Cheshunt FC Programme Information
For the use of opposition club programme compilation.
Cheshunt FC Established 1946
Nickname The Ambers
Manager Craig Edwards
Squad selected from:
Conor Beattie
Joe Rose
Enock Ekongo
Fin Titchmarsh
Anwar Moutawafiq
Josh Okpolokpo
Jimmy Wallace
Taylor McKenzie
Harlain Mbayo
Dion Miftari
Dyosandro Ayissi-Akoumba
Isiah Noel-Williams
Nathaniel Ofaru
Jamie Reynolds
Ernie Haxhiu
Zubayr Boadi
Christos Djamas
Bobby Unwin
Nnamdi Nwachuku
Jesse Friend
Theo Alexandrou
Dejon Noel-Williams
Tommy Stagg
Player Pen Pics.
Pictures available at https://cheshuntfc.com/teams/men/
Conor Beattie
GK Conor joined Cheshunt in 2023 having previously represented Wandsworth Borough, New Salamis & Edgware Town.
Joe Rose
GK Joe joined Cheshunt in 2021 on loan from Norwich City competing for the first choice slot & played the majority of the clubs matches in the National League South. Joe has elected to stay for the 23/24 season.
Enock Ekongo
DF Enock is a personal trainer by trade and one of the fittest players ever to represent Cheshunt. He is a versatile fullback able to play both sides, and will also play a wide midfield role when asked. Enock contributes with a goal from time to time, always a world from range.
Fin Titchmarsh
DF Fin is a 2023 signing from Potter Bar, The full back came through the youth ranks at Barnet, and has also spent time at clubs including , Ware, Royston & Staines Town.
Anwar Moutawafiq
DF Captain of Cheshunt u18s at 16, Anwar is a product of the Cheshunt Youth team structure, having trained with the first team last season, has broken into the match day squad for 2023.
Josh Okpolokpo
DF Joined the Ambers from AFC Sudbury in September 2023
Jimmy Wallace
DF Jimmy is a tall no nonsense centre half signed at the beginning of the 23/24 season. Jimmy has experience at National League level having represented Concord last year.
Taylor McKenzie
DF Taylor McKenzie made his Notts County debut on 9 November 2014 in a 0– 0 draw against Accrington Stanley at Meadow Lane, in the first round of the FA Cup, coming on as a 37th-minute substitute for Hayden Mullins. A vastly experienced player at step 3 he has played at Chesham & Enfield Town before joining Cheshunt in 2018. Taylor recently completed 100 competitive appearances for the Ambers.
Harlain Mbayo
DF Harlain is a Centre Half who joins us having played in the Republic of Ireland last season for Cobh Ramblers FC. Prior to that Harlain had moved from Truro FC to Aberdeen B, then stayed in Scotland representing Albion Rovers & Airdrieonians.
Dion Miftari
DF Dion started in youth football with Arsenal, Barnet & MK Dons, then playing in Slovenia, Kosovo & Switzerland, before returning to the UK to sign for Whitehawk in the Isthmian Premier League this year. A left sided player, with a preferred position at left back, Dion joined the Ambers in September 23.
Lordon Akolbire
DF Lordon joined the Ambers in September 23 after his release from Colchester Utd at the end of May 23, he has plenty of experience at step 3 having completed loan spells at Bishops Stortford & Canvey Island while at Colchester.
Dyosandro Ayissi Akoumba
DF Dyosandro is a left footed full back, who can also play on the right & left side of midfield. A product of the Borussia Mönchengladbach Youth Football system in Germany , he has represented FC Wuppertal u17 and Werder Bremen u19. He is to continue his football career after a move to England, and with International Clearance from the German FA, Dyosandro has signed for Cheshunt FC .
Isiah Noel-Williams
MF 20 year old Isiah , has been at Chalfont St Peter, Harrow Borough and trialled at Barnet. He is an all round midfielder with great energy, physicality who knows where the goal is.
Isiah signed just after his brother & covers every blade of grass on the pitch multiple times in the course of a match, its hard to believe there are not two of him out there at times. He is strong in the challenge, good in the air & his driving direct runs can have defences back-pedalling rapidly.
Nathaniel Ofaru
MF Nathan is a 2023 signing & the cultured midfield player who starts the Ambers moving forward with his positive passing game. Always available to receive a pass & always aware of the movement ahead of him.
Jamie Reynolds
MF A Spurs Academy player for over a decade, versatile player Reynolds was brought up in Grays in Essex, and he had been playing for Chelsea’s Academy and also Grays Cosmos prior to joining Spurs. After working his way up the Academy ranks at Spurs, Reynolds joined the Spurs on a full- time basis in the summer 2016. Mark Hughes, former Ambers captain & assistant manager bought Reynolds to Cheshunt in 2019 initially as a left back, but soon settling into a midfield role and a regular first team starter for the Ambers.
Kai Redgrave
MF Kai is a recent signing, having previously been with Colchester United u21.
Christos Djamas
MF Christos played in Cyprus at Apoel & Othello’s, and represented Cyprus at u17, u19 & u21. His move to the UK took him to Haringey Borough in 2022, he moves up the A10 to join Cheshunt in September 2023.
Zubayr Boadi
MF Zubayr returns to the Ambers this season having taken a season away from Theobalds Lane. A Central midfielder comfortable with the ball at his feet, a player who keeps the ball rolling with his trademark short fast accurate pass & move game
Bobby Unwin
MF/F A 2023 signing with experience at Bromley & Southend United. Playing wide on either side Bobby also regularly contributes goals.
