Hornchurch: “Non-League Chelsea” finally dine at the top table
Hornchurch’s 2025/26 season will live long in the memory.
The Urchins finished second in National League South, then completed the job through the play-offs. A 2-0 semi-final win over Weston-super-Mare set up a final against Torquay United, where they won 3-2 after extra time to reach non-league football’s top tier for the first time.
For most clubs, that would be enough of a story. For Hornchurch, it lands with extra weight.
This is the club once labelled the “Chelsea of Non-League”, after a sudden burst of huge spending in the early 2000s. Big contracts, full-time players and Football League names created headlines, but the model collapsed sharply. The funding dried up, the squad was released, and the club eventually had to reform.
That history makes the current rise feel different.
The modern Hornchurch story has been built more carefully. There was the FA Trophy win at Wembley in 2021, the Isthmian Premier title, and now promotion to the National League. Instead of another wild charge, this looks like a club trying to turn success into something sustainable.
Step One is not sentimental. It is bigger, stronger, more professional and far less forgiving. Hornchurch arrive with momentum, but also with a demanding summer of adjustment ahead.
From the dugout
Daryl McMahon sits at the centre of Hornchurch’s next phase. His new three-year deal and ownership role give him influence beyond the touchline, while the move to full-time football gives his staff a stronger platform for Step One.
Rob Lee brings EFL experience and local knowledge as Director of Football. Anton Ferdinand adds another senior voice in his first coaching role, supporting a setup built to give McMahon more depth around the training ground.
Mark Hammond’s arrival as CEO and co-owner strengthens a different part of the club. His work at Bromley gives Hornchurch first-hand experience of turning non-league growth into Football League stability.
McMahon therefore enters the season with more support around coaching, recruitment and the wider operation. His task is to make that investment visible in a team capable of handling the weekly demands of the National League.
Manager Profile
Daryl McMahon already knows what promotion from National League South demands. He achieved it with Ebbsfleet through the play-offs, before taking on more difficult jobs at Macclesfield and Dagenham. At Hornchurch, he appears to have found his strongest fit. The Isthmian Premier title showed he could carry expectation; last season’s play-off success proved he could deliver again under pressure.
He now enters Step One with a full-time setup, a more experienced squad and considerably greater scrutiny. His task is to retain the aggression and togetherness of the promoted side while making Hornchurch more controlled against stronger opponents. This is no longer just a promotion story; it is a test of scale.
Summer Mood
Hornchurch have not recruited like a club content simply to enjoy its first season at Step One. Jack Powell was playing in League Two last season, while Jack Baldwin has spent much of his career in League One. Joe Kizzi, Tom Dallison, Ryan Inniss and Nathan Ferguson add further experience from strong levels.
Those arrivals have changed the tone around Bridge Avenue. Survival remains the first target, but the summer has given supporters reason to expect more than a season spent permanently below the line.
The National League will expose any weakness quickly, particularly during the first months of full-time football. Even so, Hornchurch now look capable of competing above the bottom four rather than relying on promotion momentum alone.
Squad
The squad suggests McMahon wants Hornchurch to retain their competitive edge while becoming more controlled at the higher level. Kizzi, Dallison, Baldwin and Inniss give the defence size, experience and authority, while Powell and Wraight should provide composure and delivery through midfield.
Further forward, Poleon and Balanta offer established know-how, with Sandat, Hearn, Pegrum, Welch and Kelman bringing movement and energy around them. That gives McMahon options to play directly when required, attack set pieces and still carry enough mobility to press teams higher up the pitch.
The departures of Rees, Hare, Bertram-Cooper, Morias, Winfield and Gibbs remove influence and continuity from the promotion group. Hornchurch have therefore chosen to reshape rather than simply reward the squad that went up.
The obvious gap is in goal, where 20-year-old Arthur Nasta is currently the only recognised option. Further cover will be needed before the squad feels complete.
The result should be a more physical, adaptable side, capable of changing the type of game without abandoning the intensity that brought promotion. The main test will be how quickly those new combinations develop.
Retained
- Will Greenidge | Defence | Age 24
- Sam Ling | Defence | Age 29
- Tom Wraight | Midfield | Age 32
- Charlie Pegrum | Midfield | Age 21
- Henry Sandat | Forward | Age 21
- Henry Hearn | Forward | Age 21
- George Alexander | Forward | Age 25
- Angelo Balanta | Forward | Age 36
- Bobby Kelman | Forward | Age 20
- Dominic Poleon | Forward | Age 32
Players in
- Joe Kizzi « Barnet FC | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 33
- Makai Welch « Leyton Orient | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 20
- Tom Dallison « Ebbsfleet United | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 30
- Josh Walker « Southend United | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 28
- Nathan Ferguson « Hartlepool United | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 30
- Arthur Nasta « Wolves | Free Transfer | Goalkeeper | Age 20
- Frankie Moralee « Bromley FC | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 20
- Jack Baldwin « Colchester United | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 33
- Jack Powell « Crewe Alexandra | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 32
- Ryan Inniss « Forest Green Rovers | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 31
Players out
- Josh Hare » Released | Defence | Age 31
- Nathan Bertram-Cooper » Released | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 32
- Junior Morias » Released | Forward | Age 31
- Harry Brooke » Released | Midfield | Age 22
- Dave Winfield » Released | Defence | Age 38
- Josh Rees » Eastbourne Borough | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 32
- Harry Gibbs » Brentwood Town | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 28
One to Watch
Powell, Baldwin, Kizzi and Dallison bring established pedigree, but Makai Welch offers something different. His previous loan spells mean Hornchurch already know how he fits, while Daryl McMahon’s trust in young players gives him a clear platform to develop.
At 20, Welch adds pace, athleticism and carrying power around a more experienced core. His versatility also allows him to operate across midfield and defence. Step One will test his decision-making and consistency, but that is part of his appeal. Hornchurch have recruited plenty of proven quality; Welch could supply the extra energy that gives the squad a different dimension.
Bookies’ Odds
At 250/1 and bottom of the title market, bookmakers are giving Hornchurch almost no chance of troubling the division’s leading clubs. That is understandable for a first-time Step One side, but it also feels like a shallow reading of their status rather than a full assessment of what has changed since promotion.
The move to full-time football, experienced recruitment and stronger off-field setup give Hornchurch more substance than the price suggests. They may spend much of the season near the bottom, but they do not look like automatic relegation material. Survival remains the measure, with 19th a more realistic assessment than the odds imply.
Prediction — 19th
They may spend long periods close to danger, but the work completed since promotion gives them a credible route to safety.
