Hendon remain pointless and goalless after a second straight defeat to start the 2012-13 season, Hampton & Richmond Borough scoring three times without reply in the final quarter. The match was a near mirror-image of the game at Margate on Saturday.

Isaiah Rankin replaced Bradley Wadkins as the lone striker, while Scott Shulton came in for Kevin Maclaren, who like Wadkins was named on the bench. Junior Lewis was the one to drop out of the 16.

After a Dave Diedhiou shot was routinely saved at his near post by Rodney Chiweshe in the opening minute, Hampton & Richmond Borough contrived to miss three or four glorious openings before the half-hour mark. The first of these, in the third minute, was probably the best of them.

It came when a right wing cross was fisted away unconvincingly by Mo Mann and the ball dropped invitingly towards the head of Gary Holloway. The veteran midfielder needed only to put his header on target to give his team the lead, but the ball looped high and wide, much to his chagrin.

A combination of Maan and some desperate defending kept out the next group of chances, with blocks or saves denying the Beavers when goals seemed inevitable.

Having weathered the storm, Hendon gradually got a toe-hold in the game, without looking too dangerous at the business end of the pitch. After 29 minutes, a Dean Cracknell shot was blocked by a Hampton defender, but he was on the edge of his penalty area and it was too early to say whether Chiweshe would have been able to keep out the 25-yard drive.

The last quarter-hour of the first half was even, though the feeling was that Hendon were still a long way from firing on more than maybe half cylinders. On the stroke of half-time, from a free-kick just outside the Hampton penalty area, Michael Murray forced a flying save from Chiweshe.

In stoppage time, good work from Rankin brought him an opening. His cross to the far post was met by Jerome Federico, whose volley from 12 yards out, admittedly at a tightish angle, flew half a dozen yards over the crossbar.

The Hampton defence was more than happy to stop Hendon attacks by almost any means. Most of the time legitimate challenges did the job, but on a couple of occasions, what are called hard fouls in other sports, were used. Either way, Hendon still didn't look very much like breaking the deadlock.

Midway through the second half, just after Jack Mazzone had replaced Murray, Hendon almost opened the scoring. A superb diagonal ball from Cracknell released Rankin. He got past Max Hustwick and drew Chiweshe off his line.

The low cross which followed had just too much pace for Mazzone to apply the finishing touch and Diedhiou's desperate attempt to reach the ball was equally futile.

Two minutes later, Hendon conceded yet another soft goal. Once more, it came from them losing possession deep in the opposition territory, but this time, no one slowed or stopped Malvin Kamara, who beat James Parker and Wayne Walters before shooting past Maan.

Nine minutes later, Hendon’s difficult task took on the proportions of Mission Impossible when Joey Benjamin hit the back of the net, profiting from a defensive lapse by Wayne Walters.

Hendon's failure to deliver dangerous balls from wide positions was brought into focus when a routine cross was fumbled by Chiweshe, but none of the green-shirted players in the penalty area were able to react before the danger was dealt with.

Wadkins and Maclaren were introduced at the expense of Shulton and Diedhiou, but they weren't able to turn the inexorable tide. James Fisher headed a corner over the Hampton bar when under little pressure, but the next Hendon corner never got close an attacking player and only good work by Ryan Wharton and a covering midfielder denied Hampton another dangerous counter-attacking opportunity.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Hampton did add a third goal. Following a goalmouth scramble, Charlie Moone drilled home the loose ball. It probably gave the final scoreline a slightly unfair tilt, but the destination of the three points was entirely the right one.

"It was very disappointing," admitted Hendon manager Gary McCann. "I don't think we have the balance of the team right. At the moment our ball retention is very good at times, but I am not seeing a penetrative side to us.

"We are going to have a long look at ourselves on Thursday night and I might make some changes to what we had planned going into Saturday."