Nnamdi Nwachuku
F An out & out goalscorer Nnamdi joined the Ambers in September. Nwachuku started his career at Colchester United and has been a player Manager Craig Edwards has always been keen to track progress. The goalscoring forward topped 100 goals in 100 appearances for Coggeshall Town, bagged 26 in 37 for Marlow Town and last season hit 49 to help AFC Sudbury to promotion. Nnamdi started this season with Braintree Town but signs for the Ambers to work with Manager Craig Edwards plans to increase the firepower at Theobalds Lane.
James Meehan
F James has played all his senior football on the Eastern side of the US, representing clubs with exotic names , Southern Mocs, Law Valley, Tormenta 2 & Crimson Wave, while studying and coaching.
Jesse Friend
F An internal recruit from the Cheshunt u18s Jesse is a strong attacking player good in the air & on the deck, with an ability to read a game and play early passes to open defences up.
Dejon Noel-Williams
F Dejon is a product of the Watford & Oxford United Youth set up. A big strong centre forward with a good goalscoring record and experience at steps 2 & 3 with a number of clubs including Wealdstone, Gloucester City, Chesham, Hemel, Braintree & Billericay. Dejon is a Grenada international & has also played in Spain with CD Guadalajara.
Tommy Stagg
F Tommy joined Colchester United early and developed in their Youth ranks to earn a scholarship with Colchester in 2019, leading to making his professional debut in 2021. He has plenty of experience at Steps 2 , 3 & 4 having had loan spells at Maldon & Tiptoe, Witham Town, East Thurrock Utd, Billericay Town, Hashtag & starting the 23/24 season with Weymouth.
Ernie Haxhiu
MF A busy & energetic central midfielder with an eye for goal, Ernie returns to the Ambers for a second spell in 2023 after a loan period with FC Romania.
Theo Alexandrou
F Theo is on loan from Stevenage FC to gain experience of senior football and scored on his debut v Dulwich Hamlet this season
Club History
The history of Cheshunt FC including pictures can be copied from this page on the club’s web site.
https://cheshuntfc.com/club/history/
Cheshunt FC was the oldest amateur team in Hertfordshire back in 1931. Then the club disbanded, only to reform the year after the Second World War ended.
A gentlemen’s amateur side of the same name preceded the current club. They were formed in 1880 and competed in the Athenian league, having future Spurs Manager Arthur Rowe amongst their numbers, before folding in 1931.
A new Club was formed in 1946, making national headlines only four years later when they knocked holders Bromley out of the Amateur Cup in front of a still-record 5,000 spectators at their newly opened Cheshunt Stadium on Theobalds Lane. Over the next twenty years the Club switched various leagues before finally emulating their old namesakes and joining the Athenian league in 1964, gaining promotion to the top division under former Spurs and Wales winger Terry Medwin a few years later.
The 1970’s saw the arrival of John Drabwell as Manager and during his spells in charge, the London Charity Cup, the Athenian league and Cup double and entry into the Isthmian league were all achieved. In 1978 the Ambers also reached the FA Cup 4th qualifying round for the fourth time, an achievement they have yet to equal or better.
Four years later they were knocked out of the last eight of the FA Vase, the furthest they’ve gone in any national competition, and also saw the beginning of a young Iain Dowie’s career who would go onto great success both as a top flight player, a Northern Ireland international and eventually as a Premier League manager.
Takeovers and withdrawals saw the near collapse of the club in the mid-80’s causing them to tumble down into the Spartan league before returning to the Isthmian league six years later.
New Manager Andy Leese took over in 2002 and guided his side to two successive promotions and the top of the Isthmian Premier league before his sudden departure and near relegation in 2005 when the club was switched across to the Southern Premier league.
Relegation back to the lower Isthmian divisions came after three nail-biting seasons and another frustrating ten years would follow as the Club’s new Chairman and owner, Dean Williamson, went through several managers before appointing Craig Edwards in January 2018.
Initially steering his side away from relegation, everything then clicked for Edwards and his team halfway through the following campaign and promotion to the Isthmian Premier league was achieved with victory in the play-off final against Bracknell Town.
With level-three football finally regained and major plans for redevelopment of the ground in hand, things were looking good for the Ambers. However, two seasons of limited opportunities frustrated players & staff alike as the Covid pandemic saw the 19/20 and 20/21 curtailed. Working behind closed doors within health guidelines the club retained most of the squad built for step three, and made a flying start to life in the Isthmian Premiership in the club’s 75th Anniversary year.
A fantastic FA trophy run saw the club advance further than ever before finally going out to Vanarama National League champions Stockport County 1-0 in the 5th round. The Trophy run coincided with a slump in league form and a backlog of fixtures, the Ambers recovered in the latter stages of the season securing a play off place with one game in hand, and winning the Herts FA Senior Cup for the first time. Play off wins, away from home, over Bishop’s Stortford & Hornchurch saw Cheshunt FC start the 22/23 season at the highest point of the football pyramid achieved in their 75 year history. Life at step 2 of the pyramid was short-lived after the team didn’t recover from a poor start to the season & spent most of the year in and around the relegation places, relegation aside, it was a great experience with the club learning a lot from it on and off the pitch, and having had a taste of National League Football the objective is to do it again. With the fan base growing the stadium has had additional seven step terracing added to both ends of the ground and another 250 seats added to the Sports Bar Stand. The club continues to grow with Walking Football, Inclusive teams, A Women’s Team and an ever expanding Youth section all seeing success over recent seasons.
