The Kids Are All Right For Champions Hemel Hempstead

By Jonathan Waldheim

DEAN BRENNAN hailed the resilience of his young Hemel Hempstead side after finally clinching the Calor Premier title on Saturday.

The Tudors took advantage of a defeat for second placed Chesham by putting four past Hungerford and picking up the three points to put them out of sight at the top of the table.

Brennan, 33, who took charge of Hemel in 2010 as caretaker manager before being installed permanently in 2012, said: “I am absolutely delighted, and I’m so proud – this is a really young squad, 80 per cent of them are under 24.

“They have had to stay focused and it’s not been easy. Chesham have made us work and work for this.

“In most divisions we would have been champions long ago, but it’s a credit to them for keeping it exciting.”

The Hertfordshire side surpassed a pre-season target of 100 points on Monday by beating Chesham to reach 102 and Brennan is delighted with his young side’s perseverance.

Brennan had set the target before the season and even when they had clinched the title with 99 points on Saturday he still hoped to reach the century mark.

The players didn’t let him down, achieving a 2-1 victory on Monday at Vauxhall Road against their nearest rivals before receiving the infamous championship shield from Southern League chairman Ken Turner.