Hendon finished 2014 sitting proudly in third place in the Ryman League Premier Division, on 50 points, after seeing off Wingate & Finchley at Earlsmead on Christmas Saturday. Discipline was the key to the Greens' victory as Hendon were awarded two penalties and the Blues finished with nine men after two players had been dismissed.

Kevin Maclaren returned to the starting line-up in place of Andre Da Costa, while Tony Taggart took over from the injured Ollie Sprague. With Casey Maclaren on the subs bench, it marked the first time since September that the two Maclaren brothers were involved in the same game.

The first chance of the match went to Wingate & Finchley, in the third minute, when they were awarded a free-kick midway inside the Hendon half. Richard Graham curled the ball into the penalty area, but it was cleared without too much difficulty.

Five minutes later, Hendon took the lead in slightly fortunate circumstances. An innocuous right wing cross was about to be gathered by Bobby Smith when defender Harold Joseph ran into him.

The goalkeeper spilled the ball and it was quickly fed back to Leon Smith. The former Wingate & Finchley front man was all alone as the ball was rolled to him and, trusting his touch, Smith swept a first-time shot into the almost unguarded net.

A superb passing move almost brought a second Hendon goal in the 15th minute. James Fisher, Chris Seeby, Sam Murphy and Leon Smith combined to set up Kezie Ibe, whose drilled shot was superbly turned over the crossbar by Bobby Smith.

It wasn't all one-way traffic because the Hendon defence had occasional moments of discomfort. A run from David Knight then ended with a shot aimed at the near post, but Ben McNamara made a relatively comfortable low saw. Stuart Lake then tried his luck from distance, but was off target.

The Greens' lead was doubled in the 29th minute and it was Leon Smith who completed his double and reached the 20-goal mark for the season. It was set up by some lovely play by Fisher, but Smith did well to leap to control the ball on his chest, land and get clear of Marc Weatherstone before lashing the ball past Bobby Smith.

Almost immediately after the restart, Lee O'Leary became the first player to receive a yellow card. His lunge was unnecessary and the caution the least he deserved.

In the last 15 minutes of the first half, there were three penalty claims, none of which were awarded, and three more cautions all to Wingate & Finchley. The first incident involved former Hendon midfielder Scott Shulton, but he appeared to be off balance when going down as he tried to go between a pair of Greens defenders.

Ibe appeared to be tripped when he ran into the penalty area. There were a crowd of players and it is likely that neither the referee nor his assistant had a clear view, though the sound of boot on boot was more telling evidence. The last penalty appeal was back in the Hendon penalty area, but a handball claim against Elliott Brathwaite was rejected.

Before the second half started both teams made a change. Hendon's Fisher, who had been outstanding in the first 45 minutes, was replaced by Casey Maclaren, while the Blues sent on striker Karl Oliyide for the more defensive Lake.

It was an inspired move because it took only five minutes for Oliyide to make an impact. The former Hendon player, who has one of the shortest careers in Greens' history - one substitute appearance (a League match against Hampton & Richmond Borough in April 2014) starting in the final minute of normal time - showed what he was capable of with a stunning cross-shot that flew into the top corner.

For the next 15 minutes, Wingate & Finchley were on top but, apart from a mazy Knight run and shot which went across the face of goal and ended eight yards wide, there was little of real danger to the Hendon defence.

Seeby, Brathwaite, Charlie Goode and Taggart were able to keep the Blues attackers quiet - especially Tommy Tejan-Sie and Knight. Apart from his goal, Oliyide did little of note thereafter.

Hendon didn't create much themselves until the game changed midway through the second half. A ball was played into Leon Smith, who tussled with Weatherstone as they ran into the penalty area.

Smith got the better of the Wingate & Finchley captain, but could not reach the ball as he was held back. It seemed an obvious penalty decision, but the Blues argued long and hard after the referee had pointed to spot.

When the match official produced a red card, it seemed that Weatherstone had been dismissed for his comments about the decision, but it transpired later that his offence had been denying Smith an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

After a long delay, Sam Murphy drilled the ball high into the net past Bobby Smith's dive. With a little less than 20 minutes remaining, Hendon made their final two changes, Taggart and Leon Smith being replaced by Dave Diedhiou and Peter Dean, respectively. A little later, the Blues sent on Paul Wright for Graham.

The nastiness continued as the booking count for both teams continued to mount. A collision just outside the Hendon penalty area might have been ruled a foul and the Hendon defender involved may well have seen red, but the referee allowed play to continue, deeming that contact was accidental.

As the game entered the final minute or so of normal time, Ibe set up Dean with a shooting opportunity. Ahmet Rifat, one of the the Blues players on a yellow card, raced across and made what most fans behind the goal - and Dean himself - considered to be a superb block.

The referee, however, disagreed and felt the acting captain had raised his foot in the challenge. He awarded a penalty, much to the fury of visiting players, and their rage went past boiling point when Rifat was shown another yellow card and then a red.

Murphy had the chance to put the icing on the Hendon cake, but Smith won this mind game and made a fine save. The goalkeeper, booked moments earlier for dissent as he took on the captain's armband, might well have received another card for his comments to the referee as the ball was cleared, but the official did not take further action.