Dramatic day sees Hendon stay up

Greensnet Editor
Sat 22 Apr 2017, 23:00

We all knew it was going to be a dramatic day today, but what we didn't know was that the drama would be extended by over an hour after a late kick off.

The game at SJP didn't kick off until 4.20pm following the late arrival of the two assistant referees who had been caught up in the traffic chaos following a fatal accident on the A406, by which time all the other games were well into the second half.

On the pitch, the Greens were dealt an early blow when they fell behind in the 5th minute as Mo Bettamer fired home from the edge of the area.

Off the pitch, as all the other games edged towards the final whistle, it looked as though the Greens would stay up as both Burgess Hill Town and Canvey Island looked set to draw - until Burgess Hill scored a stoppage time winner.

And following all the other final scores, it came down to either Hendon or Harrow Borough who would take the final relegation spot. All the Greens needed to do was equalise, and then ensure they didn't lose the game.

However, at half-time the Greens remained a goal behind, but whatever was said in the dressing room during the break worked as within a minute of the restart, Casey Maclaren headed home an equaliser.

After that it was a case of ensuring the game wasn't lost, which, as has often been the case in recent weeks, was done comfortably on the most part, although there were a couple of late scares when Staines had a couple of free kicks around the box.

There was relief all round SJP when the final whistle finally blew at about 6.15pm - with celebrations as safety and a 54th consecutive season in the top flight of the Isthmian League was secured.