Hendon came out on the wrong end of an eight-goal thriller at Claremont Road on Saturday, losing 5-3 to Carshalton Athletic. Given the defensive shortcomings displayed by the two teams it was maybe unsurprising that both managers were somewhat grumpy after the game, but they would have been the only ones not satisfied with the entertainment that was provided.

Marc Leach's returned after suspension as Hendon continued with Rakatahr Hudson in the middle of defence, this time partnered by Leach, while Craig Vargas moved to left-back, dropping Jazz Rose to the bench. James Burgess came in for the senior Davis Haule in midfield.

The game got off to the most spectacular start. After 100 seconds, Belal Aiteouakrim ran onto a ball in the centre circle. He had two defenders, back-pedalling, in front of him, as he ran towards goal, with two more in pursuit. The first two were beaten with ease, then the next and finally the last man.

Aaron Howe came off his line, but Aiteouakrim hit the ball early and it flew into the bottom corner. It was the first and most compelling of quite a few candidates for goal of the season.

Carshalton hit back very quickly and Hendon struggled to keep out the Robins, for whom Mark Marshall was quick to prove more than a pain in the side. In the 13th minute, Hudson failed in an attempt to cut out a ball from defence by Liam Harwood.

In a flash Rob Haworth was sent clear down the right wing. The former Hendon favourite had acres of space into which to run and, instead of taking a shot at goal himself, rolled the ball across the penalty area for Marshall to have the simplest of chances to equalise.

Four minutes later, Marshall turned provider, getting around the back of the Hendon defence and firing a rasping shot that beat Richard Wilmot all ends up. The ball, however, crashed off the underside of the crossbar, falling at the feet of the unmarked Adrian Toppin, who clipped the ball into the open goal.

It became three goals in 11 minutes when justice was served after Robinson, struggling to cope with Marshall, pulled him down. The full-back was close to being the last defender, but it was very surprising that he didn't receive even a yellow card for what looked like a cynical challenge. Marshall exacted due revenge with a perfectly placed free-kick

Hendon were being overrun and every Carshalton attack carried a very strong threat of a goal. But, incredibly, the next goal - after 35 minutes - went the Greens' way or, more accurately, D. Green's way. Dean was allowed to run a long way off the right wing and when he cut inside, no defender seemed willing to make a challenge. Green's shot, however, was perfectly placed and found the bottom corner.

If Hendon had been able to hold out until half-time, there is every chance they would have won the game. But that didn't really look very likely. Three minutes later, a superb Carshalton passing move left the Hendon defence chasing shadows and Luke Fontana finished with aplomb.

It could have got much worse for Hendon. Haworth put a free header over the crossbar from a corner in the 41st minute and, four minutes later, Wilmot produced a truly astonishing save to somehow reach what seemed a perfect lob and push the ball away for a corner.

The Hendon dressing room at half-time was no place for the faint-hearted as Gary McCann and Freddie Hyatt made their points. Leach was withdrawn, with Rose replacing him at centre-half, while Jamie Busby was moved to the right side of midfield to attempt to stifle Marshall.

It took only 50 seconds for Carshalton to waste their first chance of the half, Fontana lifting a shot just wide of Wilmot's far post. But it proved to be a rare opportunity for the Robins as Hendon completely dominated the second half and only their finishing let them down.

The Robins' defence proved to be as creaky as the Greens' had been in the first half, but Hendon had nobody in the class of Marshall in terms of opening up the opposing defence.

Lee O'Leary and Busby both forced routine saves out of Howe, before Brian Haule went very close in the 57th minute, Howe doing exceptionally well to keep out his effort. From the corner, David Moore cleared a header from Rose off the line with Howe struggling to get across his goal.

The goal Hendon craved came in the 70th minute. Robinson fired a ball across the midfield and Vargas sent Burgess into space down the left flank. Burgess did well even to reach the ball. That he was able to pick out Haule with an inch-perfect cross was breath-taking.

Haule timed his arrival perfectly and his low header gave Howe no chance. Haule didn't do Carshalton centre-back Jon Cartledge any favours, colliding with him after making contact with the ball and rolling up the prostrate defender.

Four minutes later, Hendon should have been level. A terrible clearance from Howe - one of a number of miskicks from the keeper - went barely 20 yards to Aiteouakrim. The striker beat the last defender, went around Howe, but screwed his shot wide of the target. The corner decision did little to save his blushes.

Hendon threw everything into attack. Takumi Ake and Bontcho Guentchev were added to the attacking mix with Green and Vargas withdrawn, and the young Japanese player quickly earned a free kick with his unsettling pace.

With Hendon over-committed to attack, Carshalton almost added to their lead with Toppin missing a chance at least as good Aiteouakrim's also missing the target with the goal vacant, while Wilmot produced another quite brilliant save to keep out an effort from Fontana.

As the game entered stoppage time, Hendon nearly equalised but instead conceded. Aiteouakrim set up Ake, whose shot sizzling shot was kept out by an inspired save from Howe. Aiteouakrim could only stare at the Robin's goalkeeper, but if looks could kill the match would have been abandoned, although there was just a semblance of respect for the goalkeeper too.

From the corner, Wilmot just failed to get his head to the ball. Carshalton launched a counter-attack, but were too eager and got caught offside. Wilmot had not yet returned to his penalty area as Robinson tired to launch the ball downfield. Unfortunately, he mishit the ball and Fontana finally settled Carshalton's nerves with a simple finish.

"I am proud of the way we fought back in the second half," said manager Gary McCann. "But we were very poor in the first half. We had enough chances to have won the game in the end."