Chesham United 4

Hendon 1

Struggling Chesham, who appointed Graham Roberts as their manager in midweek, showed a greater appetite for victory than lack-lustre Hendon on Saturday and took the spoils.

Ex-Yeovil boss Roberts signed four former players from the Conference club, Graham Kemp, David Thompson, Micky Engwell and Steve Browne, and all played their part in a vital victory as they fight to avoid the drop.

Hendon manager Frank Murphy admitted: "We weren't even close to not very good. We missed Steve Bateman (suspended), but that's no excuse."

The Dons had a very strong wind and the slope in their favour in the first half, but failed to press home their advantage.

They made an encouraging start, but after Paul Whitmarsh had gone close and Warren Ryan picked up a slight knee injury in a goalmouth scramble in the opening ten minutes, Chesham began to exert control.

The best chance fell to Kemp after 24 minutes. Following good work from Younus Nabil down the left, the ball fell to Kemp, who crashed his shot against the underside of the bar when it seemed easier to score.

In the 37th minute, Thompson produced a timely clearance to deny Ryan, after Hakan Altinok had, for once got the better of Allan Puckrose.

In injury time at the end of the first half, Hendon should have been awarded a penalty when Richard Nugent was bundled over as he attempted to reach a corner.

Three goals in five minutes at the start of the second half settled the match and keeper Gary McCann will have nightmares about two of them.

First, in the 5lst minute, a diagonal through ball split the Hendon defence and McCann rushed out to deal with the danger. He just about won the race for the ball, but his clearance went only ten yards to Trevor Argrave, who looked up and slid the ball into the unguarded net from 35 yards.

The second goal came three minutes later, and this time it was a cross from the left which left John Lawford in acres of space to pick his spot.

Further disaster came in the 56th mintue when a 45-yard free-kick from Engwell blew into the net as McCann came for the ball and stopped as a Chesham player ran across him. The keeper, out of position, didn't touch the ball as it flew into the net.

Hendon then enjoyed a spell of pressure and Kevin Mitchell produced a brilliant save to deny Paul Kelly, but from the string of corners that followed, Tony Kelly drilled the ball into the net as it bobbled around.

This was in the 62nd minute, and Chesham had begun to show the frailty which had left them in 21st position in the table.

However, it was the home side who stepped up a gear and Hendon were rarely able to exert any control again.

In the 82nd minute, Chesham made the game safe when Thompson took advantage of a ricochet to score their fourth goal.

Hendon immediately brought on Micky Banton and he should have scored late in the game. Altinok delivered an inch-perfect cross and Banton had a free header from five yards, but somehow glanced the ball wide of the far post.

It would have been no more than a consolation, but would also have added respectability to the scoreline.

HENDON: McCann, A Kelly, Clarke (Lynch 57), P Kelly, Nugent (Banton), Ryan, Altinok, Hyatt, Whitmarsh, Howard, Lewis (Bashir).

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