On an overcast but pleasant afternoon, Hendon increased their lead at the top of the table with a narrow, but ultimately deserved, win against bottom side Maidstone United. The Greens made one change from Tuesday's victory over Hornchurch – Lubo Guentchev replacing the injured Wayne O'Sullivan.

The two sides probed tentatively in the early exchanges. The first semblence of a chance arrived in the 8th minute, when Stones centre-half Errison Ahwan was penalised for climbing. Eight yards outside the area and just right of centre, Marc Leach hit the wall with the resulting free-kick. A whipped cross by Lubo Guentchev was spectacularly volleyed clear from the six-yard box by right-back Nathan Paul, who soon initiated Maidstone's first serious attack: bringing the ball out confidently and finding Ben Lewis, whose pass to the left flank sent Nick Hegley away down the touchline. Hegley skinned Casey MacLaren and cut into the box from the byeline, but further progress was halted by a superbly-timed James Parker tackle.

Midway through the half, Brian Haule went down injured - appearing to have been accidentally trodden on after the ball had gone. He remained grounded for two minutes. Ahwan, this time in the right-back position, was again penalised and Jamie Busby's resulting free-kick was headed behind for Hendon's first corner. From this, Guentchev was quick to pounce on the second ball but his shot comfortably cleared the bar.

The Greens took the lead in the 34th minute. A free-kick - awarded for handball inside the Hendon half - was hoofed into the Kent area and Paul conceded a corner. Busby somewhat scuffed his delivery from the left, which came down well short of the near post. With most of the players from both sides stationary, the ball evaded the near-post throng and bounced up for the predatory Brian Haule, who knocked it into Mullin's top-right corner from about four yards. Haule left the pitch shortly afterwards to be replaced by Dean Green.

Having leaked eighteen goals in six games, it might have been reasonable to assume that the concession would have knocked the stuffing out of Maidstone, but instead it appeared to galvanise them into action. The Stones promptly laid siege to the Hendon goal and won four corners in two minutes. A raid by left-back Ray Freeman won the first, at which Martin's delivery was well pouched by Richard Wilmot. The ball came straight back and a second flag-kick resulted in a threatening aerial contest at the far post, with a green shirt putting the ball behind. A third was easily cleared for a throw but this arrived in the box for Martin to unleash a snap-shot that Wilmot reacted rapidly to tip over. The fourth was dealt with without alarm.

The Stones opened the second period strongly - Martin winning a corner by blasting a cross into Leach's face. Lewis ran in outside the far stick to plant an uncontested header wide of the post from the resultant corner.

The game seemed to have turned with nineteen minutes to play. With Maidstone overcommitting at a left-wing throw and a subsequent cross by Lewis, Busby pounced on a loose second ball, raced down the inside-left channel and played a stunningly accurate slide-rule pass between two yellow shirts to release Aiteouakrim. Five yards clear, forty yards out, dead centre and in on the keeper. Belal homed in, drew Mullin, comfortably beat him with a low, right-footer and saw the ball roll a yard wide of the keeper's left upright.

Within thirty seconds, Maidstone were level. The goal-kick went left, the ball was switched to the right of the box, where Rob Owen had eluded the defence. A powerful low shot saw Wilmot drop to his right to parry but the rebound fell to Martin, who squared for Hegley to bundle the ball home at the far post.

The winning goal arrived with a little over four minutes to play. Another long ball released Green down the right. He held off Freeman in a muscular contest inside the box and managed to thump the ball back from right on the whitewash, ten yards wide of the post. Just outside the near stick and perhaps five yards out, Aiteouakrim flicked a right boot at the ball and skilfully turned it past Mullin for the decisive score.

Takalobighashi managed to hook an overhead kick a couple of feet over the bar after the ball had bounced awkwardly through the home box, but Hendon comfortably saw out the three added minutes to remain top of the table.

(Report by Alan Ainsworth - not to be reproduced in any form without the author's agreement)