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Pat Byrne’s widow Shamira and his brother Paul sponsored the Basildon United match
As Northwood prepare for their FA Trophy match with Heybridge Swifts on October 17th, many might think the Middlesex club is rubbing its hands with glee at the thought of a home tie.
After all, isn’t that accepted wisdom as the television interviewer asks the manager of the non-league side what he’s hoping for in the upcoming draw?
But as Northwood secretary Alan Evans told Prost International following his side’s FA Trophy win over Basildon United, that belief lies somewhere between and oversimplification and a complete myth:
“There’s no doubt that a home draw gives a significant advantage in cup games and increases the chance of pulling off a shock win but that’s not always the full story.
“The home team has to use a portion (sometimes all) of the admission monies taken at the turnstiles to pay towards their opponents travelling costs.
“So, a winnable away tie at a well-supported team is perhaps always preferred by a Club’s Treasurer at least!”
That may be truer of Saturday’s opponents Heybridge who play in the same division as Basildon and currently find themselves one point and three places below their fellow Essex club.
That’s a Level 8 division whereas Northwood play in the Isthmian League South Central, a parallel league in the FA Structure. As United took Northwood to penalties and were just five minutes away from an outright win, Heybridge are justified in fancying their chances – at least financially.
For Northwood and Heybridge however, the mecca of the FA Trophy is a final at Wembley which brings both financial benefits and glory.
Those reliant on the mainstream media for their non league coverage may think that pales into insignificance compared to the dream of successive promotions and eventually reaching the National League or even League Two.
Not so says Evans although he concedes there is a small number of non-league clubs with specific circumstances who might:
“I think a lot of the ambition to climb the Pyramid comes from the club’s ability to attract crowds. Generally, the teams that play in well-populated towns or cites tend to be the best-supported and because of that, they tend to have to have more ambition to make the journey through the Pyramid.
Many of them have historically been there before but due to one reason or another, usually financial mismanagement, they may have dropped a few levels. But because that basic support is always potentially there, they can quickly bounce back.
“Then, there are the clubs which are bank-rolled after being taken over by a group or an individual who has their own ambitions and see those out through the club, though these tend to die out after a short period of success.”
A newly refurbished bar provides valuable income for Northwood
Clubs like Northwood however know their limits.
There are a mountain of non-league clubs in their vicinity; Harrow Borough, Hanwell Town, Wembley, Yeading and Hayes, Harefield United, Uxbridge to name a few. National League clubs Wealdstone and Barnet and Championship Watford are not that far away.
That’s before you cope with the pull of the EPL sides in London, and of course those who attach themselves to a large red shirted northern club having glanced at the league table.
The red shirts of Northwood however know their limits says Evans:
“Clubs in the suburbs of London like ourselves just look to play at the best level that can be comfortably maintained, both through support and through finances.
“But most know those limits and sometimes it’s definitely better to be winning games regularly at one level rather than losing more frequently at a higher level.
“Crowds don’t change that much (if you go up the pyramid).”
So Northwood are happy with their status at the heart of a small community, albeit one which does not lie in an area resembling the stereotype of a footballing heartland.
For such clubs their strength lies in a smaller number of highly committed people. Often this loyalty runs deep in families and is handed down. Or across.
In Woods’ case, the two most prominent families are the Byrnes and the Barrys as Evans explains:
“The stand is named after the Byrne brothers (John, Pat, Dave, Paul and Ray) who all played for the club from the 1950s through to the late 1970s. Pat Byrne also became manager and later President.
“He sadly died with Covid-19 in April.”
It says a great deal about the bond between his family and the club that it was Pat’s bereaved partner Shamira Hamirani and his brother Paul who sponsored the match with Basildon.
Pete Barry’s contribution to the club is memorialised outside the clubhouse
Pete Barry was the father of the current Chairman Ian who died four years ago this week and is commemorated by a plaque inside the ground and also by the Memorial Garden just outside the clubhouse.
Much recent talk has been about the risk to the very existence of clubs outside the EPL posed by COVID-19.
Evans is relatively happy with that his club has been able to do to protect spectators.
“Clubs at Steps 3 downwards in the non-League Pyramid must be at most risk of spreading Covid as there is no regular testing of players unlike at a professional level.
“However, we do what we can to reduce the risks by scanning temperatures prior to every home game and so far it seems to have been a successful way of allowing non-League football to continue.
“There should be no reason why this can’t happen at Steps 1-3 in the Pyramid too but I would imagine the problem with this is that they will be looking for more than the current maximum of 600 spectators at Step 3 (only 400 at our Step 4 level).”
For many observers, Northwood may appear to be a typical non league club but their on field and clubhouse togetherness has an unconventional route.
Manager Rob Ursell is a former player making a total of 45 appearances and scoring nine goals as an attacking midfielder over a period of four seasons.
Family club Northwood’s strict language policy was scrupulously obeyed by all but players, coaches and fans
He also played for AFC Wimbledon but it was as a Futsal player that he excelled.
Ursell ended up playing at top level in both England and Cyprus where it was a more recognised entity.
He also played for England in the sports fledgling days. Now retired, his background has meant recruitment has been of many of his former teammates both in Futsal and also mini-football (6-a-side, bigger pitch, bigger lighter ball than Futsal which is 5-a-side with a small, heavier ball).
This brings him a weird but rich vein of talent to tap in to which gives the club an interesting twist.
That’s not the only atypical thing bout Northwood FC.
Their scenic ground is a little set back from Pinner Road and lies at the end of a quaintly named suburban street called Chestnut Avenue.
You have to walk past a bowling club to get there and then between two allotments running in parallel on either side of a driveway. Trees however give the playing area a secluded feel, which adds to the sense of escapism.
Behind one set of trees lies a cemetery and some footballs, but the club is far from dormant
A newly refurbished bar was doing good business after the Basildon game with opposition players and the officials feeling welcome inside. Notwithstanding cancelations of weddings and other corporate events due to COVID, the bar helps fund the club even despite the tribulations of two straight home draws in the FA Trophy.
Saturday’s gate money of course has to cover the Swifts’ travel with Northwood using what’s left over to pay the officials and their own staff.
So it behoves us, on behalf of non league football in these times, to tell you how to help. Adults can enter for £10.00 and concessions are £5.00
They’ll take your temperature and phone number to accord with contact tracing regulations and there is food inside the ground, as well as pre and post match inside the club house. Northwood Hills is the nearest underground station. Turn right on leaving and left at Pinner Road. Finally take a left on Chestnut Avenue.
The Swifts have one win in five league games and have lost both their away games. This is their first FA Trophy game this year. Woods also have just one league win this season, at home to FC Romania on September 29.
Shamira and Paul have incidentally joined forces to sponsor the Heybridge game too.
On Tuesday, they had a chance to double that against Ashford Town (Middlesex) but lost 2-0 at home. The Swifts had no midweek game. Their last match was a 1-0 loss at Soham Town on Saturday.
Saturday’s game represents a massive opportunity for both clubs to restart their season and look forward to bigger fish in the next round.
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