Hendon bounced back from the disappointment of losing 2-0 at home to Boreham Wood on Wednesday night (Elis Kodra, with a free kick after 26 minutes, and Scott Forrester in the 88th minute) by defeating Bedford Town at the New Eyrie on Saturday afternoon. It was a rip-roaring afternoon's entertainment.

It was the second time that the Greens have rebounded from a 2-0 home defeat to win 3-2 away 3 days later, scoring a late, late winner. After Wednesday's d�b�cle, Hendon made one personnel and one position change, Jon-Barrie Bates coming into the centre of midfield for Paul Yates and Steve Forbes shifting to the right side of midfield.

The game got off to a fiery and controversial start. After 20 seconds, Lee Harvey caught an accidental kick from Ricci Crace as the defender stooped to head a bouncing ball. It was no more than 5 yards from the assistant referee and 15 from the referee, but both were paralysed by indecision.

Harvey staggered slightly, holding his head, as Hendon took a throw-in, but didn't seem badly injured. Adrian Clarke passed the ball back to Crace, who was a step outside the penalty area. He was upended by Harvey's crude challenge, catching him above the knee.

Crace went down immediately, while Harvey slumped to the ground as soon he tried to put weight on his leg. Amazingly referee Mr Ramsay decided that Crace had committed the foul. Unfortunately for Bedford and Harvey, he was stretchered off the pitch and replaced by Gary Hoy.

In the 7th minute, Bedford should have taken the lead. Mark Paul ran unchallenged towards the Hendon penalty area and fired in a powerful 20-yard drive. David Hook produced a fine save to push the ball aside. It fell into the path of Carl Williams, who had an almost open goal to aim at. He rolled the ball a yard wide of the near post.

Williams' opposite number, Crace, showed him how it should be done in the 18th minute. Forbes and Martin Randall exchanged passes near the halfway line, before a delightful chip over the defence released Crace, who had beaten Bedford's offside trap.

Paul Covington, who had already been cautioned for a foul on Crace, could not catch the striker as he bore down on goal. Steve Wilson came off his line to narrow the angle, but CRACE beat him with a powerful drive past his right hand.

The Eagles tried to fight back, but they found Micky Woolner, Steve Butler, Mark Cooper and Jamie Burgess in uncompromising mood defensively and Bedford had few sights of the Hendon goal.

Their job became harder in the 36th minute, when Hendon added a second goal. Forbes started a move down the right wing, but Bedford won the ball back, only to lose out on the left side.

CLARKE collected the loose ball and tried a shot from near to the angle of the penalty area. The effort appeared to be on target but any hope Wilson had of making a save disappeared when the ball struck Gary Williams on the thigh and the deflection ensured it bounced over his dive on its way into the side netting inside the far post.

On the stroke of half-time, Randall was cautioned for shouting at Mr Ramsay, "that was handball," after a shot had cannoned off a Bedford defender. As both the referee and Randall were perfectly placed to see the incident, it is hard to know exactly what offence the Hendon man had committed: there was no foul, abusive or threatening language and he certainly didn't chase the official.

Bedford manager Kevin Wilson gambled on getting back into the game by going to a 4-man attack for the second half, and it should have paid dividends a few minutes into the period. The chance fell to Rob Miller, but he failed to hit the target.

Nevertheless the Hendon defence was at full stretch and Hook had to produce a couple of fine saves to deny Bedford. Sucked into defending too deep, the Greens ceded possession and position to the Eagles and it was only a matter of time before the fortress was breached.

It came in the 72nd minute when former Sunderland defender Lee HOWEY nodded home a cross. It was frustrating for Hendon, because they had wasted 3 attempts at clearing the ball in the move that led to the goal.

Eugene Ofori immediately replaced the tiring Randall and he should have made the game safe in the 76th minute. He timed a run perfectly to beat Bedford's offside trap and was unchallenged as he ran in on goal. He shot past Wilson, but the ball went a foot wide of the near post.

Four minutes later, the miss took on greater importance as Bedford equalised. Gary WILLIAMS, whose deflection had led to Hendon's second goal, was unmarked at the far post as a hopeful cross eluded the Dons' defence and he slipped the ball past Hook.

Strangely, Bedford took their foot off the proverbial pedal, almost expecting victory. It was to cost them dear. The Eagles' offside trap caught Ofori in the 86th minute, but failed them again in the 89th.

Ofori sprinted down the right wing and drilled in a low cross. Paul TOWLER timed his run to perfection and he was all alone as he calmly side-footed the ball off Wilson's left hand as the goalkeeper overcommitted himself towards the far post.

Mr Ramsay allowed 7 minutes of stoppage time in the second half, during which time he penalised Ofori apparently for taking the ball towards the corner flag.

"Once again we showed our heart today," said a delighted Hendon manager Dave Anderson. "Not many teams would have won the game after conceding an equaliser so late in the game."