Hendon ran into a buzzsaw attack in the shape of an Aldershot Town team in party mood as they celebrated their Ryman League championship at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon. The final score of 6-2 was terribly harsh on Hendon, who had worked exceptionally hard to take a deserved 2-1 lead midway through the second half. In the 20-odd minutes however, they were completely overrun.

The Greens named an unchanged 11, with the only change being Ricardo Alves replacing Steve Forbes on the bench. Aldershot were determined to give their fans something to celebrate and they almost got the perfect start when Lee Holsgrove tried his luck from 25 yards, but David Hook palmed the ball around the post.

In the 10th minute, Hendon showed that they were quite happy to act as party-poopers. Steve Butler headed a Paul Yates corner towards the opposite post, but Nikki Bull produced a fine save to keep out the ball.

Nine minutes later, Hook was undone by an unfortunate bounce to give Aldershot the lead. Jason Chewins cut in from the left wing and fired a shot that the keeper should have covered, but it squirmed away from him. The ball was passed by Roscoe D'Sane to the unmarked Paul BUCKLE, who side-footed it into an unguarded net.

In an open game, Hendon came close to hitting back on a couple of occasions. In the 25th minute, Jamie Burgess sent Ricci Crace clear, but the young striker nudged the ball just wide of goal with Bull well beaten. Ten minutes later, Dale Binns set up Eugene Ofori, whose effort was brilliantly saved by Bull.

It wasn't one-way traffic and when Aaron McLean got around Iain Duncan, he slid the ball across the penalty area, right into the path of the late-arriving Holsgrove. This time the midfielder was at fault as he side-footed the ball wide of Hook's near post from 8 yards out.

On the stroke of half-time, a hopeful ball forward from Paul Yates split the Aldershot defence and CRACE lifted the ball over Bull into the net. The silence of home fans was palpable. Crace, celebrating his 20th goal of the season, put his hand to an ear, listening for Hendon fans' cheers.

This hangover lasted into the second as Hendon started the more positive. Due reward arrived in the 58th minute, as Ofori and Crace combined to leave the Aldershot defence at 6s and 7s. The ball was rolled into the path of Paul TOWLER, whose effort was ruled over the line by the assistant referee, much to the anger of Bull, who thought he had saved the shot, and the surprise of Hendon fans behind the goal, who believed Bull had done enough.

Almost immediately, the Aldershot defence was breached again. This time, however, Ofori dallied too long and Dominic Sterling was able to recover. If Hendon had gone 3-1 up, the game would surely have been up for Aldershot.

Given a lifeline, the Shots grabbed it with both hands. McLean fired a fine shot past Hook, but the ball flashed inches wide of the far post. Then, in the 69th minute, former Hendon youth team captain, Dean Hooper went on a long unchecked run that ended with a 25-yard shot that Hook did brilliantly to tip aside.

It delayed the equaliser about 15 seconds. The corner was curled in and was flicked towards the back post by Sterling. D'SANE headed the ball towards goal and Burgess headed it away. The assistant referee, who must have been obscured by Mark Cooper, ruled the ball had crossed the line.

In 60 previous Hendon matches this season, one goal (out of 174) had been given by an assistant referee (Binns' strike at Wealdstone). Now there were 2 in 12 minutes and both were distinctly dodgy decisions.

But the assistant referee wasn't finished. After HOLSGROVE had deservedly got his goal to give Aldershot a 3-2 lead in the 72nd minute, rising higher than any Hendon defender to convert another corner - although Hook appeared to be impeded as he went to punch the ball clear - the flag-waver decided that Buckle had been fouled near to the goalline on the edge of the penalty area.

Referee Mr D Kellett (West Yorkshire) was closer to the incident and apparently had a clear view, but he was swayed by his assistant and pointed to the spot. Hendon's defenders, who had given the assistant some dark glances after the second goal, went over to remonstrate with the official, but he was unmoved.

BULL, announced earlier as the Shots' player of the year, was anointed penalty taker, as much by fan acclamation as anything else, and he sent Hook the wrong way.

If those 3 goals in 7 minutes had all had a touch of controversy, the only thing about the 4th in 9 was beauty. McLEAN, who had tormented Hendon with his skills all afternoon long, curled a 25-yard screamer that Hook could only watch as it flew into the top corner.

It was now a matter of damage limitation. But that was rather difficult as Hendon were not awarded a single free-kick in the final half-hour. Everything went Aldershot's way as they stormed home in irresistible fashion.

A 6th goal, from sub Stafford BROWNE rubbed salt in the Hendon wounds, this effort also free of controversy. Late injuries to Cooper and substitute Martin Randall added to the Greens' misery.

"I don't want to take anything away from Aldershot," said manager Dave Anderson. "They are deservedly champions because they're the best team in the League. But today the game was decided by an assistant referee, who got caught up in the occasion."