Hoddesdon Town return to league action this Saturday with another intriguing away assignment as Simon Riddle’s unbeaten Lilywhites travel to Leslie Fields to face newly rebranded Marcelona. Town head into the weekend sitting proudly at the top of the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South table after an excellent opening month, but their eighth-placed hosts have already demonstrated that they are capable of making life difficult for some of the division’s strongest sides.

The current league table makes extremely pleasant reading from a Hoddesdon perspective. Town have taken ten points from their opening four matches, winning three and drawing one, while scoring 12 goals and conceding only three to establish a goal difference of plus nine. That return has the Lilywhites sitting at the summit ahead of a tightly packed chasing group, with Lymore Gardens also on ten points and May & Baker EC, Hertford Heath and Burnham Ramblers all close behind on nine.

Hoddesdon Lead The Way After Four Games

It has been an impressive beginning built largely on the road. Hoddesdon opened the campaign with a hard-earned 0-0 draw at Cannons Wood before finding their attacking stride with a superb 4-0 victory over NW London at Coles Park. They followed that by winning 6-2 away to East Thurrock Community before finally returning to Lowfield for the memorable 2-1 victory over FC Baresi, when Ollie Babbage’s dramatic stoppage-time winner sent Town to the top of the table. That Baresi victory demonstrated another side to Riddle’s developing team. Hoddesdon fell behind to Israel Kabengele but responded through Harrison Cage’s outstanding first-time volley before debutant Babbage stepped from the bench and fired home from distance in the dying moments, giving the Lilywhites a third consecutive victory and maintaining their unbeaten record.

Manager Simon Riddle is understandably pleased with the opening weeks but is determined to keep perspective as the season develops. With only four league games played, the manager knows there is still an enormous amount of football ahead and that Saturday’s trip will provide another stern examination.

“We have made a very positive start and the players deserve a lot of credit for that, particularly when you consider how much travelling we have already had to do,” said Riddle. “Ten points from four games gives us something to build from, but nobody in the dressing room thinks we have achieved anything yet because this league will test you every single week.”

With no competitive midweek fixture this week, Hoddesdon used Tuesday evening to keep the squad sharp with a behind-closed-doors friendly against OIR FC at Cheshunt School. The exercise did exactly what Riddle and his staff wanted, allowing players throughout the group to get valuable minutes rather than allowing momentum and match fitness to disappear during a rare blank midweek. Town were already four goals ahead at half-time, with an own goal followed by strikes from Connor Bolton, Babbage and Jack Gibbs. The scoring continued after the interval through another own goal, two Harrison Cage efforts, two from Eddie Purser and a Charlie Allen goal before OIR eventually grabbed a late consolation, making it a productive and high-scoring evening for a squad in confident mood.

Harrison Caged Grabbed A Couple Of Goals In The Midweek Friendly

“The friendly was important for us because we did not want a completely empty week,” Riddle explained. “There are players who needed minutes and others who needed to stay in that matchday rhythm, so it gave everybody an opportunity to work hard and stay involved. The score was not really the important thing, although obviously it was good to see so many players finding the net,” he added. “The main objective was getting work into everyone and making sure we arrive on Saturday fresh but still sharp.”

Saturday’s opponents provide an interesting challenge because Marcelona themselves are beginning a new chapter. The club were formerly known as Newbury Forest before undergoing a major rebrand in June 2026, adopting the Marcelona name as part of a wider football and education project centred around player development, community engagement and Marcelona Sports College. The club’s roots stretch back through Newbury Forest, who progressed from local Sunday football into the English non-League pyramid. They climbed through the Romford and District League, Essex and Suffolk Border League and Essex Olympian League before establishing themselves in Eastern Counties League football, while the newly branded Marcelona now ground-share with Burnham Ramblers at Leslie Fields in Burnham-on-Crouch. Marcelona’s own club material places player development at the heart of the project. The squad contains a number of graduates from Marcelona Sports College, including Bradley Ismaili, Yasin Musah, Nana Akyeaw and Amal Sesay, while experienced names such as Ethan Hughes, Andy Morris and captain Kamarni Collington provide senior know-how around a predominantly young and ambitious group.

Club captain Kamarni Collington is the most obvious player Hoddesdon will need to keep a close eye on. He has four goals across his six appearances so far, three from open play and one from the penalty spot, making him Marcelona’s leading scorer during the opening weeks and a clear focal point in their attacking play.

Marcelona's 26/27 Squad List

Marcelona Club Captain Kamarni Collington

Mayowa Ogunyemi has also made an impact with two goals, while Bradley Ismaili has found the net once and has started all six of Marcelona’s matches. Taurian Bruce has been ever-present too, while Hughes, Modou Diop Gueye, Oluwaseyi Ijiwole, Tarique Jones, Yasin Musah and Andy Morris have all featured regularly in a squad that blends youth with players accustomed to senior non-League football.

