Hendon recorded their 4th straight victory - all with at least 3 goals scored - when Heybridge Swifts were beaten 4-0 at Scraley Road on Saturday afternoon. The win lifted Hendon to 3rd in the Ryman League Premier Division - 3 points adrift of leaders St Albans, with a game in hand.

It is the Greens' best position this far into a season since 1988, when the club started the season undefeated in 23 games. In addition, Hendon have the best goal difference in the division.

Manager Dave Anderson was able to name an unchanged starting 11 and there were just 2 changes on the bench, 17-year-old Sam Byfield and 18-year-old Brian Haule replacing the injured Ricci Crace and Warren Kelly. For Byfield it was promotion to the first team squad after impressive performances for the reserves.

It took just 3 minutes for Hendon to open the scoring. A diagonal ball from the left side of midfield found Rob Haworth in acres of space. Almost all of the Heybridge defence appealed for offside - all except for Micky Dignum, who knew he was playing him onside.

Haworth cut in towards goal, drawing Swifts' debutant goalkeeper Aaron King - signed from Bowers United on the morning of the match - off his line to narrow the angle. Instead of shooting, Haworth laid the ball across the goal area to where Eugene OFORI was waiting to sweep the ball into the unguarded net.

The goal stung Heybridge into action, but they were thwarted by the rock-solid Hendon defence. Steve Butler made an important headed clearance under pressure from Kevin Budge, but that was little compared the intervention from Mark Cooper, blocking a shot from Dave Rainford after Paul Abrahams had headed the ball into his path.

Butler then came close to making it 2-0 after an Iain Duncan cross had been drilled towards him. The central defender diverted the ball wide of the far post, but he had no time to pick his spot such was the speed of the ball as it reached him.

The second goal arrived in the 43rd minute and it was a well-worked affair. It started on the left, where Rob Hollingdale and Duncan combined well. Duncan's cross went across the face of goal and went to Paul Yates. He looked up and slipped a short pass into the path of Paul Towler who crossed to the far post. Rising well, albeit unchallenged, HAWORTH sent a towering header into the top corner of the goal.

The turning point in the match arrived in stoppage time. The gusting wind blew a long downfield ball from Heybridge outside the penalty area, but David Hook was forced to chase it. He was beaten to the ball by Lewis Baillie and, while defenders hustled back to cover their goalkeeper, Baillie curled the ball goalwards.

Budge rose with Butler and, in the opinion of referee Gary Young, (Dunstable) pushed him. As the ball curled into the net, Mr Young blew his whistle and Heybridge celebrations were stilled.

The second half had an even better start for Hendon. Barely 2 minutes into the half, a misplaced Heybridge pass fell to the magnificent Steve Forbes (described by supporter Simon Lawrence as putting on not so much a champagne performance as a shampoo show - head and shoulders above the rest).

Suddenly the Swifts defence disappeared and he had a clear 35-yard run down the middle of the pitch. King came off his line, dived to his right before FORBES had shot, so the midfielder rolled the ball past where the goalkeeper had been standing.

Haworth came close to making it 4-0 in the 51st minute, when he turned a Yates cross towards goal. He had more time than he thought and could have controlled the ball before striking it, but it nearly didn't matter as the ball somehow squirmed through King's legs. The keeper was able to make a save inches from the line.

Heybridge then enjoyed a spell of concerted pressure, but they were unable to breach the Hendon rearguard. Martin Randall and Gallagher came on for the tiring, Haworth and Hollingdale midway through the half and the pair combined for Hendon's 4th goal.

In the 75th minute, Danny Barber tripped Forbes 5 yards outside the Heybridge penalty area, earning himself a caution. Gallagher curled a beautiful free-kick past King but the ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar. The rebound was kind to Hendon and RANDALL in particular as he headed home from 5 yards.

In the 80th minute, James Burgess was cautioned for a late challenge on Baillie, almost the only blemish on a near-perfect Hendon performance. Three minutes later, Byfield came on for Yates and he showed what he could do with a 25-yard drive that flew inches over the angle of post and crossbar.

"I thought we lacked a little sparkle in the first half," admitted Mr Anderson, "but we got a 3rd goal just after the break and were very comfortable after that."