Hendon got back to winning ways with a 1-0 defeat of Aylesbury United at Buckingham Road on Saturday afternoon. But, more importantly, they finally benefited from a little bit of luck in the opposing penalty area.

Things did not look good before the kick-off as midfielder Steve Forbes had to rush away after learning his wife had been taken ill. With Eugene Ofori also absent at home in Ghana tending to his sick mother, it meant that four crucial, central players were missing, Steve Butler (ankle) and Martin Randall (groin) both long-term absentees.

At least Jon-Barrie Bates, admittedly not fully fit, was a straight replacement. The other changes were more drastic, with Rob Hollingdale taking over at left back and Iain Duncan moving to the opposite flank. Paul Yates returned on the right side of midfield, Lee Endersby on the left, while Dale Binns played as a central striker next to Ricci Crace. Coincidentally, both teams had a Burgess twin at No. 12 on the subs' bench (and neither came on).

The heavy rain which inundated various parts of the South-East avoided Aylesbury and it left the pitch looking in magnificent condition. Endersby enjoyed himself as he regularly got the better of Greg Williams, but with neither Crace nor Binns a realistic aerial presence, crosses were meat and drink for the excellent Richard Horner at the heart of the Ducks' defence.

In attack Aylesbury had the prolific Craig Maskell, but he was magnificently handled by Lee Harvey and Mark Cooper. In the 13th minute, a cross from Joe Baker was met by Adam Campion, but his header went straight to the well-positioned David Hook. Fiston Manuella then met a Maskell corner but put his header wide of the near post.

Maskell very nearly scored in the 21st minute but it would have been very embarrassing for him. He got his foot to a cross from Endersby and his deflection looped over Aylesbury debutant Matt Hodson before hitting the crossbar and bouncing away for a corner.

Endersby's ability to pick out even the smallest of targets, namely Binns, was proved twice in a couple of minutes just after the half-hour mark. From the first one, Binns put a header beyond Hodson's reach, but also wide of the near post. His second header was at least on target, but it lacked the power to inconvenience the goalkeeper, whose handling was suspect throughout the afternoon.

The second half was slightly better than the first, probably because the game opened up as the teams tired. Clear-cut chances remained at a premium, although Aylesbury were convinced they should have had a penalty as Baker was brought crashing to ground but referee Mr G Scott saw no offence.

In the 62nd minute, neat interplay between Julian Charles and Maskell resulted in the latter firing in a curling shot that didn't bend enough to go inside the far post. Two minutes later, the excellent Hollingdale was replaced by Micky Woolner, resulting in Duncan reverting to the left side.

Woolner's first contribution should have resulted in the opening goal too. He delivered a perfect floating cross that eluded the Aylesbury defence and was right into Paul Towler's path. Instead of a cushioned, downward header for a goal, Towler powered his attempt over the crossbar. He was so close to the target that his impetus took him into the goal, where he stood momentarily, head in hands, a picture of misery.

Rob Haworth took over from the tiring Endersby. It released Binns to go to the left flank, where he took over as Williams' tormentor-in-chief The Aylesbury skipper was regularly assisted by Daniel Gordon, but the pair of them were still second best on many occasions. When the ball came over, it always just eluded a blue-shirted Hendon player.

Kieran Gallagher replaced Paul Yates for the final few minutes and the former Aylesbury hero received a warm welcome from the home fans. He responded by delivering the injury-time cross from which Hendon eventually scored their winner.

Three minutes into stoppage time, his right wing cross fell to Crace, whose goalbound shot had Hodson comprehensively beaten. Unfortunately, Haworth couldn't get out of the way and the ball thumped into his midriff. Towler was next to try his luck, but Hodson parried the ball away.

At this point it should have been a routine clearance for Alex Stanley. However, he didn't reckon on WILLIAMS coming back to help out. The ball cannoned off him and nestled in the bottom corner. Four Aylesbury players sank to the ground in despair as Hendon celebrated.

"On the second half performance, I think we thoroughly deserved to win today," said delighted manager Dave Anderson, one of 8 Hendon staff members with an Aylesbury connection. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win a game and we haven't had much for a few weeks."