Hendon manager Gary McCann was reflective after the victory over Lewes at Earlsmead last night.

"It was never going to be a pretty game," McCann admitted. "We had to be very careful with our passes because the surface was difficult, but we coped with it quite well.

"I was very impressed by Lewes, who seemed to play without fear and made things very difficult for us. They have some very good players and it is going to be tough to play them again on Saturday.

"This was a night to grind out a win. I thought we were very strong not only defensively with the centre-backs, but the two in front of them as well.

"As for going, forward, I was happy and we produced some very good passages of play. Our decision-making wasn't always the best, but I felt we had good control.

"We are very close having both Maz Bettache and Chris Seeby back in action. There will also be the chance of possibly giving games to a couple of other players from our youth team."