Hendon produced a season-ending performance that was reminiscent of the whole campaign, reasonable start, poor in the middle and then a horrendous finish. A double for Tooting & Mitcham United striker Jake Baxter was the difference between the two sides, but the victory and its margin was the very least the Terrors deserved.

Casey Maclaren's return after limping off in the Bognor defeat was a surprise and testament to his desire to help the cause. On the bench, after almost eight months out, was Scott Shulton and he was joined by Carl McCluskey and a trio of teenagers, Ben Pattie, Brandon Adams and Luke Tingey, with the latter eventually two unused.

In the first ten minutes, Hendon took the game to Tooting, managed by former Hendon defender Frank Wilson (he played five times in the 2008-09 season and has yet to reach 30 years of age but, apart from a free-kick by Finbarr Robins, there was no end-product. Robins' free-kick was high, wide and not at all handsome.

Gradually, Tooting got into the game and they were quick to put the Hendon defence under pressure. Sam Flegg and Maclaren were forced to work overtime while neither Chris Seeby nor Oliver Sprague were able to get forward and ask questions of Tooting's defence.

In the 25th minute, Ashley Robinson ran onto a through ball down the right side and was well inside the penalty area as he shot goalwards. The effort beat Wright, but the angle was just too much and the ball flew wide of the far post.

When Hendon players actually put the Tooting defence under pressure, it was clear that alarm bells started ringing. In the 27th minute, Kezie Ibe's run was halted illegally just outside the penalty area.

It was perfectly set up for Robins to try his luck with another free-kick. His effort beat the wall and left goalkeeper Matt Pierson a spectator. However, the ball went just outside the far post.

The Hendon defence was being over-run and Wright was called into action more than once making fine saves from Kurtis Pykes, Baxter and Matt Price. Just before the break, Robinson blotted his copy-book, picking up a yellow card for a bad foul on Sprague.

Sadly for Robins, his match ended just a couple of minutes into the second half, his muscle injury returning. His replacement was not one of natural forwards, Adams or Pattie, but Shulton.

Accurate shooting from Hendon was not a feature of this match as efforts from Keagan Cole, Flegg and Sam Murphy all proved. At the other end, although the Terrors' raids contained significantly more menace, when Baxter, Antonio Simeone and Price tried their luck, their accuracy, in the main, matched that of Hendon.

When Hendon finally put an effort on target, it proved costly. A free-kick was headed powerfully goalwards by Maclaren, but Pierson was perfectly positioned to catch the ball above his head.

He was quick to release the ball downfield and Max Bettache failed to deal with the danger, allowing Price to run towards goal. His low cross found Baxter in acres of space and he beat Wright comprehensively for his 30th goal of the season.

Cole was replaced by McCluskey, but Hendon really needed an out and out forward to support the increasingly isolated Ibe. On the rare occasions Ibe did see the ball, two defenders were quick to hustle him away from the danger zone.

Hendon made their final change, with Maclaren making way for Pattie. The young QPR striker quickly showed that a more direct way forward could pay dividends.

He got past a defender and delivered a ball into the danger area, right into the path of Ibe. The striker hit the ball first time, but directed it inches wide of the near post.

It was a gilt-edged chance and it might have mirrored the London Cup final 12 months ago, when the late - and undeserved - leveller broke Tooting hearts, and led to Hendon running away the game in extra time.

This time there was to be no comeback. With three minutes to go, Price broke into the penalty area and his run was stopped unceremoniously and illegally. There were no complaints about the award of a penalty and Baxter smashed the penalty home to make it 2-0.

The match ended on a sour note when Shulton and Price clashed just outside the Hendon penalty area. It was unseemly and the referee, after consulting both assistants, showed both players yellow cards. Unfortunately for the Tooting play-maker, it was his second of the evening and he was in the dressing room when the final whistle sounded a few moments later.