Hendon go into this season bouyed by a great result in the last preseason friendly, but nobody at LOOT Stadium is under any illusion that 2001-02 will be smooth sailing.

The departure of manager Frank Murphy and coach Curtis Warmington in May and the promotion of Dave Anderson to the top job was just the start of cost-cutting measures. Nine players at the club who saw action in the last weeks of the season have moved on: goalkeeper Richard Wilmot, defender Richard Dee, midfielders Paul Adolphe, Jon Daly, Phil Gridelet, Otis Roberts and Jason Soloman and strikers David Adekola and Bontcho Guentchev.

Joining the club are:

David Hook (goalkeeper), at 31 he is a vastly experienced goalkeeper who saw many years of service with Harrow Borough having previously played for Hampton. He has joined while Gary McCann continues his rehabilitation following summer knee surgery.

Paul Yates (midfield), a teenager who joined from Brook House where he had attracted interest from a number of clubs last season, including Hendon.

Micky Woolner (midfield), another youngster who arrived in the offseason after playing in the Minerva Spartan South Midlands League, in his case Ruislip Manor.

Jon-Barrie Bates (midfield), experienced player who first played for Dave Anderson when he was at Southall some years ago. His career in the Ryman League has been spent mainly at Wembley and Harrow Borough where he was captain last season, but suffered a serious injury.

Ricci Crace (striker), a 19-year-old who is blessed with outstanding pace. Last season, he scored 24 Ryman League goals for Division Three team Ware and he formed a useful partnership with Davis Haule in preseason.

Mark Turner (defender), an experienced squad player, he was previously at Hendon in 1995-96, when one of Neil Price's first signings when he became manager. He scored on his debut, v Molesey on 2 December 1995, but was not a regular. Subsequent to leaving Hendon, he played at Chertsey and Yeading.

Lee O'Donnell (midfield), another teenager, he had a spell at Woking last season.

Eugene Ofori (striker), a Ghanaian Under-21 international, he played for Liberty Professionals in his homeland before having a trial at Watford.

Mr Anderson was briefly manager of Southall when they were in the Ryman League, but he has a wealth of experience as a coach and assistant boss. He worked at Harrow Borough, Aylesbury and St Albans City, all with fellow Ulsterman Bob Dowie before coming to Hendon as Frank Murphy's No. 2 in autumn 1999.

His assistant is Jon Turner, coincidentally Anderson's boss outside football. The highlight of Mr Turner's playing career came at Yeading in 1989-90, when the Ding won the FA Vase. He became Yeading's manager in 1998, after a spell as reserve team boss, and left the club half a dozen games into the 2000-01 season.

Warren Kelly, club captain for most of last season, has taken on additional duties to become player-coach. The defender spent many years playing in the Conference with Hayes, as well spending time at Aylesbury and St Albans in the Ryman League.

Fernanda Chiappinelli is Hendon's physio this season. She continues the club's long run of female physios after spending last season as assistant to Gary Anderson, whose other commitments meant he was absent for parts of the year.