Hendon extended their lead over the pack chasing them for second place in the Ryman League Premier Division to five points with a 2-1 defeat of Bognor Regis Town at Nyewood Lane on Saturday afternoon. The Greens' unbeaten run is now at 12 games, ten wins and two draws, and they have picked up 26 points from their last ten League matches.

This was an excellent afternoon's entertainment even though the conditions were awful. Full credit must go to the groundstaff at Nyewood Lane, who were forking the pitch up till ten minutes before kick-off. This allowed both teams to play a passing game, thus avoiding the gale that blew predominantly diagonally from corner to corner.

Iain Duncan replaced Ricci Crace in the Hendon starting line-up while Jon-Barrie Bates, after completing his two game suspension, took over from Andre Delisser on the substitutes' bench.

The game was barely a minute old when Eugene Ofori, in effectively a lone striker's role, show good strength in holding off John Price to earn a clear run at goal. Unfortunately, referee Mr F Meilack blew for a Hendon free-kick, much to Ofori's dismay. It must be said that he immediately apologised for the over-hasty whistle and - more importantly - it was just about his only error of the game. The wall blocked Scott Cousins' free-kick.

Bognor had the wind blowing behind their right shoulders in the first half, but because they are so intent on playing the ball on the ground, the conditions didn't affect them that much. Given the opportunity, Hendon were just as happy to keep the ball on terra firma, where Dwayne Plummer, especially, was able to show off his skills.

Chances were few and far between at both ends, thanks mainly to the excellent defences. Hendon's brightest defensive star was Mark Burgess, while Bognor's David Piper kept so close to Dale Binns it was a surprise that he didn't follow him into the Hendon dressing room at half-time.

The opening goal arrived in the 43rd minute. Steve Forbes won the ball in midfield and passed to Binns, who immediately sent the ball out to right, where Plummer had found space. Plummer got around the back of Kevin Murphy and delivered an immaculate cross into the wind that was superbly headed past Craig Stoner by a diving OFORI for his 25th goal of the season.

Bognor hit back immediately and whilst their equaliser was not from open play, it was an equally good goal. A foul on the edge of the penalty area gave Michael BIRMINGHAM the chance to strike a curling right-foot drive that bent just inside the far post beyond Dave King's desperate dive.

There was no time for the game to restart before half-time and Hendon's satisfaction at reaching the interval would have been tempered by the lateness of the Bognor equaliser.

In the opening 30 seconds of the second half, Hendon almost regained the lead when Plummer worked himself an opening. His shot, however, lacked the power and direction to beat Stoner, who spread himself well to block the effort.

An indication of the strength of the wind came when King drop-kicked a clearance that veered towards the left corner and was accelerating as it went into touch about a yard from the flag. If the goalkeeper had aimed for the opposite corner flag, he may well have inconvenienced Stoner.

In the 54th minute, a cross from Cousins was flicked on by Andy Cook and reached Binns beyond the far post. His first-time shot, from an acute angle, nestled in the side-netting, inches the wrong side of the post.

Bognor continued to pass the ball well and they occasionally got the better of the Hendon defence. Matt Russell almost got clear in the 63rd, but he also found the side-netting with his shot. Mark Cooper and Steve Butler showed they were equally adept at dealing with balls to feet as they were at a more aerial attack, while Burgess got to every ball he went for.

Midway through the half, both teams substituted their No. 9s, Bickram Singh taking over for Rob Collins and Crace coming on for Ofori. The departing strikers had run themselves to a near-standstill and deserved their breaks.

Hendon changed their tactics a little in the final quarter. Getting little change out of Piper, Jodey Rowland, Gary Rutherford, Price and Murphy in the penalty area, they tried their luck from distance. Cook, Plummer and Forbes all tried 20-yard shots, but they whistled past the uprights, albeit by less than a yard on each occasion.

In the 85th minute, a break down the right wing should have brought Bognor a second goal. The ball fell to Jamie Howell, but he overran it slightly and rather scuffed the shot towards King, who was able to pick the ball up without difficulty.

Hendon's winner came in the 87th minute and it was an absolute corker. Cook did the donkey work, winning three headers around his penalty area. The ball at last found Plummer in space near the halfway line and he quickly spread play out towards the left flank.

Cousins ran onto the ball and was quickly confronted by Piper, who crucially left Binns to deal with the more immediate danger. With Binns free, Cousins took Piper out of the equation with a simple pass and this drew Murphy out to face Binns.

The early cross from Binns by-passed Murphy and CRACE was all alone as he side-footed the ball under Stoner for a goal worthy of winning any game.

"I thought it was an excellent game in the conditions," said a delighted Dave Anderson. "It would be great if every game was like this, not because we won, but because of the way the game was played. We knew that Bognor liked to play football and we were happy to do so too."