HORSHAM 1 HENDON 2

HORSHAM:
1.Paul Seuke 2.Tom Graves 3.Stuart Myall (Salaam) 4.Eddie French 5.Andy Howard 6.Lee Carney (Austin) 7.Jacob Mingle 8.Lewis Taylor 9.Danny Davis (Davies) 10.Lee Farrell 11.Stefan Cox Subs: 12.Steve Davies 14.Gavin Bolger 15.Yinka Salaam 15.Simon Austin 17.Rob Frankland
Scorers: Farrell (33)

HENDON:
1.Luke Blackmore 2.James Parker 3.Casey MacLaren4.Marc Leach 5.Sam Page 6.James Burgess 7.Danny Dyer (L Guentchev) 8.Lee O'Leary 9.Brian Haule 10.Davis Haule (Aiteouakrim) 11.Jamie Busby Subs: 12.Rakatahr Hudson 14.Lubomir Guentchev 15.Iavor Guentchev 16.Gary McCann 17.Belal Aiteouakrim
Scorers: B Haule (72), Aiteouakrim (90+2)

reporter: Mark Wells
Photographs: John Lines

Belal Aiteouakrim once again proved a thorn in Horsham's side, striking a hammer blow to their play-off ambitions with an injury time winner that sent Hendon to their first league win in 9 attempts and reviving their own promotion hopes. The Moroccan striker was on the scoresheet when the two sides met at Claremont Road back in November and Hornets fans were no doubt delighted to see him named among the substitutes for this match, although its unlikely that anyone was fooled by the typing error that had the exciting young forward listed as the Greens' replacement goalkeeper. Yet Aiteouakrim needed barely quarter of an hour to make his mark when he collected a pass from fellow substitute Lubomir Guentchev to blaze a late shot through the hands of Paul Seuke to spark scenes of delirium among the fans who had made the journey down from North London.

The recent good results against AFC Hornchurch and Chelmsford were a distant memory to the Hornets fans who, for the second time this week, had witnessed their side relinquish their lead against struggling opposition with a lacklustre second half display. But they turned out in good number again in the hope that the players might prove that Tuesday's loss to Heybridge Swifts was a mere blip. They were joined in their afternoon's entertainment by a handful of Hendon fans who seemed to have declared today as being 'Bring a Flag to Football Day' with almost as many banners and flags as supporters. With Gary Charman still out injured, Stefan Cox was drafted in to the side and there was a place in the starting line-up for Danny Davis, recently signed from Worthing.

Hendon kicked off on what proved to be a firm and lively pitch and Danny Dyer gave Seuke an early scare after skilfully beating Andy Howard on the right and sending over an inviting cross that cried out for a team-mate to supply the finishing touch. Tom Graves directed a header off target from Lewis Taylor's corner, Horsham's third in the opening 6 minutes, before the visitors had a strong penalty appeal waved away by referee Power for whom this was the first of many contentious decisions by the man in black.

Davis wasted a decent opening when Stuart Myall's free-kick was moved on by Graves to Davis who exchanged passes with Lee Farrell only to hit a weak shot that was easily cleared. A slip from Eddie French almost let Brian Haule through on goal but the Hornets skipper recovered sufficiently to win the challenge only for the lumbering forward to stumble over French's trailing leg to earn Hendon a free-kick but, fortunately for the defender, no card. Davis had a further chance to open his Horsham account when he collected Carney's excellent pass down the line, cut inside and curled a left foot shot over the crossbar and there was a moment of anxiety at the other end with players throwing themselves headlong to defend a Hendon free-kick but the match quickly returned to type when Farrell had a volley deflected over and, from the resulting corner, Myall was poleaxed on the edge of the box to give the hosts a free-kick in a dangerous position. However, Mr Power had other ideas and decided on a drop ball, some 15 yards from the scene of the offence, claiming to have stopped the game for a head injury.

