Gary, who celebrated his 200th victory as Hendon manager yesterday, was delighted with his team's response to the Boxing Day defeat. "I asked the boys to replicate Thursday's performance and they did that," he said. "We didn't play that badly at Wingate & Finchley but I wanted to us to make better decisions.

"We had excellent games out of many players. We showed our credentials in the number of chances we created. It's not just Jefferson Louis's goals but the other chances we created – there must have been seven or eight in addition to the goals we scored. That is why we are in the top two or three scorers in the division.

"I was really, really pleased with the reaction to the disappointment of Thursday. We didn't feel sorry for ourselves. I was also pleased with our reaction to the equaliser.

"We freshened up the squad because we had played 48 hours earlier and I told the players were purely to give some players a rest and instil a fresh impetus. It gives me a real headache because the players who came in did very well.

"It is a matter a getting the balance of the side correct. We want to be attractive on the eye and get fans in through the gate. I like playing an expansive game, but we have to get results too."