Hoddesdon Town are back on the road on Wednesday evening as the Lilywhites make the short journey up the A10 to Ware, where FC Baresi await under the lights at Wodson Park. Kick-off is at 7:45pm and Simon Riddle’s side arrive in Hertfordshire sitting proudly at the top of the First Division South, still unbeaten in competitive football and looking to build on Saturday’s memorable 5-2 victory over Brimsdown.

It will already be the second meeting between the sides this season, with Baresi making the trip to Lowfield on 11 August during Hoddesdon’s summer groundshare arrangements with the cricket club. That encounter proved anything but straightforward, and Wednesday’s return fixture should require another patient and disciplined performance if Town are to continue their outstanding opening months of the campaign.

Ollie Babbage Grabbed The Winner For Hoddesdon Back In August

The reverse fixture provided one of the early dramatic moments of Hoddesdon’s season. Baresi took the lead after 19 minutes through Israel Kabengele and gave the Lilywhites plenty to think about, but Hoddesdon refused to allow the setback to derail them and Harrison Cage produced a superb first-time volley shortly before half-time to restore parity. The second period became increasingly tense as Baresi defended stubbornly and looked dangerous whenever opportunities to counter presented themselves. With the game seemingly heading towards a draw, debutant Ollie Babbage produced a spectacular introduction to Lowfield in the 92nd minute, drilling a low effort from around 25 yards into the bottom corner to send the home support into celebration and secure a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Pre Match Handshakes At Lowfield Last Month

That night offered an early indication of the character within this Hoddesdon squad, and there has been plenty more evidence since. The Lilywhites now lead the First Division South with 23 points from nine league matches, having won seven and drawn two, while their goal difference of +18 is testament to the balance Riddle and his coaching staff have created between attacking threat and defensive organisation.
Stansted currently sit second with 20 points from ten games, while May & Baker remain very much in the conversation on 19 points having played only seven matches. The table remains tightly contested towards the top, making every opportunity to add points important, particularly against opponents whose league position might suggest a more comfortable assignment than is likely to materialise.
Hoddesdon’s overall record makes impressive reading.

Eastern Counties Division One South

Across 11 completed competitive fixtures this season, Town have won nine and drawn two, scoring 30 goals and conceding only seven, with Saturday’s victory v Brimsdown at Aveley extending that unbeaten sequence further. September in particular has produced another excellent run. Hoddesdon won 2-0 at Burnham Ramblers, beat Enfield Borough 4-1 at Lowfield, knocked higher-level Woodford Town out of the FA Vase with a 2-0 away victory, drew 1-1 against promotion rivals May & Baker, defeated Hertford Heath 3-0 in the League Challenge Cup and then hit five against Brimsdown at the weekend.

Hoddesdon Are A Team In Form

Saturday’s afternoon was particularly memorable because of Connor Bolton’s historic contribution. Having recently returned following the birth of his son Leo, Bolton struck twice in three second-half minutes to register his 99th and 100th goals for Hoddesdon Town, taking his tally for the current campaign to an extraordinary 11 goals from ten appearances. Bolton is far from Hoddesdon’s only attacking threat, however, and the weekend once again demonstrated the depth available to the management team. Connor Casey scored twice against Brimsdown and supplied Jack Gibbs for another, taking Casey to four goals for the campaign after his recent return from injury, while Freddie Wilkinson also has four and Harrison Cage has three.

Connor Casey Will Chase Bolton All The Way For This Season's Golden Boot Award

There is plenty happening away from the scoresheet too. Blue Gallagher has been an increasingly influential presence through midfield, carrying the ball through pressure and providing control when Hoddesdon need to change the tempo, while Blesson Asekolenga has delivered a succession of strong performances and was recently rewarded with the Greene King Level Head Man of the Match award against May & Baker.

Captain Jack Gibbs continues to contribute at both ends and now has four goals this season, but his organisational work and aerial presence remain every bit as important. Liam Nugent has provided consistency behind the defence, while Jack Orchard has become another regular starter during a run in which Hoddesdon have repeatedly shown they can win matches in very different ways.

Jack Orchard

FC Baresi find themselves at the opposite end of the table, but their recent performances provide several reasons for Hoddesdon to approach Wednesday seriously. Baresi currently sit 18th with eight points from nine league matches, recording two victories, two draws and five defeats, with a goal difference of minus three. Their overall season has been mixed, with two wins, three draws and seven defeats from 12 matches across all competitions, but their recent results suggest they are capable of making matches awkward. Their most recent completed game ended goalless against Coggeshall Town, while immediately before that they were narrowly beaten 1-0 at Stansted.

FC Baresi Form Guide

September has also included a 5-3 League Challenge Cup defeat at May & Baker and a 1-0 league loss at AS London. Go further back and there was a useful 2-1 away victory over Southend Manor, demonstrating why judging Baresi purely by their league placing would be dangerous.