There were no complaints, though, when Horsham finally broke the deadlock on 33 minutes through a classic piece of counter-attacking. A Hendon free-kick was punched clear by Seuke and picked up by Davis, midway inside his own half, who released Taylor down the right with a beautifully weighted pass. Without breaking his stride, Taylor raced past his marker before sending a low cross in to the area where it was guided expertly in to the corner of the net by Farrell for his 11th of the season.

Within 5 minutes of the goal Yinka Salaam was sent on for Myall who was clearly playing in some discomfort and, although Horsham looked the likelier side to score the next goal, they were able to muster just a half chance from Mingle, an overhead effort that was hooked harmlessly wide, and Cox should have done better when he blazed over on the stroke of half-time after being played in to space by Mingle.

H/T Horsham 1 Hendon 0

Hendon thought they had put themselves back on level terms within minutes of the restart when Brian Haule bundled home Lee O'Leary's cross at the near post but the linesman's flag had indicated that the ball had already crossed the line during the build up. Grateful for this escape, the Hornets created two good chances in the space of a minute, both of them falling to Mingle. The midfielder has made a habit of scoring spectacular goals this season and he was inches away from his latest Goal of the Month contender when he fired just over after good approach play involving Taylor and Farrell. In the next attack, a determined Lee Carney made inroads down the right and lofted an inch perfect cross in to the box where Mingle, baulked slightly by the defender, headed over the top. The former Ashford man then displayed his versatility when he produced a vital challenge on Dyer that left the Horsham man requiring treatment before being able to continue.

Another chance came and went, moments later, when a neat turn by Farrell saw him escape his marker and drill the ball low across the face of goal from where it was turned away for a corner. French was caught out by the pace and trickery of Jamie Busby when he turned and shot wide and the visitors went close to making Horsham pay for their failure to convert their chances when Marc Leach's free-kick almost surprised Seuke at his near post, the goalkeeper palming the ball away to safety with the flag bearers behind the goal claiming the shot had crossed the line.

But there was a depressing sense of inevitability when Hendon did draw level on 72 minutes. Carney was dispossessed, seemingly illegally, inside the centre circle and the ball was played towards the edge of the Horsham penalty area where James Burgess latched on to Howard's clearing header to send in a shot that was deflected in to the path of Busby and his mishit effort was turned in by Brian Haule with Horsham's defenders claiming offside against the Greens' leading goalscorer. 

Mr Power took centre stage again when he failed to punish Hendon for a challenge that sent Davis crashing to floor but home fans gained perverse pleasure in seeing the official felled in an accidental clash with Carney. The Hornets were clearly rattled and their play became tense and sloppy with hurried passes failing to find their intended target with frustrating regularity but their cause wasn't helped when Carney was forced off through injury although the introduction of Simon Austin added renewed energy to the side. But it was the visitors who now sensed they could claim their first league win of the year and Seuke prevented a certain goal when he raced off his line to deny Dyer after O'Leary had played his team-mate in behind the defence.

A foul by Davis Haule on Salaam brought the game's first booking, and the obligatory melee with players from both sides getting involved, and Aiteouakrim, now on the field as a replacement for Salaam's assailant, couldn't find the finish to match his fine run. Hendon almost grabbed a second goal, 7 minutes from time, when O'Leary teased Graves on the left and clipped in a cross that Austin inexplicably ducked under but the surprised Casey MacLaren was unable to convert. A desperate lunge from French stopped another incisive Hendon break on the edge of the penalty area in which the visitors looked justified in their claims for handball against the Horsham man and, with the hosts and sixes and sevens, O'Leary fired wildly off target when Seuke's goal loomed large.

Maggs' final throw of the dice saw Steve Davies replace his namesake Danny for the remaining minutes but Hendon were soon celebrating the winner when, with the game entering stoppage time, Aiteouakrim struck the vital blow that moves the Middlesex club above Horsham in to third place. Horsham might still have salvaged something from the game when, with just seconds remaining, Davies was denied a first ever goal in Horsham colours by a brave block from Luke Blackmore.

NEXT MATCH: v Harlow Town (a) Tuesday 4th March ko 7.45pm