Hendon collected their second win of their pre-season campaign at a blustery Honeycroft against Uxbridge with two goals in the final six minutes to beat former Greens boss Tony Choules' charges. Hendon remember their previous trip to the Honeycroft with fondness having won the Middlesex Senior Cup in a penalty shoot-out against Staines in April, however such has been the upheaval at the Greens this summer that not one member of the playing or coaching staff from that triumph remains.
The vast majority of the game was of a poor quality with little craft on show in either final third and with the gusty swirling wind carrying high balls out of play with alarming regularity. It was this wind which provided Hendon with their nearest effort of the first half as Zaki Oualaha's clearance from just outside his own penalty area which had Paul McCarthy scrambling back towards his own goal and watch with mild relief as the ball brushed the side netting on its way just wide of his right hand post.
At the other end, Junior Osborne and Lee Chappell marshalled the Hendon back-four well as the hosts, prompted by the veteran pairing of James Burgess and former Hayes man Kevin Warner, looked to make the breakthrough and just past the half hour mark they beat the Hendon offside trap as Tyrone Pink burst through on goal. His low effort drew an excellent save from Oualah down to his left to preserve his blank sheet.
The second half provided a little more in the way of entertainment, particularly after the introduction of a pair of new trialists, one of whom replaced Tyriq Hunte on the left side of the attack and the other replacing Prince Mbengui in a midfield role. The former came closest to opening the scoring when shooting over when well placed, whilst Uxbridge brought on former Hendon men Craige Tomkins and Anthony Thomas up front to try and break the deadlock. Neither player got any change from Osborne, Romario Jonas and then Howard Hall after Osborne's removal.
The opening goal came six minutes from time when one of the trialists beat Uxbridge's substitute goalkeeper, who had been on the pitch for no more than 40 seconds, to a ball forward and neatly rounded him. Managing to keep the ball in play, he then rounded the goalkeeper for a second time before showing presence of mind to cut the ball back to the second trialist who was able to plant the ball into an unguarded net.
The Greens gave the scoreline a bit of flourish with the final touch of the game when Taishan Griffith, a Saturday morning signing, swung in a superb cross from the right flank which was chested home by the creator of the first goal from about six yards to complete another valuable exercise in which the Greens' performance as the afternoon wore on and from which James Gray would have learned plenty.