Hendon returned to third place in the Ryman League Premier Division with a hard-fought, but deserved victory over Kingstonian at Kingsmeadow on Tuesday night. Eugene Ofori's 84th-minute goal sealed the points, and one point from the final two games (provided St Albans don't turn around an 8-goal deficit) will guarantee the Greens their best finish for 29 years.

Gary McCann and Lee Harvey came in for the rested David Hook and the injured Mark Cooper, respectively, while Rob Hollingdale and Michael Woolner returned to the bench. Martin Randall (thumb) joined Cooper (toe) and long-term absentees Rob Haworth (leg) and Kieran Gallagher (illness) in being out for the season, while Steve Forbes had not shaken off his injury aggravated at St Albans.

For a match with little at stake, the two teams provided good entertainment on a very difficult pitch, made even more awkward by a five-minute shower just after kick-off. There were chances at both ends with Adrian Jones called into more action than McCann, mainly because Steve Butler and Harvey dealt better with Scott Edgar and Scott Steele than Matt Elverson and Max Hustwick coped with Ricci Crace and Ofori.

Jamie Burgess, up against the wily Phil Wingfield, had an excellent game, limiting the veteran to just a few crosses and shots. On the other wing, Iain Duncan was able to link with Dale Binns to keep the Ks on the back foot.

In the 31st minute, a pinpoint cross from Binns was met by Ofori and his header thudded off the crossbar. The ball was hacked clear and, within seconds, a Wingfield cross was met by Scott Edgar with a powerful header that seemed destined to break the deadlock, until McCann produced a magnificent twisting save to keep the ball out.

Paul Yates rose well to meet a Crace flick-on, but Jones was well positioned to deal with it. Butler then had a header blocked by a Kingstonian defender following a corner, and Paul Towler watched a deflected shot clawed away by a scrambling Jones as it wobbled towards the right post.

In the 40th minute, McCann produced another superb save, this time punching clear a swerving shot from Wingfield that the keeper said, "moved more in the air than any shot I have had to deal with."

At the start of the second half, Mark Jones came on Scott Smith and he stiffened the Kingstonian midfield, where Jon-Barrie Bates and Towler had taken control in the latter stages of the first half. He made an immediate difference because it was the Ks who forced the pace for the first 15 minutes of the period, without really looking penetrative.

One spell of about 5 minutes saw the ball almost permanently around the edge of the Hendon penalty area, but McCann did not have to make a save. When Hendon broke, Yates tried his luck with a 17-yard header but Adrian Jones had an easy save. Ofori then shot over from a good position after a low cross from Binns was flicked on by Crace. A little less power from Ofori would almost certainly have brought a goal.

This little spell of pressure signalled a change in the game and Hendon regained the upper hand. In the 73rd minute, Yates was unlucky to watch a chip elude Adrian Jones but hit bar and bounce away to safety. Crace was then brought down by a combination of Elverson and Hustwick as the ball was played back to Adrian Jones, but referee Mr M John, 35 yards behind play, ruled that there was neither a foul, nor a backpass, although one of the two had to be case.

Binns was replaced by Lee Endersby for the final 15 minutes, while Kingstonian withdrew Scott Steele and Wingfield, but brought on equally dangerous replacements in Grant Payne and James Pinnock. The changes worked in Hendon's favour, although none of the principals were directly involved in the match-winner.

It started with a corner taken by Endersby. Elverson headed the ball clear and pressure on Burgess, near to the halfway line, meant his safest move was a pass back to McCann. The goalkeeper made excellent contact and sent low a drive 50 yards downfield.

Butler, on his way back to defensive duties, won the header and flicked it into the path of Crace, who suddenly found himself and Ofori facing only one defender. Elverson had to go to the man with the ball, so Crace passed to OFORI, who was able to steady himself before rifling a shot off the hands of Adrian Jones into the roof of the net.

Hendon, having got their noses in front, defended in the best possible place - within 10 yards of the opposition's corner flags. Ofori and Endersby are so comfortable on the ball that Kingstonian spent 3 minutes just trying to regain possession.

"We are starting to look a little tired," said manager Dave Anderson, "but I thought we still did enough to win. Gary McCann made two important saves in the first half."