Hendon left themselves with just too much to do against AFC Hornchurch at Vale Farm on Sunday lunchtime and ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat as a result of a couple of defensive slips.

Had Hendon have won, they would have risen up to 13th in the Ryman League Premier Division, but the end to the Greens' run of four consecutive victories means they remain just outside the bottom four, ahead of Harlow Town on goal difference.

There were no changes to the Hendon 16, both in terms of starters and those named to the bench, a very rare occurrence given the team's misfortune with injuries this season.

The two teams were sizing up each other for the first eight or nine minutes but, out of almost nothing, Hornchurch took the lead. A cross from their left side from former Hendon favourite Dean Green found Simon Parker completely unmarked. William Viner was off his line quickly, but Parker expertly lobbed the ball over him.

Bouyed by the goal, Hornchurch began to show why they are on the cusp of the playoffs. They didn't display much sublety, but Dean and Simon Parker were a threat which Mark Kirby and James Parker had to work hard to quell. Green had another chance to score, but, at full stretch, could only toe-poke the ball into Viner's grateful arms.

For Hendon, Harry Hunt was up against a central defender twice his age in Jimmy McFarlane and the gnarled veteran, although never going to win a footrace against Hunt, ensured he never had the chance to be embarrassed. The only time Hunt had even a sniff of goal in the first half came after 23 minutes, when he turned well and fired a shot from 12 yards that flew just wide of the target.

Hendon's only effort on target in the first half was a header from Kirby. It bounced down and ended up as a comfortable catch for Urchins goalkeeper Darren Behcet.

In the 38th minute, Behcet was perhaps a touch fortunate to get away without sanction when a through ball from Kevin Maclaren invited Glenn Garner to run in on goal. Behcet came out of his penalty area and headed the ball clear. However, in his follow-through, he raised his elbow and caught the big striker in the face. To Garner's credit, he made nothing of the challenge and just got up and continued with the game.

In the 43rd minute, Simon Parker really should have made it 2-0 when he got around the back of the Hendon defence. His effort, however, flew into the side netting and Hendon had a lucky escape.

The second half started with the unedifying sight of both teams keeping the ball up in the air and exchanging possession. When the ball was played on the ground, Simon Parker got around the back of the Hendon defence but his cross was overhit.

In the 50th minute the Urchins did double their lead. Again it came from a left-wing raid, but this cross was too deep for the onrushing Green. Unfortunately for Hendon, Kirby made an intervention and James Parker couldn't get out of the way as he nodded the ball over the line under the shadow of the crossbar.

Their really didn't seem any way back so Hendon made a couple of changes, Garner - completely bottled up by John Purdie, a player almost as experienced as his centre-back partner - and James Burgess being replaced by Danny Dyer and Brian Haule.

The latter could not have made as quick a mark on this game as he had on Tuesday, but he pushed it close. Sam Collins started the move with fine work down the left flank. His cross was blocked and when the ball was returned low across the six-yard-box by Jamie Busby, Haule was there to smack it into the net.

This goal completely changed the game. In the final 25 minutes, Busby and Maclaren took complete control and Hornchurch were limit to rare counter-attacks, but their main aim was not to concede a second goal. Peter Dean, Busby and Collins all whistled efforts just wide of the target and the Urchins did what they could to slow the game down.

Hendon's final chance came in the last minute of normal time. A cross from the left wing eluded the Hornchurch defence and Haule had a free header towards goal from about eight yards out.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't quite get high enough to guide the ball downwards. Instead, the ball floated over just over the crossbar. His reaction was that he should have done better.

"I felt we deserved something from the game. I don't think we deserved to be two goals down, but we conceded the goals from sloppy passages of play." said Gary McCann after the game.

"Winning becomes a habit and we have enjoyed the taste of victory in recent games, so the defeat is a little harder to take. I think both teams on Tuesday night will go into the game licking their wounds (Sutton United were beaten 6-0 by newly-crowned champions Dover Athletic on Saturday)."