Hendon were, for the second week running, saved from defeat by substitute Brian Haule, who scored in the last minute to earn his team a point. This time, however, a draw was the very least Hendon deserved.

Rob Haworth came into the starting line-up as Mark Cooper sat out the match with an injury. As he filled the role of central striker, it meant a major reshuffle, with Mark Burgess and Rob Hollingdale as full-backs, Paul Towler partnering Steve Butler in the centre of the defence, Ricci Crace to the right side of midfield and Paul Yates joining Jon-Barrie Bates in the centre of midfield.

The first half was pretty tough to watch. Maidenhead's offside tactics certainly won't win them many friends on their travels, but if it wins them points, then their club officials will be happy to see them continue. Hendon certainly couldn't work it out, although the assistant referees managed to make a large number of number of errors. Even if the mistakes balanced each other out, the fact is two wrongs don't make a right.

The worst error of the half was made by referee Tim Ingram (Basingstoke) came when Maidenhead were caught offside, but he failed to notice the flag, then awarded the Magpies a free-kick for a foul by Haworth. Only after giving a long lecture to Haworth did he realise that awareness of the earlier incident would have rendered the subsequent action moot.

Maidenhead's only effort of note in the first half was a 7th minute free-kick from Matt Glynn that bounced just in front of David Hook, but the goalkeeper dealt with the danger comfortably. Hendon's best opportunity fell to Haworth who, in the 31st minute, got around the back of the defence, but Richard Barnard produced an excellent save to deny him.

The second half was much better. In the 46th minute, Glynn got into a great position to meet Obinna Ulasi's cross, but he put the effort wide from close in.

Hendon had the bulk of play and actually much more success against the offisde trap. In the 54th minute Paul Yates' clever corner gave Martin Randall a chance, but Barnard pulled off a fine save despite being unsighted.

Three minutes later, Ulasi shot across the face of Hook's goal, but neitgher Mark Nicholls nor Lawrence Yaku could get a touch. The play moved to the other end and when Kieran Gallagher took advantage of Brian Connor falling over, he should have done better with his shot.

A minute later, Hendon wasted their best chance.when a flick on from Butler gave Haworth a great opportunity to score his first Hendon goal, but aiming for the top corner of the goal, he put too much power on his header and the ball flew over the crossbar. Almost anywhere on target would have brought a goal and his realisation that a golden chance had been spurned was clear to see.

In the 65th minute, Haworth was unlucky to put another header just wide following a good cross by Yates. As the game progressed with all these chances going begging, there was a nagging feeling that Maidenhead might just break away and snatch the all-important goal.

the instincts proved correct because, in the 75th minute, that is exactly what happened. Maidenhead had already replaced the diminutive Yaku with the giant Ricky Ibe and he caused a different set of problems for Hendon's defence. The Greens failed to clear an attack down the Magpies right wing and when the ball came across Ryan ASHE was unmarked and his looping header dipped over Hook before dropping into the net.

Almost immediately, Haworth burst clear of the Maidenhead defence but as Barnard came off his line, he dragged his shot wastefully wide. In the 83rd minute, Gallagher curled a free-kick over the crossbar from 20 yards out.

Hendon made two changes in the last 10 minutes, bringing on Eugene Ofori for Crace and Haule for Burgess. Maidenhead bolstered their defence by sending on Andy Cook for Nicholls.

Then in the last minute of normal time, Hendon snatched a controversial equaliser. Mr Ingram and his assistant again made a mess of a simple decision, this time a throw-in following an injury to Maidenhead's Orlando Jeffrey. Barnard put the ball out of play and it was only after the ball crossed the sideline that the physio was allowed on.

Mr Ingram tried to start play with a free-kick to Maidenhead, only for his assistant, correctly, to overrule him. Haworth, who had been running back to the centre circle when Barnard put the ball out of play, threw the ball in to Towler, as opposed to a Maidenhead player, because that is what the assistant referee told him to do.

The ball was cleared for a corner, which Yates curled in. The header was won by Connor, but he did not clear the ball far. Another attempt to deliver the ball into the danger area was repulsed and it fell to Bates 10 yards from the centre-circle.

He lifted the ball over the defence into the path of a suspiciously offisde-looking Ofori, whose touch sent it onto a more clearly offside Haule. He brought the ball down but was forced into a very acute angle by Barnard, but it made no difference to HAULE, who struck a searing drive just inside the far post.

The Maidenhead team sprinted over to the asistant referee and Mr Ingram to complain both about the offside and the fact that the throw in a minute earlier had not been thrown back to them. The goal stood and Hendon escaped.

"Today was all about the chances we missed," admitted manager Dave Anderson. "It was not a great game, but Robbbie Haworth could have had a hat-trick. Still, we are unbeated at home and have lost only once in 10 games this season."