Non-League and Academy football writer

Essex Alliance League Senior Division club Woodford East was founded in 2018 by three friends, who upon leaving university, wanted to start a football club. Those three friends were Harry Savva, Sean Bellamy and Jimmy Collier. They did well to progress the club in the Essex Alliance League system, however, because of other commitments, they were unable to commit their time to this new club, that was needed. During the 2020/21 season, Halil Hassan, who was managing Bush Hill Rangers at the time, was asked if he wanted to take over Woodford East, as chairman and manager. Halil saw this as a great opportunity to be solely in charge of a club, and to help to progress the club further. He would stabilise them as a step 7 club, as well as taking them to three cup finals. Of which included The Fenton Cup final, and also the Essex Alliance League Senior Division Cup final. They would however, lose both of those particular finals to FC Petrocub, in what were two fantastic and very competitive finals, last season. Halil is continuing to progress the club well, as both the chairman and manager of the club’s first team, and he has a vision which will hopefully see the club earn promotion to step 6, at some point in the future.

Woodford East currently ground-share with Barking FC, at their Mayesbrook Park ground. And the east London club are currently sitting comfortably in second place in the 2023/24 Essex Alliance League Senior Division season. All of the current Woodford East players play for the current step 7 non-League side on a voluntary basis, as the club can’t afford to pay the players. However, this season in particular, they have done really well to be in second place in their respective league, with an impressive 56 points from 25 league games played, so far. The highest that Woodford East have ever finished at step 7, is in third place. Woodford East have a good balance to their squad, with some experienced players playing for them, but they are a clever side, who are solid in defence, but who also manage games well, and who are good in front of goal. The club, who also have a reserve team, have done very well to keep up with an excellent FC Baresi side in the league, to an extent this season. FC Baresi need at the very most, a point from their home fixture with FC Petrocub, next Saturday to win the Essex Alliance League Senior Division, but it is a credit to Halil Hassan’s Woodford East side, that FC Baresi haven’t won the league sooner, this season.

From those three friends who had the vision to set-up a football club, which was formed in 2018, to former Bush Hill Rangers and Brimsdown manager, Halil Hassan taking charge of the club, and continuing that vision and hope to grow the club, Woodford East are a club with a positive future in the game. However, without the great help of his assistants Gary Wotton and Zaheen Khan, and also of Bradley Maltese on matchdays, Woodford East wouldn’t be what it is today, without them. There’s certainly a lot to be proud of for all of those involved with Woodford East, since its formation, and things will hopefully only get better for the club in the future.

What have you made of the current 2023/24 season, for Woodford East in the Essex Alliance League Senior Division?

Halil: We’re second in the league at the moment, and each season in this league, it has got stronger. The introduction of the Under 23’s of Haringey Borough, Walthamstow (Reserves) and Aveley, has made the league even better. I know that people who are involved in the Essex Senior reserve league, for example, that they want their sides to enter a step 7 league such as this one, because they want their players to experience senior football, and they know that it’s a well run league. Our season, for Woodford East, has been good. We’re second in the league and although it’s not mathematically over for us to catch FC Baresi in the league, we can only ever try our best to get three points from all of our remaining games.

For those who haven’t seen Woodford East play, could you describe to me what style of football they like to play?

Halil: I think that we are quite an attacking side, who play through the thirds. We play at Barking’s ground, which has an Astroturf pitch, and so we want to keep the ball on the floor, and we’ve got quite a few attacking players, and so we like to utilise that. This season we have been a lot better defensively, and I’ve had to help sort that out. In the previous season, we were the highest scoring side in the league, but at the same time we had conceded the most goals of any club in the league, and so we had to try and change that this season, which we have done. So we’ve become a bit better defensively this season, but at the same time we haven’t taken anything away going forward, but I would definitely say that we are an attacking side, who like to play on the front foot. 

Could you talk me through a bit about the current first team group of players at Woodford East?

Halil: There’s a good balance now to the squad, whereas before it was more 26/7 year old players, who were playing for our first team. Once I had taken over the club, things had to change a little bit, because I had to also bring my own players into the club. This current group of players is a really good group of players, there is no doubt about that. There are players in this squad, who could go onto play further up the non-League system, and we have had a couple of players who have gone up and played at step 5 level, which is nice to see as well. We never try to stop the players from playing further up in non-League, that is for sure. I’d like us to be a stepping stone club as well, because if you know that you’re going to get highlighted by clubs higher up the leagues for playing for us, then that is going to make other players want to join the club as well. So in that respect we are doing well, and we’ve also got a women’s team at the club, a youth team and also a reserve team, in Division One of our league. So I’m trying to do my best to run the whole club. Going back to your question, the whole group of first team players at the club have done really well during this season.

What are some of your personal aims/the clubs hopes for the future, for Woodford East?

Halil: The initial aim for this season was for us to win the league at step 7, and get promoted to step 6. That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, but if it doesn’t happen then it’s not a massive problem for us. The Essex Alliance League Senior Division is getting stronger all of the time, and it’s never easy to play in this league, with so many good teams in the league. Even if we’re in this league for the next couple of seasons, because we haven’t won promotion yet, that for me isn’t a big problem. We’ve got a well run league, and the competition is good in this league, and so I can’t really ask for more. I don’t know any other league that provides us with the opportunity to play at grounds like Leyton Orient’s and Dagenham & Redbridge’s for example, if you get to the cup finals of the respective cups, that are run by the league. That is all down to Barry, Rob and the committee of the Essex Alliance League. Even if you look at step 5 for example, then you’ll see the difference in where they play their cup finals. 

What have been some of Woodford East’s highlights (in your opinion), since the club moved into non-League football?

Halil: Obviously getting to the Essex Premier Cup final, and also the Fenton and Senior finals, they are real highlights for the club. For me personally, I run this club as a hobby and I enjoy it. Getting three points on a Saturday, that is the best thing for me.

Who has been in your opinion, the toughest team that Woodford East have faced, since you’ve been the manager/chairman of the club?

Halil: There’s been quite a lot of very good sides that we have come up against. Cannons Wood and Brimsdown, both sides who have won our league in the past, were very good sides, and of course FC Baresi, who have definitely been our toughest opponents this season.

What are your hopes/aims for the remainder of this season for Woodford East?

Halil: We’ve got three games left this season. Hopefully we can win our last three games, and hopefully get as many points as possible, in what will be our best ever finish as a club.