Hendon and Maidstone United played out a thoroughly entertaining game on Saturday afternoon at Earlsmead, with the Kent side running out 5-3 winners.

Gary McCann made a number of changes to the starting line up, with Lee Angol and Junior Morias both returning to the club on a month's loan from Wycombe Wanderers, whilst their team-mate Charlie Horlock, who is on loan until the beginning of January, took over from the injured Berkley Laurencin between the sticks. Also coming into the starting XI were Brandon Horner and Dave Diedhiou.

The game was played end-to-end in a way that would have horrified football purists, and was described by visiting goalkeeper Lee Worgan as being like schoolboy football. But it was a game that thoroughly entertained the crowd at Earlsmead despite the delayed kick-off caused by problems on the motorways.

Maidstone began in the ascendency, but it was the Greens who took the lead somewhat against the run of play when a shot from Angol took a wicked deflection which took the ball past a despairing Lee Worgan in the 16th minute. However, the Stones were soon back on level terms when Frannie Collin found the back of the net after being played in by Orlando Smith.

Less than five minutes later Hendon were back in front when some deft approach play resulted in a beautiful cross from Morias being headed home by Diedhiou off the far post. But the lead was once again shortlived as Maidstone equalised again, Collin coolly slotting home his second.

The first half goal deluge ended in the 39th minute when Maidstone took a lead they were to not relinquish for the rest of the game as the prolific Paul Booth stuck the ball in the net after a neat turn in the box.

The breakneck pace resumed in the second half, with both sides wasting chances, Jefferson Louis hitting the post with a free-kick, and also seeing a shot fly narrowly over the bar. Maidstone's fourth goal arrived in the 58th minute courtesy of a smart finish from Alex Brown.

In the 65th minute Louis pulled a goal back when he slammed the ball into the top corner, but within a minute Maidstone had re-established their two-goal advantage as Brown touched home a loose ball in front of goal.

Whilst that was the end of the scoring for the afternoon, it certainly wasn't the end of the action, as both keepers were forced into smart saves as the Greens searched for the goals to get themselves back in the game, and the Stones searched for goals to extend the lead.

Despite the defeat, the Greens performance was much brighter and much improved from Monday's defeat against Dulwich, and they aren't going to come up against a striking partnership of the calibre of Collin and Booth very often this season.