory) provide a steady stream of players for the first team. Affiliated with the Hertfordshire FA and recognised as being one of the leading providers of children’s coaching Excel will help Manzi’s goal of self-sustainability. Edgware currently have nine youth teams and with a steady supply of talent from Excel are hoping to improve and expand.

The youth system has also helped to create a fan base for the club. As players progress through the ranks their family naturally follows them, helping to bestow a community atmosphere on the club. With a new stadium and a top quality youth system behind the club Edgware Town appear to be a club that are ready to thrive. Manzi has high hopes for the future, with plans for a youth team for every age group. The senior team is improving as well and promotion is on the cards for next year. “The team that finished this season had the strongest back end of the season of any team in the league. Were hoping to win promotion and then get promoted again if we can.”

The long term aim is to get the club back to where it was in 2007/08, at the lower end of the Ryman league. Manzi says a cup run would be nice at some point but the overarching desire is for the club to establish itself on stable footing and as a well respected club. Once that is done, who knows what the future could hold?

Many thanks to the Football Club History Database www.fchd.info