Invicta kick off February with our first trip to Hendon in nearly 7 years.
After back-to-back home wins over Canvey Island and Horsham lifted us into 8th, a midweek win for Carshalton Athletic saw us drop 1 place but with a game in hand.
We are unbeaten in 2 away trips since Christmas, with draws at Lewes and Bowers & Pitsea, but will be looking for our first away win since beating Horsham 1-0 in November.
Should he feature, Ade Yusuff will be making his 200th appearance for the club. Nathan Green would be making his 50th Invicta appearance should he feature.
Team News
Top scorer Dan Smith will be missing for the next 2-3 weeks following a minor operation. Ian Gayle is set to miss out on Saturday and Marvel Ekpiteta is a doubt having missed the win against Horsham with an injury, but young defender Joel-Michael Odeniran has returned from a month-long loan at Herne Bay.
From The Manager
Manager Andy Drury spoke ahead of the fixture: “We go into the final 3 months of the season in good form, with just 1 defeat in 7 since Christmas and very good performances to get wins over Canvey and Horsham. We continue to look at the playoffs as our aim, we will need to keep up that level of performance through our final 15 games to put the pressure on those above us.
Despite the form Hendon are currently in we don’t ever expect an easy game. They picked up a point last weekend and are now fighting for their lives, they will be dangerous and they have a serious goal threat, we need to be on our best and if we aren’t they will be looking to take advantage.
It’s going to be a tough month with lots of travelling for us, lots of travelling for the fans and I hope they are there again in good number and singing for us tomorrow.”
Colours
Invicta will run out in our red & white away colours for the first time since our trip to Horsham in November. The away kit has only made 1 appearance in our last 18 games but is set for a busy February with Invicta on the road FOUR times. We have a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in our away colours so far this season.
Previously
If there’s one thing this fixture guarantees, it’s goals. We’ve seen 29 goals in the last 7 meetings with Hendon. Ignoring that playoff semi-final, our last 2 league visits to Silver Jubilee Park have both ended in 3-3 draws. Invicta had to wait over 3 years for revenge following Hendon’s move to the Southern League with an FA Trophy win in 2021.
Invicta took all 3 points when the sides met earlier in the season, goals from Amadou Kassaraté and Dan Smith in the space of 2 minutes in the 2nd half secured the win. You can catch up on Invicta TV
Last 6
08/04/17 – Invicta 1-2 Hendon
27/09/17 – Invicta 3-2 Hendon
27/01/18 – Hendon 3-3 Invicta
03/05/18 – Hendon 4-0 Invicta (Playoff semi-final)
30/10/21 – Invicta 2-1 Hendon (FA Trophy)
21/09/24 – Invicta 2-0 Hendon
The Opposition
After returning to the Isthmian League in the summer, Hendon had made a strong start to the campaign before the departure of manager Lee Allinson to National League South. Hendon were 7th in the Isthmian Premier Division in early December but the change of leadership has left them struggling for form, with just a single point from 9 games. The Dons have yet to score at home in the league since the change of management, but an upturn in form may be on the horizon following a 3-3 drew at Wingate & Finchley last Saturday. With 16 games to play, Hendon sit 19th in the Isthmian Premier Division, a point off safety.
Last 6
28/12 – Cray Wanderers (A) – Lost 1-0
04/01 – Dover (H) – Lost 3-0
14/01 – Horsham (H) – Lost 4-0
18/01 – Carshalton (H) – Lost 3-0
21/01 – Rayners Lane (H) – Lost 3-2 (Middlesex County Cup)
25/01 – Wingate & Finchley (A) – Drew 3-3
The Manager
Following Lee Allinson’s departure in December, Hendon agreed a deal to appoint Harrow Borough manager Ben Bukowski earlier this month. Ben was previously with Hendon as a coach under former manager Gary McCann, who he followed to Hampton & Richmond before eventually moving into management himself with Northwood.
Key Man
Niko Muir was suspended when the sides met earlier in the season, but after the departure of Kai Brosnan he is now Hendon’s top goalscorer. Goals have been few and far between for Hendon since Allinson’s departure, with just 7 in 10 games, but Muir has 4 of those so will likely be the main goal threat for our hosts on Saturday.
How To Follow
Charlie Prescott and Adrian Dawkes from Seasiders Radio will be there to bring you live radio commentary from Silver Jubilee Park.
You can also keep up to date with the action with updates from our X (formerly Twitter) account and live score updates are available on Football Webpages.
The Venue
Travel
Always check rail times/strike action before you travel.
Supporters travelling to Hendon by public transport have a number of options.
- Thameslink service to Hendon then a 28 minute walk.
- Metropolitan line to Wembley Park, 83 bus to Queensbury Road (stop P) then a 10 minute walk.
- Northern line to Burnt Oak, 302 bus to Queensbury Road (stop M) then a 10 minute walk.
Supporters taking routes to Queensbury Road will find a number of food and drink outlets to provide refreshment both before and after the match.
Admission
Supporters can pay on the gate for this fixture, no tickets are sold online in advance.
- Adult: £12
- Concessions (65+, student with ID): £8
- U18: £1
Hendon also offer concession prices for supporters who are registered disabled, unemployed, armed forced, emergency services or season ticket holders of Premier League or EFL clubs. You can find more details here.
