at LOOT Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Shots probably deserved their victory, Mark BENTLEY's expert left-foot finish from 10 yards in the 38th minute - after he had controlled a long pass from Lee Protheroe on the right side of the penalty area and beaten two defenders - being the only goal.

Hendon could not complain about the goal, any disallowed Hendon efforts nor about Michael Woolner's 84th minute red card for an awful-looking challenge on Mark Graham. However, the paying public could feel aggrieved that the game had gone ahead at all, since although by the Laws of the Game the match should have gone ahead, visibility was such that from behind either goal, it was impossible to see the far end of the pitch.

Hendon had 3 half chances, all in the second half. In the 47th minute, Ross Pickett flicked a cross from Leon Woodruffe, which Gareth Howells save well. A minute later, a diagonal ball was lost by the Aldershot defence, and Martin Randall attempted to lob Howells, who had come off his line and was caught in no-man's land. The attempt turned into a cross which the 'keeper save at the feet of Woodruffe. In the 68th minute, Woodruffe had a good chance on the run, but his shot went just wide.

Aldershot also had chances, but David Hook pulled off a couple of fine saves and some other chances went just wide. Certainly most of the play was at the Hendon end and they had to defend a number of Aldershot corners.

Just before the flashpoint of the sending off, Hendon were denied a penalty when a shove from an Aldershot defender on Pickett felled the striker. It was a very clever manoeuvre, because the player fell as the ball was hit, so neither the referee nor the assistant saw the incident.

However, neither man saw the bad challenge of Dale Binns by Jason Chewins, moments before Woolner saw red, and if Mr Deadman had seen the incident and stopped play for the foul Hendon's way, then the full-back would have been unlikely to have taken the law into his own hands.

"I can't comment on the game tonight," admitted manager Dave Anderson. "I could not see all the pitch. From what I saw, we worked hard, but they took their chance and we didn't take ours."