Hendon slipped out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle with a performance that was matched in its dismal showing only by the incessant and driving rain that accompanied much of the 90 minutes on the South Coast.

With skipper Lee Chappell ruled out with a broken hand sustained on Tuesday night against Walton Casuals and Tre Charles cup-tied, Ryan Hope returned after almost four weeks out into the starting line-up and Kameron English also made his return after a few weeks out with injury. New signing Reece Stray was amongst the substitutes whilst Luton Town loan-signing, Corey Panter, was ineligible having not quite signed in time on Friday.

Kicking against the strong wind that was blowing off the coast in the first half, the Greens couldn’t have made a worse start. Ryan Hope prodded away a low cross into the Hendon box and the loose ball was picked up by John-Paul Kissock. His pass left found David Martin in acres of space and his cross was neatly turned into the far corner by Connor Tighe, who found himself between the two Hendon centre halves.

Fifteen minutes later a Hendon attack floundered and the Hawks were able to break. Martin sent the ball inside to Henry Muggeridge who juggled the ball over his marker and skipped around the other side. A neat one-two with Tighe saw the Hawks winger through on goal. Although Grace made a good block with his body, as the ball broke only a red shirt showed any urgency to get onto the rebound. That red shirt was worn by Tighe and his chip over Grace was measured to perfection as it spun over the line and into the net.

Whilst Hendon looked to get a foothold back in the game, Whitehawk’s midfield had a complete stranglehold on proceedings with Kissock and Muggeridge, in particular, finding pockets of space in which to operate and dictate proceedings.

Amartey went on a trademark darting run down the inside left channel after retrieving an overhit pass but his low cut-back didn’t have the required angle and James Broadbent comfortably gathered before Reece Mitchell went close to reducing the arrears when he pounced upon a headed clearance from a Hendon corner, beat a man and then curled his effort inches wide of Broadbent’s left hand upright.

Faced once again with a 2-goal mountain to climb at the break, with better finishing the Greens could have found themselves level. Straight from the kick-off Calcutt laid Amartey through on goal but under pressure from two red-shirted defenders the on-loan Slough man was unable to get enough on his shot and Broadbent saved with his foot.

Mitchell then stooped to head a deep Howard Hall cross wide of the post before Muggeridge found acres of space in between the Hendon centre halves to find himself through on goal once again. Trying to lift the ball over Grace he found the Hendon goalkeeper to large an obstacle to beat. Muggeridge worked the loose ball back to Tighe who was denied a hat-trick by an excellent low block from Hendon’s custodian.

David Martin was next to go close, firing a low left footed drive just wide of the far post after neat interplay in midfield by the home side and then Broadbent made an excellent save of his own from an Amartey shot at the other end. The rebound fell invitingly for Calcutt who took a touch less than 6 yards out, something that allowed Luke Emberson to slide in and take the ball off the Hendon skipper's toe. A first-time strike by Hendon's number 9 and he would surely have scored.

Mitchell then fired wastefully over from a good position after being found on the angle by Ryan Hope before the Hawk’s thought they had found the all-important 3rd goal when substitute Duane Ofori-Acheampong headed home from close range. Their celebrations were cut short by a linesman’s flag, though, and with 20 minutes left it looked as though Hendon might be staging a comeback.

Sergio Manesio knocked a ball into the penalty area and found Calcutt, with the better portion of a postcode to himself, to calmly side-foot the ball into the corner of the net for his 5th goal of the campaign.

Any hopes of a fightback were extinguished less than two minutes later in the most inexplicable circumstances imaginable.

Chris Grace was bundled over outside his penalty area, about eight yards from the corner flag by Ofori-Acheampong and took a quick free-kick to Luke Tingey who was stood inside the penalty area. Tingey, thinking Grace was knocking him the ball to take the dead-ball himself reached down to stop the ball with his hand and as he did so, the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

David Martin stepped up to administer punishment and did so with aplomb, smashing the penalty beyond Grace.

Amartey went close once again with a fierce left footed strike that went over the top but it was the hosts, with 8 minutes remaining, who sealed the deal when Lewis Unwin's strike from 20-yards squirmed under the diving Grace and into the bottom corner of the net to put a sheen on a thoroughly deserved result for the lower ranked hosts.