Our Hosts Results So Far This Season

Assistant manager Andy Prutton believes the first meeting should remove any temptation for Hoddesdon to underestimate their hosts. “We already know first-hand that Baresi are capable of making life very difficult because we had to work until the 92nd minute to beat them at Lowfield,” said Prutton. “They went ahead that night, stayed in the game for a long time and carried a threat, so our preparation has to be exactly the same as it would be if we were playing one of the teams immediately around us in the table.”

Prutton was also keen to stress that Saturday’s five-goal success cannot simply be carried into another fixture without earning the right to play. “We obviously came away from Brimsdown pleased with a lot of the attacking football, but Wednesday starts at 0-0 and nobody gives you anything because of what happened in your previous game,” he added. “This group has been very good at resetting quickly, and with the amount of football we have at the moment, that mentality is important.”

Baresi’s danger men include the familiar figure of Israel Kabengele, who scored against Hoddesdon at Lowfield and currently leads their scoring charts with three goals from only four appearances. That return alone should ensure the Lilywhites’ defenders are fully alert whenever the ball reaches dangerous areas. A powerful and dynamic striker, Israel brings pace, strength, and a real eye for goal. He grabbed a couple in pre season for FC Baresi and hasn't looked back since.

Israel Kabengele Has Already Notched Against Hoddesdon This Season

Richard Arhin and Edvin Saul Cruz Aguilar have each contributed two goals and two assists, giving Baresi more than one route to goal, while Isaac Zumbu has also scored twice. Jeremiah Francis has featured 11 times and Daniel Alawode ten, illustrating some of the regular personnel around whom Baresi have been building despite a considerable amount of player movement across their squad.

Assistant manager Jeff Cross expects the hosts to be particularly determined against the league leaders. “When you are top of the table, everybody wants to be the team that ends your run, so we have to expect a really committed Baresi side on Wednesday,” said Cross. “Their last league game was 0-0 against Coggeshall and the one before that was only 1-0 at Stansted, so those results tell you immediately that this is not a team you can expect to simply turn up and play through.”

Andy Prutton, Simon Riddle And Jeff Cross

Cross also pointed towards the collective nature of Hoddesdon’s success so far. “The headlines naturally go to Connor for reaching 100 goals and to the lads scoring regularly, but some of the work being done elsewhere in the side has been excellent,” he said. “Blue has been terrific in midfield, Blesson has been very consistent, Liam has given us reliability in goal and there are players coming from the bench who are affecting matches, so we need that whole squad again on Wednesday.”

FC Baresi themselves have travelled an interesting road to Step Six football. Founded in 1997, the club entered the Middlesex County League in 2006 and immediately won Division Three East during their first campaign at that level, before later joining the Essex Alliance League in 2017.

Their progress continued when they won the Essex Alliance League and were admitted into the Eastern Counties League Division One South in 2024. After previously playing at grounds in Walthamstow, Baresi now groundshare with Ware FC at Wodson Park, where Wednesday’s fixture will take place.

One particularly interesting figure in the FC Baresi dugout is manager Yannick Kamanan, whose footballing CV brings considerable pedigree to the role. Born in France, Kamanan spent part of his development with Le Mans before joining Tottenham Hotspur’s youth system, and he subsequently built a lengthy professional career across Europe. His playing days took him through France, Belgium, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey and Azerbaijan, representing clubs including Strasbourg, Dijon, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sivasspor and Gabala. That experience exposed him to a very different level of football from the one Baresi currently occupy, and gives their manager a substantial bank of knowledge to draw upon when preparing his side.

FC Baresi Manager Yannick Kamanan, Pictured During His Time At Tottenham Hotspur In 2001

Kamanan also experienced European competition during his playing career, including scoring for Sivasspor against Anderlecht in a UEFA Champions League qualifier in 2009, while his later career eventually brought him to this part of Hertfordshire. He finished his playing days with Ware, making his current association with FC Baresi particularly fitting given that they now share Wodson Park with his former club. For Hoddesdon, that background is another reason to expect a well-prepared opponent on Wednesday night; Baresi may not have enjoyed the strongest opening to the league campaign, but they are being led by somebody who has seen the game at a very high professional level and will be determined to make that experience count against the Lilywhites.

For Hoddesdon supporters, it is at least one of the more convenient away trips on this season’s schedule, with the journey from Hoddesdon to Ware requiring little more than a run north on the A10. The surroundings may be familiar, but the challenge will be very different from Saturday’s visit to bottom side Brimsdown and from the dramatic first meeting between these teams seven weeks ago.

Wodson Park Will Play Host On Wednesday

The Lilywhites have already shown they possess goals, resilience and defensive quality in abundance, but sustaining an unbeaten run requires those standards to be repeated week after week. Baresi have already demonstrated that they can frustrate Hoddesdon, and after requiring a stoppage-time Babbage winner to settle the first meeting, Town should need no further warning about the task awaiting them.

Wednesday’s game kicks off at 7:45pm at Wodson Park, Wadesmill Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0UQ. Admission on the turnstile is £7 for adults and £4 for concessions, while children wearing a full football kit are admitted free, as the Lilywhites look to continue their unbeaten start and strengthen their position at the summit of the First Division South.

#COYL