Hendon's twelve-week run without a home League win ended against Windsor & Eton at Claremont Road on Tuesday night. It was also manager Gary Farrell's first League victory since taking over from Tony Choules at the beginning of November.

Rene Street was fit only for the bench, while Wayne Carter was unavailable, so it meant a recall for Richard McDonagh after suspension, while Gary Meakin returned to the starting line-up. The attacking formation remained the same.

The Greens started the game brightly and Chuck Martini made two saves from John Frendo after 13 and 15 minutes, before, in the 20th minute, referee David Belbin turned down the first of three vehement appeals for Hendon penalties.

On this occasion, Danny Butler was tripped inside the box on two separate occasions, but he managed to keep his feet as he attempted to keep control of the ball. Forced outside the penalty area, the third trip brought him to ground and the free-kick was awarded there. From the free-kick Richard McDonagh hit the underside of the Windsor crossbar with a looping header, but the ball was hacked away to safety.

In the 27th minute, and very much against the run of play, Windsor took the lead. A bad back-pass from Dave Sargent fell short of Dave King and although the keeper produced a great save to keep out the first effort from Terry O'Connor, he could do nothing about the rebound driven home by Peter Holsgrove.

Gaining confidence from this goal, Windsor began to exert control, but their finishing and a couple of tight offside decisions against them, conspired to deny them much in the way of clear cut goalscoring opportunities.

When the half-time whistle blew, the cold chill of the November night only added to the gloom felt by Hendon fans, who felt sure a third consecutive home defeat was on the cards. What was needed, obviously, was an equaliser, and the sooner the better.

That is just what happened. Two minutes into the second half, a 20-yard shot from Mark Nicholls was fumbled by Martini and Ross Pickett was quickest to react, sliding the ball under the Moroccan international before he could regather. The tactic of putting Martini under pressure certainly worked because he never looked comfortable.

In the 58th minute, Eugene Ofori crossed to Pickett, who was quickly closed down by a defender. His first thought was to shoot, but the defender put paid to that notion, so he laid the ball back into the path of Nicholls. His first-time shot struck the feet of Ryan Parsons and bounced into the net. The deflection didn't change the ball's path but it was enough to wrong-foot Martini.

Three half chances fell Hendon's way in the next five minutes, but a mixture of hurried defending and poor option-taking ensured Windsor were still in the game. In the 62nd minute, Ofori tried to force his way around Terry O'Connor, close to the goal-line just inside the box. O'Connor did pull Ofori down, but as the striker had probably fouled the defender first, a penalty award would have been harsh.

When a Windsor striker was clumsily bundled over just inside the Hendon penalty area, it was the turn of the visitors to berate Mr Belbin for failing to award a penalty. Outside the box, it would almost certainly have been a free-kick, but at least the official was consistent in not pointing to the spot.

In the 75th minute, Frendo tried to latch onto a through ball from Ofori. He was sent tumbling by David Tilbury and Mr Belbin awarded a goal-kick.

Windsor, who never wavered from their attempts to play measured, patient, passing football, made a trio of late substitutions - as did Hendon - in a bid to get something from the game. But the Greens defence held out resolutely and just about deserved the three points.

"I think we played better in the first half than the second," admitted manager Gary Farrell. "But I am delighted with the result. At last I have a League victory; it has been a while in coming."