Hendon's play-off aspirations took a serious knock after a nightmare five minutes in the second half of their trip to Lewes, with three quick-fire goals for the home side straight after the interval undoing the visitors' good work in the first 45 minutes.

Hendon dominated for most of the first half, having the lion's share of the chances, with Lewes limited to several wild shots, a weakly hit effort in the 27th minute easily saved by Hendon keeper Rikki Banks and a headed goal from a free kick controversially ruled out for offside.

Hendon, meanwhile, saw a volley from Belal Aite-Ouakrim tipped onto the Lewes bar in addition to other decent chances as they mastered the opening exchanges. Hendon's pressure was finally rewarded in the 15th minutes when some deft interplay between Aite-Ouakrim and Carl McCluskey saw Aite-Ouakrim bear down on the Lewes keeper before slotting the ball under the advancing custodian. The keeper clattered into the striker, a challenge that might have been punished had it been committed by an outfield player elsewhere on the pitch.

Aite-Ouakrim limped off ten minutes after scoring to be replaced by in form scorer Isaiah Rankin, who nearly doubled Hendon's lead in the final minute of the first half when his neat turn and shot flashed just wide.

The good-humoured crowd of over 600 enjoyed the sumptuous refreshments on offer during half time before taking their places for one of the most dramatic starts to a second half that many will have seen.

Hendon will regret their first half missed chances as Lewes commenced the second half with a furious goal blitz that left the Greens shell-shocked. The Hendon defence displayed all of the alertness and vigour of a bewildered herd of manatees, with Lewes making the most of the visitors' generosity.

In the 46th minute, Chris Breach nodded home unchallenged from a Lewes corner, with Lewes' second coming just two minutes later when Nathan Crabb picked up a loose ball in the box and rifled the ball into the Hendon net. In the 50th minute, a home victory looked almost guaranteed when Paul Booth was the first to react after a smart save from Banks, tucking in the rebound with ease. Lewes could have extended their lead several times, with one effort being cleared off the line and Banks having to be alert to repel other attacks.

Hendon faced an uphill battle after this defensive capitulation, although they came close to narrowing the deficit, particularly with a McCluskey header that was well saved by the Lewes keeper midway through the half. Scott Cousins ensured that the Rooks had a nerve-jangling final couple of minutes when he brought the ball into the area from the left. With everyone expecting him to cross the ball in, he instead unleashed a ferocious drive into the top corner.

Lewes saw the rest of the game out to collect three very well deserved points, while Hendon and their small band of supporters were left to travel back to Northwest London ruing five minutes of frailty that might have scuppered their play-off ambitions.