Hendon 0 Croydon 1

Ryman League Premier Division

Hendon continued their head-scratching season with a more than disappointing home defeat by Croydon on Saturday. Rather like the little girl with a curl from the children's poem, when they are good, they are very, very good; but when they are bad ... etc.

Hendon had sparkled in their previous league game with a 6-0 rout of Enfield. Hopes were high of another comfortable success, particularly as Croydon came into the game with the worst defensive record in the division, 39 goals conceded in 17 matches.

The first half was as good an advertisement for sleeping pills as it was a bad one for football. There were three attempts at goal in the 45 minutes from a Simon Clarke free-kick and efforts from Croydon's Peter Garland and Nick McDonnell that sailed over the bar.

In the 40th minute, Croydon playmaker Garland committed a rash aerial challenge on Jon-Barrie Bates, and was booked. In the 47th minute, Garland showed the other side of his game, curling a free-kick goalwards which keeper David Hook did well to tip over the bar.

Four minutes later, he reacted to a hard but fair challenge from Bates, lashing out, and the red card was a formality.

Unfortunately for Hendon, Bates had to leave the field for more treatment, so at least temporarily, both teams were reduced to ten men. Croydon took full advantage of Bates' absence to steal the game.

In the 54th minute, a long clearance downfield should have been fairly easy for Mark Cooper to deal with, but Hook came out of his goal and collided with him. As both players fell to the ground, McDonnell took possession and stroked the ball into the unguarded net from an acute angle.

Paul Fewings missed a great chance to equalise when he burst clear but shot tamely at keeper Matt Martin, who saved with his feet.

HENDON: Hook, Watson, Clarke, Forbes (Pickett 85), Towler, Cooper, Bubb, Bates, Fewings (Ruggles 77), Ofori (Nartey 50), Binns.

November 21, 2001 19:08