"I messaged Ezekiel because we had a midweek cup game and I wanted to check he was still available," says Adam Fisher - manager of non-league Hendon.

"There was no reply. Then I found out what had happened."

Ezekiel Williams died in hospital on 2 November from head injuries after an incident in Milton Keynes. He was 26.

Two men have been charged with murder.

Known to friends as 'Zekes' and 'Eze', Williams was well known in non-league circles having played for clubs including Hastings United, Kettering Town and St Ives Town.

A midfielder, he joined Hendon in September and had already established himself at his new club as a "humble, unassuming and generous individual with razor-sharp wit".

His death has devastated the part-time club based in Kingsbury, north-west London.

"Nothing prepares you for something like this," Hendon's chairman Cyrus Cooper tells BBC Sport. "We're all human beings and the club is struggling to come to terms with what has happened."

Hendon, who play in the Isthmian League South Central Division - the eighth tier of English football, have not played since Williams died, as players and staff mourn the loss of a popular player.

On Saturday, 12 days after his death, they return to action at Bedfont Sports.

"Saturday is going to be so hard because Eze is going to be on our minds and what happened to him," Hendon midfielder Tashae Andall-Gibbons tells BBC Sport.

"Everyone is distraught. Eze was only 26 and had his whole life ahead of him."

Cooper says: "It's going to be the first time the players put their kit on without Ezekiel being there.

"I think there are going to be a lot of tears. It's going to be an emotional day for everyone associated with Hendon Football Club."

Hendon's grieving players have been offered counselling as they attempt to come to terms with the loss of a team-mate who scored in a league game against Jersey Bulls as recently as 24 October.

Three days later, Williams - from Ruislip - started the 2-0 home defeat by Egham Town.

It would be his last match.

"He messaged me the day after to say: 'Gaffer, I'm really sorry I didn't catch you after the game but I'm going away for the weekend to see a relative who is sick'," says Fisher.

"He said: 'I won't be at training on Thursday, I will miss the game on Saturday but I'll be back on Monday.'

"That was the last I heard from him."

Fisher sent Williams a message on the Monday asking about his availability for a London Cup tie against Woodford, which was due to take place a couple of days later.

There was no reply. The following day, via social media, he discovered his player had died.

"I found out on the Tuesday afternoon and I didn't leave my house until the Friday," he says. "I was shocked and in a daze."

As manager of Welwyn Garden City for seven years, Fisher has delivered hundreds of team talks.

He has thought long and hard about the one he will give to his grief-stricken players on Saturday.

"What can you say that the players are going to take in?" says Fisher, who has watched interviews with Liverpool players about the impact Diogo Jota's death had on them, in an attempt to learn more about how to deal with grief inside a dressing room.

"I've got a squad of players who are mourning the loss of one of their team-mates. We are all really struggling."

Cooper adds: "Ezekiel was very courteous and softly spoken. I remember we lost a match and he came up to me after the game and apologised. That was the type of man he was."

Away from Hendon, Williams coached children at football coaching company JOAP (Journey Of A Pro).

"I've had lots of messages from parents saying how much Zekes made their kids feel so special," says Tyrique Clarke - CEO and head of coaching at JOAP, and Williams' best friend.

"We met about 14 years ago and we spoke every day about everything.

"He was a real source of comfort for me. Someone I would speak to about every decision. Who do I ask now? He was just the most selfless, loving person and always a bright spark of energy."

Clarke adds: "Zekes loved coaching children. He would always give them a little Bible quote or motivational speech in team talks before games. He was just a genuine, kind-hearted person."

A crowdfunding page set up in Williams' memory has raised nearly £19,000.

Players and staff at Hendon have contributed, and the club will pay tribute to Williams at their next home game against Ascot United on 28 November.

Williams' sister Shadore paid tribute to her brother.

"Seeing Ezekiel get older and gain different ambitions in life was the best thing I could have witnessed," she said.

"He got to become a football coach and teach children who loved the same sport as he did.

"He became closer to God and said he wanted to attend church and would get excited each time he got a new suit and would show it off to the family."

On Thursday, Hendon's players met up for training to try to prepare for Saturday's game.

The chairman attended to give a speech after a traumatic week for the club, while Hendon's players said a prayer for their team-mate.

"Everybody is still trying to process what has happened," adds Andall-Gibbons. "I hope we use this pain in the right way and put on a big performance on Saturday.

"Eze will never be forgotten."

If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.