Hendon ensured they remained in second place behind Maidstone by grinding out a hard-fought 2-0 win against an in-form Leatherhead, having to navigate the bulk of the second half with ten men after Lee O'Leary was dismissed after a second booking for a bad challenge.

The team showed a number of changes from the one which started at Silver Jubilee Park 44 hours earlier - Dave Diedhiou, Charlie Goode, O'Leary and Kezie Ibe, coming if for Sam Flegg, James Fisher, Max McCann and Leon Smith, but none of the other seven showed signs of exhaustion that Leatherhead were able to exploit, especially in a tight opening half.

Both teams struggled to come to terms with the difficult conditions, the strong wind being the most disruptive feature. It meant that chances were at a premium, and the opening goal came from the first real attempt on goal.

It was Hendon who took the lead, as Aaron Morgan's header from a superbly-flighted corner looping over Louis Wells and dropping into the net in the 33rd minute. In the remaining dozen or so minutes of the first half, there were no more meaningful attempts on goal.

O'Leary, booked in the first half, made another bad challenge soon after the resumption and received a long lecture from the referee, very clearly stressing that any further indiscretions would end his afternoon's work prematurely.

Moments later, Hendon added to their advantage as Casey Maclaren slotted the ball smartly past Wells after being played through into the Leatherhead penalty area.

Any thoughts Hendon might have had of a comfortable ride to the final whistle were dashed in the 55th minute when O'Leary needlessly and recklessly went in from behind on a Leatherhead player, The second yellow card and a red were inevitable, leaving Hendon 35 minutes to hold on.

O'Leary's departure prompted a change from Hendon boss Gary McCann, bringing on defender James Fisher to replace the attacking force of Andre Da Costa. But such was Hendon's comfort that it was until the final 10 minutes that the Greens made their other substitutions, Max McCann coming on for Aaron Morgan and Flegg taking over from Maclaren.

Despite their numerical advantage, the Tanners were unable to benefit. Although they spent most of the second period camped in the Hendon half, Leatherhead failed to create many chances thanks to resolute Hendon defending and poor end product.

The second half was littered with unforced errors from Leatherhead players on the flanks, assisting Hendon in defending their two-goal lead and maintaining their increasingly impressive unbeaten run.

Leatherhead's only attempts on goal were either inaccurate or comfortably dealt with by Ben McNamara in the Hendon goal. The Hendon defence held firm for the remainder of the game, with both Dave Diedhiou and Elliott Braithwaite putting in massive shifts

And there was further celebration at the final whistle when results elsewhere in the Ryman League Premier meant that Hendon are just one win away from guaranteeing a top-four finish for the first time in more than a decade, and a first-ever playoff berth.