Hendon may have had to endure a worrying final 20 minutes against Bognor Regis Town on Monday night, but they had done more than enough in the first 70 to say that the 1-0 victory was more than deserved. Casey Maclaren's goal, early in the second half, proved to be the difference between the two teams.

There were two changes from the 11 which had started the first three games, Andre Da Costa - making his first start for the Greens - and Aaron Morgan coming in for Dave Deidhiou and Leon Smith. They were both named on the subs bench.

Bognor started the game more brightly and although they forced Hendon to do some early defending, they didn't actually create any chances. The Greens gradually began to exert control and, for the last 35 minutes of the half, were completely dominant.

If Hendon had turned around at half-time leading 3-0, it would not have been an unfair reflection of their hold on the game. In the 23rd minute, Casey Maclaren should have opened the scoring when the ball fell to him in a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

Kezie Ibe also sniffed the chance of a goal and he may have slightly put off Maclaren. Either way, the ball was on its way into the roof of the net, until Chris Winterton stuck out a leg and the goalkeeper deflected the ball over the crossbar.

Five minutes later, Sam Murphy worked himself a shooting opportunity. He struck the ball well enough, but a Bognor defender stuck out a leg and sent the ball high into the air. Winterton, at full stretch, concentrated well and was able to catch the spinning ball midway inside the six-yard box.

Da Costa found himself in some space and he tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Once again a Bognor defender diverted the ball and, with Winterton well beaten, he was grateful that his deflection went inches wide of the near post and not just inside it.

Hendon were enjoying plenty of possession down the right flank, where Chris Seeby posed some teasing questions of the visitors' defence.

In the 37th minute, Ibe got just in front of Craig Robson and was faced by Winterton. Under pressure from Robson, Ibe knocked the ball past the goalkeeper, who brought him down.

There is no question about it being a penalty. The referee judged that Ibe's last touch was too strong for him to have been able to do much with the ball had he not been brought down, so the decision not to show a card of any kind was the right one.

With Smith on the bench, it was left to Lee O'Leary to take responsibility for the spot-kick. He struck the ball hard and high - too hard and too high as it turned out - and the ball crashed off the wall of the clubhouse before landing on the terraces.

Oliver Sprague was the next player to be denied by a Bognor intervention. His drive was headed over his own crossbar by Osa Obamwonyi but the defender was a touch fortunate his block went away from the target.

Five minutes into the second half, Hendon's first-half perseverance got its due reward. A corner was not cleared well and Kevin Maclaren played the ball back into the Bognor penalty area.

The ball was fed on and Casey Maclaren made no mistake with a confident finish.

Five minutes later, Bognor made a double substitution, withdrawing Jake Thomson and Ben Johnson and sending on Harvey Whyte and Ollie Pearce. Last season, Pearce had been a thorn in the Hendon side in both fixtures, but his confidence has taken a knock, so was only a substitute. His arrival, however, immediately galvanised the Rocks, who began to ask some questions of the Hendon defence.

Seeby was forced to rein in his attacking intentions, as was Sprague, but George Legg was well protected by Elliott Brathwaite and Casey Maclaren. The young goalkeeper did have a couple of saves to make, but they were not difficult.

Bognor then suffered a blow when Charlie Oatway was knocked out after falling awkwardly in an aerial challenge just beyond the far post at the Hendon end. Fortunately he came round within a couple of minutes and was immediately taken off to be replaced by Ryan Morey.

Hendon didn't really create a great deal in the second half. They forced a couple of corners, but either Obamwonyi or Craig Robson dealt with them. The Rocks still like to attack on the counter and, on the break following on of these set-pieces, they moved downfield menacingly.

Kevin Maclaren showed outstanding discipline in pulling out of a challenge - one that would certainly have brought a yellow card as he had no chance of winning the ball. At the end of the break, the covering Sprague stopped Darren Wheeler, with an excellent interception.

Bognor's discipline throughout the evening had not been great – three players being shown yellow cards for a variety of offences. And things got worse in the last few minutes of normal time when Obamwonyi was shown a straight red for a flailing arm as he jumped for the ball on the edge of the Hendon penalty area.

With Bognor, a man down and committed to finding an equaliser, there were going to be gaps in their defence. Leon Smith - on for Ibe (Taggart had replaced Da Costa) - had one chance, but he drilled a shot over the crossbar. Morgan also worked himself an opening, but the Paul Hinshelwood timed his intervention perfectly.

Nonetheless, there was still enough time for Bognor to fashion one more good chance. A cross from Wheeler needed a solid header from Pearce - on target, of course - to bring an equaliser.

Instead Pearce either misjudged the speed and/or flight of the ball or tried a clever flick. Either way, the contact was nothing like enough and the ball flew wide of the far post.