Hendon booked their place in the Second Qualifying Round draw of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday with a dramatic 7-3 victory over Hullbridge Sports at Silver Jubilee Park, in what was a thrilling ten-goal encounter between the two sides.

The goals started in the 14th minute when Isaac STONES was played through on goal, leaving him one-on-one with the ‘keeper. He calmly slotted the ball home to put Hendon 1-0 up and set the tone for a prolific afternoon.

Four minutes later, birthday boy Jordan Williams was found unmarked from a corner. WILLIAMS made no mistake, powering a header past the ‘keeper to double the Dons’ advantage.

Hendon weren’t done there, though, and took full advantage of Hullbridge Sports’ slow start to the afternoon. Reece NICHOLAS-DAVIES added a third in the 32nd minute. SPOONER pulled one back for Hullbridge in the 35th minute, but STONES immediately restored Hendon’s advantage just moments later to complete a frantic opening 45 minutes.

Half-time: Hendon 4-1 Hullbridge Sports

Hullbridge Sports started the second half positively, with plenty of attacking intent, as many expected the next goal to be crucial in the tie. After 15 minutes of continued pressure, the visitors made it 4-2 in the 60th minute [through Kieran JONES}, setting up a slightly nervy final 30 minutes for the Greens.

Well, it was nervy for about three minutes.

Nathan Brathwaite danced past the Hullbridge Sports defence with some fantastic skill before setting Isaac STONES through. The forward made no mistake, completing his hat-trick exquisitely to restore Hendon’s three-goal advantage.

Seven minutes later, Radu STEFANOAICA found space inside the Hullbridge Sports box. A cross was delivered towards the forward, who expertly guided his header into the far corner, leaving the ‘keeper rooted to the spot with no chance.

Neither side was done in what had been a chaotic 90 minutes at Silver Jubilee Park. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute and, after a short delay, LAWRENCE calmly slotted the ball past Strizovic to make it 6-3.

The final goal of the game came courtesy of a calamity of errors from the Hullbridge back line. A defender[,Hullbridge skipper Jack Hayes,] attempted to pass the ball back to his ‘keeper without checking where he was, only to send it towards the opposite side of the box. With the ‘keeper stranded, the ball trickled into the back of the net to make it 7-3.

It was an unfortunate ending to what had otherwise been a spirited cup run from the Essex-based side.

Full-time: Hendon 7-3 Hullbridge Sports