SE Dons, the south-east London football club founded in 2014 by rapper Don Strapzy, sit one victory away from the FA Cup first round proper after a 5-1 win away to Weymouth, as reported by Sky Sports on 16 October. Three seasons ago the club was playing Sunday League football. Now Sholing stand between the Dons and a place in the draw alongside EFL clubs such as Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading.
It is, by any measure, an improbable story, and a rather British one: a group of friends from Lewisham and its environs who built a club from nothing, on their own initiative and their own coin, and who now find themselves within touching distance of the oldest cup competition in world football.
From the Orpington and Bromley Sunday League to the FA Cup
The club, originally formed as South East Dons by Andrew McHugh, known to millions of YouTube viewers as Don Strapzy, and a group of friends, won the Orpington and Bromley District Sunday League twice, in 2021 and 2022, according to Wikipedia. A link-up with Forest Hill Park in 2024 opened the door to Saturday football, promotion followed, and the SE Dons name was adopted for the 2025/26 campaign. The club now plays in the Southern Counties East Premier Division and counts more than 250,000 YouTube subscribers, which, as any chairman of a lower-league club will tell you, is a larger audience than most professional sides attract.
The FA Cup debut arrived in August with a 2-0 victory over Erith Town at The Garrison. Since then the Dons have navigated six matches in their maiden campaign, including a replay, beating four teams from higher divisions along the way. According to Sky Sports, they are one of only three clubs remaining in the competition to have started in the extra preliminary round.
The Chichester comeback and Teniola Time
The run has produced its share of drama. Against Chichester, trailing 2-1 as the clock passed 90 minutes, the Dons scored twice in added time to win 3-2, the winner arriving in the 95th minute from substitute Alex Teniola, who toe-poked the ball under the goalkeeper.
“I can never explain the feeling of scoring a winner,” Teniola told Sky Sports. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”
Teniola’s nickname, “Teniola Time”, dates back to a late goal for Tonbridge Angels a decade ago. Before joining the Dons he played for Baiteeze Squad, one of their great Sunday League rivals, a fixture he compared to the old Manchester United-Arsenal feuds, with hundreds turning out to watch.
“I’ve always been a SE Dons sort of player,” he said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve. And that’s the kind of culture that’s bred at SE Dons.”
A club built on family and remembrance
Behind the celebrations and the catchphrases sits a more sobering story. Don Strapzy’s father, known affectionately as Mr Old Skool, and his mother, Paula, who helped with the kits, have both passed away. Their names remain woven into the club: shirts bearing Mr Old Skool’s name, supporters singing for him in the 70th minute, a supporters’ culture built on remembrance as much as revelry.
“It’s allowed me to keep my parents’ names alive,” Don Strapzy told Sky Sports. “My dad, Mr Old Skool, he was a gentleman. He genuinely loved the club.”
He credits his family and his Christian faith with setting him on a different path from friends who did not survive.
“My life could have gone so differently,” he said. “I’ve got friends who are gone. They ain’t coming back. My life could have gone in that route if it wasn’t for my father, my mum, and my faith in the Lord.”
The captain and goalkeeper, Big G, whose real name is George Kamurasi and who is of royal lineage in Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, has known his own grief, including the death of his parents. As Teniola put it: “What you see on camera is real. No one is acting.”
Sholing stand in the way
The fourth qualifying round tie against Sholing, who play two divisions above the Dons, will decide whether this particular dream survives into November. Don Strapzy is not pretending it will be straightforward.
“If we manage to beat Sholing, I’m asking myself, do we want the big tie now? Or do we try and get one that we can potentially go through?” he said. “The way God is writing this script right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to round three.”
The Europa League has even entered the conversation, sort of. “If we can win the FA Cup, we’ll be in Europa League next season,” he told Sky Sports News, tongue presumably in cheek. The ambition, however, is sincere. His late father used to talk of reaching round three and drawing Manchester United, over a Guinness and a conversation. A place in the first round proper would put a club born in Sunday League football alongside teams with Premier League histories, and, as The Star reported, a dream tie at Sheffield Wednesday is very much in the minds of those running such clubs.
“It’s history, bro,” Don Strapzy said. “We’re literally making history.”
There is something in that. The FA Cup was built for exactly this sort of tale: local men, local loyalties, and a competition that, for all the riches of the modern game, still allows a Sunday League side to dream of Wembley. Long may it continue.
FAQ
Who founded SE Dons?
The club was founded in 2014 by south-east London rapper Don Strapzy, whose real name is Andrew McHugh, together with a group of friends.
How close are SE Dons to the FA Cup first round?
SE Dons must beat Sholing in the fourth qualifying round to reach the FA Cup first round proper, where clubs such as Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading would await.
How many YouTube subscribers do SE Dons have?
The club’s YouTube channel has more than 250,000 subscribers, covering dressing-room access, touchlines and the lives of those behind the club.