I’ve been living in the London Borough of Haringey for over four years now. Though I’ve been writing about football for only the last few months, my interest in and passion for the game has obviously been around for a lot longer. It is, therefore, with something bordering shame that I have to admit that my visit this Tuesday to Haringey Borough Football Club was my first ever. It will not be my last.

By a quirk of ground-sharing, Tuesday’s match against Greenhouse London FC in the Essex Senior League Premier Division was an away fixture for Haringey Borough, despite actually being their ground (think Crystal Palace and Wimbledon). Greenhouse London FC are a young team affiliated to the Greenhouse Charity, which aims to promote youth engagement in south-east London, using football as one of the ways to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop confidence and skills. Though based around Peckham, the club played its home games in Walthamstow until 2011/12, when they moved to Coles Park.

Both teams took to the field in what could only be described as bitingly cold conditions, initially watched by around ten spectators, a figure that soared to around twenty by the time the second half was underway. The match was a bustling, physical affair. Greenhouse was the more skilful team, playing a fluid 4-2-3-1 with plenty of zip but, too often, a misplaced pass in the final third. As such, despite impressive performances from the right-winger, number 10, and especially the right-back, who looked like decent prospect, the strength and organisation of Haringey Borough was too much for a much younger team. Haringey Borough were full of purpose, snapping into challenges and denying their younger, less physical opposition time on the ball. They opened the scoring around twenty minutes in, leading scorer Anthony Macdonald deftly rolling the ball in despite the rather excited attentions of a Greenhouse defender following a fantastic through ball from the right side of midfield. There was some debate in the stands whether the referee was playing advantage or whether he was simply dawdling a bit behind the play, but if Macdonald had not held off the challenge, the likely result would have been a penalty and, in all likelihood, a red card. Around two minutes later, Haringey scored again, the belly of a Greenhouse player steering a Macdonald cross-cum-shot past the wrong-footed Greenhouse keeper. Haringey played what looked like a 4-3-3 which settled back into a 4-1-4-1 when not in possession, with the athletic and tenacious forward Ashley Fashanu dragging defenders out of position and creating space for Macdonald in particular to run into space. Both Fashanu, nephew of John and Justnin, and Macdonald were impressive, as were Dewayne Clark and Steve Obeng in midfield. Clark was solid and imposing, setting the tone for Haringey’s assertive style of play, and Obeng’s range of long passes caught the eye.

There was a palpable sense of relief among supporters and players alike as the half-time interval began and, with it, the opportunity to defrost a little. I enjoyed a conversation with two Italians who had come to support their friend, who played in goal for Greenhouse, about Juventus and Roma and Pablo Osvaldo, and also heard from the referee’s assessor why five cm bracers are better than two cm bracers. Non-League, eh? It was then time to restart. Greenhouse came out for the second half pumped up and on 57 minutes or so earned a penalty after Cedric Lakole was adjudged to have fouled a Greenhouse forward. It was hard to say if the decision was fair or not, though the protests from the Haringey players were vociferous and the referee did not generally fill me with confidence. However, the penalty was shanked wide and justice was seen to have been done, by the partisan among us anyway. Haringey then hit back, forcing the Greenhouse keeper into three particularly good saves, two from one-on-ones. A buoyant Greenhouse then pressed hard, finally getting their reward on 84 minutes when their number 12 turned and fired home a beautiful half-volley from just inside the box, without doubt the goal of the night. It was not enough though, and the experience of the Haringey squad paid off as their substitute forwards pressed the Greenhouse back-line. Indeed, Haringey’s work ethic all night was formidable, constantly seeking to deny Greenhouse their rhythm and the time and space to make their superior technique pay off. When the final whistle blew, there were some heated exchanges between some of the Haringey staff and the referee and a thoughtful, audible critique of his game management skills echoed around N17. The Haringey players trundled off to the warmth of the dressing room, no doubt pleased with their demonstration of the adage that it is better to play badly and win than play well and lose.

After the match I spoke to Aki Achillea, the Haringey Borough chairman who I had seen prowling pitch-side for much of the game. Aki has been involved with the club for nineteen years and took over as chairman in 2004. Other figures at the club have similar longevity, and club secretary John Bacon has been there since 1955 and last year won Haringey Council’s Volunteer of the Year award. Aki explained that everyone involved with the club gives up a lot of their time and, in some instances, money because of a love of football generally and the club specifically. Aki is voluble and immensely enthusiastic, passionate about the club and non-league football in general, while also sensibly aware of the difficulties of running a small team like Borough. Their progress in this season’s FA Vase has been of significant help for the club’s revenue and this Saturday sees them play Brantham Athletic at home for a place in the last 32. As Aki explained, success is key to increasing interest and revenue: “The club, like many non-league clubs, has struggled for many years with declining attendances although we have done much of late to improve the facilities and the spectator experience.” Aki sees promotion to step 4 in the Non-League pyramid to the Ryman North as being as important as the cup run for sustained interest: “We hope that by achieving our aim of promotion this season…we will be able to generate more interest locally.”

This sense of locality and community runs through Aki’s vision of what the club might achieve. The club lease Coles Park from Haringey Council and have been there since 1933, going through various name changes until settling in 1976 on Haringey Borough FC, and have recently developed a new terraced stand, self-financed the redevelopment of the clubhouse, and added better quality changing rooms and floodlights. The clubhouse is available for hire, which is a potential new revenue stream to exploit, and Aki also envisages a new stand on the far side of the pitch and, crucially, a synthetic pitch for training and leasing out. He explained that the club are currently seeking investors to help with the cost of these plans that will benefit the club but, more importantly perhaps, help the club integrate further with the local community. Aki explained that his vision for Haringey Borough is “to create an environment within the local community whereby there is a Non-League team of substance for the local kids to aspire to play for and at the same time provide facilities for use by all regardless of ability.” The club’s motto is “Creating a better sporting environment for all” which sums up Aki’s philosophy that, while the aspiration to create a winning team on the pitch is important to the club’s success, the development of strong links to the community is fundamental to its continued survival. As such, the reinstatement of youth football is considered crucial (it was cut because of funding problems) and the continued success of a vibrant women’s team, where Karla Parker takes a leading role, is another major part of the Haringey Borough jigsaw. The club is making strides though, as the new sponsorship deal with builders’ merchants Selco, who have a branch across the road from Coles Park, shows. In Aki, they have a chairman who wants to achieve success and stability for the club but also wants the club and community to forge strong, symbiotic links. Amid the financial realities of modern football, it is interesting to hear just how similar Aki’s vision for Haringey Borough is to that of John Møller, the Sporting Director of Akademisk Boldklub, who I spoke to recently. These clubs, united by financial hardship, both see community engagement as the key to their continued success and survival. This spirit, arising from hard-nosed realism but nonetheless tangibly a good thing, is one of the many reasons that I will be returning to Haringey Borough FC and supporting my community team.