In the league, Marcelona sit eighth with six points from their opening four fixtures. They have won once and drawn three times, remaining unbeaten in league competition while scoring six goals and conceding four, which gives them a plus-two goal difference. Their results underline just how difficult they have been to put away. Marcelona began with a 2-2 draw away to Rayleigh Town before beating Enfield Borough 2-0 at Leslie Fields, then earned a creditable 1-1 draw against London Harts United and another 1-1 result away to Lymore Gardens. Those draws against London Harts and Lymore are particularly noteworthy given that both clubs occupy the upper reaches of the early table. Marcelona may only have recorded one league victory so far, but three draws from four matches show a side capable of staying competitive and frustrating opponents for long periods. Their most recent outings have come in cup competitions and have proved considerably less successful. They were beaten 4-1 at home by Barking in the FA Vase before suffering another 4-1 defeat at Leslie Fields against Little Oakley in the Essex Senior Cup on Wednesday evening. Those back-to-back cup defeats mean Marcelona have conceded eight goals across their last two matches in all competitions, although that record should not obscure what has been a solid unbeaten league campaign. Riddle is therefore expecting a much tougher afternoon than those cup scorelines might imply.

Marcelona's Results In All Competitons So Far This Season

“They are unbeaten in the league and that tells you everything you need to know,” he said. “They have drawn with London Harts and Lymore Gardens, who have both started well, and they clearly have players who can hurt you if you give them space. The cup results are irrelevant from our point of view because Saturday is a completely different competition and a completely different game,” continued Riddle. “We have to expect the best version of Marcelona and make sure that we bring the levels that have helped us get to the top of the table.”

Hoddesdon have plenty of attacking threats of their own. Bolton and Gibbs both sit on three league goals after the opening four fixtures, while Cage followed his East Thurrock strike with that spectacular equaliser against Baresi and then found the net twice in Tuesday’s friendly. Babbage could also be pushing for a greater role following his dream competitive debut against Baresi. His stoppage-time winner was his first senior Hoddesdon goal, and another strike during the midweek friendly ensured the new signing maintained his momentum heading into Saturday, following his signing last week from Hertford Heath. Behind them, Blue Gallagher has already produced a Man of the Match performance this season, Maurice Abana and Blesson Asekolenga have provided strength through central areas, and Liam Nugent’s early displays in goal have helped establish the defensive platform from which Town have built their strong start. The squad has also demonstrated genuine depth, with Connor Casey, Jake Harvey, Reggie Pegrum, Ollie Finch and others influencing matches after coming from the bench.

Captain Jack Gibbs Has Three Goals This Term

The biggest encouragement has perhaps been the variety of ways in which Hoddesdon have collected points. They defended doggedly at Cannons Wood, controlled NW London, showed tremendous fitness to overwhelm East Thurrock late on and then displayed patience and character to come from behind against Baresi. Riddle believes that adaptability will be required again at Leslie Fields. Marcelona’s league record suggests they are comfortable in tight matches, and Town may need to remain patient if the hosts are able to make the contest as competitive as their previous league fixtures have been.

“We have already had games that have asked different questions of us and that is a good thing,” said Riddle. “We want to be able to manage difficult spells, play good football when the opportunity is there and have players throughout the squad who can change matches. There is a confidence in the group at the moment, and we should enjoy that, but the important thing is turning that confidence into another disciplined performance,” he added. “Being top of the table is nice, but our focus is simply on trying to be better again on Saturday.”

Gaffer Simon Riddle Urges Caution Ahead Of The Weekend Clash

There is an interesting contrast between the two sides heading into the weekend. Hoddesdon have been prolific with 12 league goals from four matches, while Marcelona’s campaign has been characterised by much tighter scorelines and an ability to avoid defeat even when they have not been able to turn matches into victories. Town therefore travel as league leaders, but there will be no assumption that their position makes them favourites to simply roll over eighth-placed opposition. Another positive result would move Hoddesdon onto at least 11 points and a victory would take them to 13, strengthening an unbeaten start which has already created considerable excitement around Lowfield.

Saturday represents another opportunity to underline the progress being made under Riddle, but it is also another valuable test of a squad still learning about itself. Hoddesdon have earned their place at the top through four strong performances, and the challenge now is to keep producing them as every opponent begins to recognise the threat the Lilywhites carry.

MATCH DETAILS

Fixture: Marcelona v Hoddesdon Town
Date: Saturday 22 August 2026
Kick-off: 3.00pm
Competition: Thurlow Nunn League First Division South
Venue: Leslie Fields, Burnham-on-Crouch
League Positions: Hoddesdon Town 1st; Marcelona 8th
Hoddesdon League Form: Draw, Win, Win, Win
Marcelona League Form: Draw, Win, Draw, Draw
Marcelona Ones To Watch: Kamarni Collington, Mayowa Ogunyemi, Bradley Ismaili
Hoddesdon Ones To Watch: Connor Bolton, Jack Gibbs, Harrison Cage, Ollie Babbage