Hendon overcame conceding an early goal to easily defeat Essex Senior League title-challengers SOUL Tower Hamlets, 4–1, in the FA Cup extra preliminary round at Silver Jubilee Park.

The Greens, after a season of struggle in 2025–26, had an essentially new team – only four starters and two substitutes had been at SJP in the previous campaign. Although Hendon are a level above step 5 SOUL Tower Hamlets, the visitors had finished second in the Essex Senior League, while the Greens were 17th in the Isthmian League South Central Division, so the difference between the two teams was not that large.

Another factor in the visitors’ favour was that they had played a competitive match a week earlier. However, on the negative side, top scorer last season Sherman Artmeladze, and match-winner the previous week, was absent on holiday.

His replacement Keiran James should have scored in the second minute. He beat the offside trap and had a clear run at goal, but he scuffed a shot wide of the far post.

Four minutes later, Tower took the lead. They forced a right-wing corner which was curled into the middle of the penalty area. Jack ASHFORD timed his run perfectly and had an almost clear header which he directed just inside the far post.

Hendon gradually began to get in the game, with Dion Miftari looking particularly dangerous down the left flank, even if the deliveries into the penalty area were a little wayward. In the 17th minute, Miftari took matters into his own hands, running into the penalty area and, before he could shoot, he was bundled over.

There were no complaints about the penalty decision and MIFTARI took responsibility for the spot-kick, slamming it confidently just inside the far post. Two minutes later, he received a pass on the edge of the penalty area. MIFTARI looked up, curled a precise shot that dipped below the crossbar and celebrated an early birthday present with a double.

Three minutes later, Samir Bihmoutine had a chance to equalise for Tower, but Josh Strizovic was quickly off his line to block the forward’s shot. In the 29th minute, Tower were left seething when a challenge inside the penalty area did not get the decision they wanted. The referee did not have a great angle, but his assistant did and he was happy there was no foul. It proved to be a turning point.

The Greens were attacking with confidence, and they got their reward from an unlikely source. In the 31st minute, from a partly cleared corner, the ball was played back to the far post. Jordan Williams won a header and nodded the ball across goal.

In his rush to clear the danger, Teddy Jones got in front of his goalkeeper William Betts and, under pressure from a green shirt, deflected the ball off his thigh to make it 3–1 with an own goal.

Hendon might have added to their lead on a few occasions, Nathan Brathwaite side-footed wide with most of the goal to aim at and Florian Ada, twice, was denied by a pair of smart saves from Betts.

Two minutes after half-time, Ada muscled his way past a defender by the corner flag, ran along the goal line moved a couple of yards infield and flicked the ball beyond Betts. The goalkeeper looked around and was grateful to see the ball kiss the inside of the far post and trickle towards him.

Brathwaite tried his luck from 25 yards, then 18, but both times Betts made stretching saves. The nerves of Hendon fans were not calmed because too many games in recent memory had seen two-goal leads vanish.

This time there was no need to worry as Ta’shae ANDALL-GIBBONS scored a superb third goal. He strode forward from midfield, played a clinical one-two with Brathwaite and side-footed the ball into the bottom corner.

Betts continued to make saves, though it was more damage limitation than keeping his team in the game. He was beaten by a strike from Reece Nicholas-Davies, but the ball flashed just over the crossbar.

Both teams made all their substitutions, but Hendon’s biggest problems came when they were careless in possession. In the final ten minutes, one such lapse nearly proved costly but Jordan Barnett’s shot hit a post and bounced straight into the arms of a surprised Strizovic.

Hendon will play Hertford Town in the preliminary round on Saturday 22 August, the game at Silver Jubilee Park. The Blues drew 2–2 with Potters Bar Town to kick off their Southern League Central Division 1 season on Saturday.