Lee Allinson’s first match in charge as Hendon manager ended in a drab defeat on Wednesday night as they were well beaten by Farnborough on a damp and chilly evening.

With Allinson’s appointment having been announced on the morning of the game, coach Scott McGleish picked the side and there was a first start for on-loan defender Corey Panter at left-back and a recall for Tre Charles, who had been cup-tied for the FA Trophy defeat at Whitehawk. Tom Hamblin also returned after a month out injured and skippered the side in the absence of the injured Lee Chappell, Luke Tingey dropping to the bench.

For the fourth match in succession the first goal came in the fifth minute and this was the third occasion that the Greens conceded first. A left-wing cross from Reggie Young was met by the foot of a Hendon defender but he could only hammer his clearance against Thomas Leggett and the rebound flew into the corner of the net.

Try as they might, Hendon simply couldn’t get a foothold in the game whilst Farnborough’s wide men, Young and Andrew Sealey-Harris showed pace and an elusive edge on more than one occasion, running at their men, not afraid to cut inside and using the skiddy surface to their advantage with snap shots from the edge of the penalty area.

It was no surprise when the lead was doubled just beyond the half-hour mark. Tre Charles found himself running into a cul-de-sac and was dispossessed inside his own half and when the ball was fed to Connor Cullen, the Farnborough striker sent a superb strike beyond Grace from the edge of the box and into the far corner of the net.

The visitors finally began to grow into the game in the twenty minutes either side of half-time – Connor Calcutt, back at Cherrywood Road, had a shot deflected wide for a corner whilst CJ Fearn made two other excellent blocks from Hendon shots and after the break a 20-yard strike from Sergio Manesio was tipped wide by the fingertips of Liam Beech in the Farnborough goal.

The sucker punch came just before the hour mark when Sealey-Harris struck a shot from 25-yards which again, skipped off the surface and picked up pace to beat the dive of Grace and give the hosts what looked like an unassailable lead.

The Hendon goalkeeper made two or three good saves to prevent further additions to the score-line whilst Hamblin went close with a header after he had a shot blocked, once again by the outstanding Fearn and it was he who provided the icing on Farnborough’s cake in the final 10 minutes, turning home a loose ball inside the 6-yard box after Hendon had failed to deal with a right-wing corner.

Although a thoroughly disappointing evening for the Hendon faithful, the onlooking Allinson will have a much better idea as to the scale of the task ahead of him as he prepares for the crucial visit of bottom side Beaconsfield Town on Saturday afternoon.