Hendon FC 2022-23 Season Programme (PDF) – ArsenalXI 15 July

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Hendon FC hosts Arsenal XI on 15 July at Silver Jubilee Park in a pre-season Friendly match. It’s going to be exciting.

32 pages, full color, PDF download.

GREENS AND GUNNERS DRAW FRIENDLY (by David Ballheimer)

Hendon (1) 1, Arsenal XI (1) 1

Hendon and an Arsenal XI played out a 1–1 draw on a balmy Friday night at Silver Jubilee Park.

The game was given added interest as it was the first match in the dugout for the Arsenal Academy’s new coach, the recently retired former Gooner and England international Jack Wilshere.

On the pitch, only Tommy Brewer and Joe White remained from the squad which played in the same game last year. For Arsenal, as well as Amari Cozier-Duberry and skipper Bradley Ibrahim, Ismail M’Hand featured in both matches.

Cozier-Duberry had been the absolute star of the 2021 encounter, but this time Hendon were quick to slow him down and stifle his undoubted talent.

The Greens took the lead after eight minutes. Arsenal had two chances to deal with a Hendon attack, but they failed to do and Bobson Bawling won the ball just outside the penalty area.

Bawling went on a powerful short run into the penalty area, but with an ever-decreasing angle. He drove the ball across the box towards the far post and beyond the reach of Brian Okonkow.

The ball was probably missing the far post, but Dave DIEDHIOU was alert to the situation and he stretched out a long leg to divert the ball into the net and avoid colliding with the upright.

Five minutes later, a careless challenge on the edge of the penalty area gave Hendon a free-kick in a very dangerous position. Rohdell Gordon took control of the set-piece and his shot went just wide of the near post.

The Gunners should have equalised after 20 minutes when Cozier-Duberry went on a clever run. Oamri Benjamin cut off the left wing and pleaded for an inside pass for Cozier-Duberry.

It was perfectly delivered and Benjamin went between Kevin Diomande and Tarik Moore-Azille to set up a clear shooting chance.

Marcin Brzozowski tried to cover as much of the goal as he could, but he needn’t have worried because Benjamin got his contact and angle all wrong, the ball trundling over the goalline almost 20 yards from the far post.

Arsenal did get their equaliser in the 27th minute. Benjamin made space and released

Cozier-Duberry, wh danced through two tacklers before delivering a low cross which was turned into the net by Kaleel GREEN.

For the next quarter-hour or so, the game was even. Both teams had half-chances, but nothing clear-cut and a few shots flew either wide of the target or were directed straight at well-positioned goalkeepers.

In the 42nd minute, Moore-Azilli rose well to meet a right wing corner and his header beat Okonkwo, but thudded against the top of the crossbar and behind the Arsenal net.

A minute later, on the half-way line, the tireless Joe White got to a loose ball, but could do nothing with it because Ibrahim leapt in made a poor, high challenge from behind.

Without hesitation, the referee was brandishing a red card and the Gunners faced the final 48 minutes with 10 men.

In a competitive match, there is no doubt that the sanction was justified, but it ruined this friendly as a contest and brought a more intense edge to it. On the back of the red card a few players were probably lucky not to be shown yellow cards for injudicious tackles, but it must be said they were not anywhere near as reckless as Ibrahim’s.

In the last minute of the first half, Diedhiou thought he had scored a second goal. From a left-wing corner he headed the ball into the net, but the referee ruled there was a green-shirted player in an offside position and interfering or denying with an Arsenal player’s chance of reaching the ball.

The second half was a disappointment. Each team made nine changes, staggered in three or four stages and this meant there was no flow to the action.

Both teams’ defences were, it must be said, very good and players backed up their team-mates whenever a chance or half-chance presented itself to their rivals. Neither goalkeeper was over-worked though Arsenal’s Alexi Rojak had to deal with some very dangerous crosses.

The referee had indicated two minutes of additional time in the second half and Hendon came close to using them profitably. A deep corner eluded everyone in the middle of the penalty area and went towards Frank Keita, who had replaced Diedhiou.

Keita had time to steady himself, but he attempted to find his near post and managed only to nod the ball into the outside part of the side netting.

Teams: Hendon: Marcin Brzozowski, Kevin Diomande (Mo Nugent, 70), Gio Palmer, Solomon Sambou (Trialist A, 81), Tommy Brewer (Guri Demuria, 70), Tarik Moore-Azille (Azeez Alabi, 70), Rohdell Gordon (Reece Crowter, 74), Dave Diedhiou (Frank Keita, 58), Joe White, Bobson Bawling (Dan Williams, 58), Isaac Galliford (Robbie Buchanan, 58).

Arsenal XI: Brian Okonkwo, Michal Rosiak, Josh Nicholls, Coby Small, Maldini Kacurrie, Bradley Ibrahim, Seb Ferdinand, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Kaleel Green, Etan Nwaneri, Omari Benjamin. Substitutes: Cam’ron Ismail, Alexi Rojak (gk), Ismail M’Hand, Osman Kamara, Kamarni, Ryan, Harrison Didziak, Romari Forde, Ayden John, Bless Akolbire.