Hendon once again failed to turn a half-time lead into a victory, being completely overrun by a Dorchester Town team which was more than good value for its 3-1 triumph at Silver Jubilee Park.

Having made all the changes for the Cockfosters game, the Greens returned to first-choice line-up, including Charlie Smith who had limped off with a dead leg four days earlier. Making his debut was striker Francis Amartey, a 20-year-old striker on loan from Slough Town.

The Greens should have had an awful start because, in the fifth minute, Jack Hoey burst into the penalty area and was brought down. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, but Chris Grace produced a superb save to keep out Charlie Davis’s spot-kick.

Two minutes later, at the other end, Tom Hamblin met a long throw from Lee Chappell and he flicked a header past Shane Murphy. The goalkeeper, however, was grateful to watch the ball bounce just beyond the post.

In the eighth minute, Hendon took the lead. Connor Calcutt did well to get around the Magpies’ defence and he placed a low cross into the middle of the penalty area.

A scrambling defender and a forward failed to reach the ball, but it rolled towards Matty HARRIOTT, who struck a powerful low drive. Murphy, possibly unsighted, was late to move towards the shot and could not stop it nestling in the corner of the net.

Hendon grew in confidence from having taken the lead, but they found Murphy in fine form. His biggest victim was Ryan Hope who, on another day, might have celebrated a 12-minute hat-trick. The save after 20 minutes was good, as was the one after 32, but in between, the category was definitely in the excellent category.

But Hope was not alone in being thwarted. Calcutt met a Hope cross and his effort was well blocked. Another move resulted in a clearance from a defender with Murphy beaten.

As well as the shots requiring saves, Hope, Harriott and Charlie Smith all fired efforts which went off target. In addition, Amartey and Calcutt had shooting options but took unselfish passing options, but then failed to make it easier for the oncoming tea--mate.

Having grown in confidence, the Greens became over-committed to attack and this allowed Dorchester to have a couple of good openings before half-time. First, Hoey forced a good save from Grace after good work from Tom Bath.

In the 40th minute, Tom Blair found himself in a great attacking position, but Grace made a good save with his legs. It was a message that should have set alarm bells ringing in the Hendon defence, but it clearly didn’t get through.

It took barely two minutes for Hendon to lose their lead, their confidence and, quickly the game. The Magpies attacked down the left wing and when the cross came in, HOEY found himself between Luke Tingey and Hamblin and he planted a header beyond Grace’s reach into the net.

Kyle Egan began to have a growing impact on the game, charging forward from his right-back position into, effectively, a right-winger. His cross in the 56th minute fell perfectly at the feet of HOEY, who made it 2–1 with a neat finish.

Almost immediately, Ram Marwa and Chappell were replaced by Sam Corcoran and Tom Nyama, but the die was cast. Chance after chance came Dorchester’s way and Grace kept Hendon in the game with a number of good saves, Blair and Bath, both being denied.

The best save, however came after 61 minutes, when a cross from Egan took a big deflection and the goalkeeper just got his hand to the ball to push it wide of the far post. Apart from a Smith shot going just over the crossbar after a good attack, Hendon were being over-run defensively.

Kam English replaced Hope as Hendon tried to get themselves back into the game, but when they got into good attacking positions, players didn’t want to take responsibility and played timorous balls which were cleared unceremoniously.

Four minutes from the end of normal time, Hendon were again torn apart defensively down the right side. The ball came into the penalty area and HOEY completed his hat-trick with a side-foot that may not have been his sweetest strike of the afternoon, but it ended up in the back of the net anyway.

In stoppage time, Murphy was finally called into serious second-half action when he made a good save from Harriott. But, at the other end, the Greens had a lucky escape.

A ball was played downfield and substitute Cameron Sangster was able to turn a Hendon defender. The defender - almost certainly the last man with the cover unlikely to make an intervention in time - grabbed at Sangster and half-pulled him back, an offence spotted by the assistant referee, who immediately flagged for the foul.

Play, however, continued for a few seconds, during which time the assistant, still flag raised, moved into position for a possible offside. Eventually the referee blew his whistle and went to speak to his assistant, who said he was not certain which centre-back had offended.

The referee called Hamblin and Tingey to him, told them he did not wish to show a card to the wrong player so, with only seconds remaining, decided to let off both with a verbal warning. Hamblin then admitted responsibility, but the referee did no more than thank him for his honesty.

Davis’s free-kick beat Grace, but not the foot of the far post and bounced away to safety. As Dorchester celebrated what might be a hugely important victory, Hendon players walked off looking very dispirited.