Hendon got their first point of the season, battling back to earn a 2-2 draw against a strong Bury Town side on a thundery afternoon.

The home side enjoyed the bulk of the early pressure, with Bury keeper Garnham pulling off two smart saves in three minutes to deny both Diedhiou and Shulton the opener.

The visitors were forced into an early change, with Blake coming on to replace the injured Sands in the 11th minute.

Hendon's pressure paid off in the 20th minute, when Hall ghosted past a couple of defenders before slamming a shot home that flew into the net off the Bury keeper, who arguably should have done better.

It took the visitors just five minutes to pull level, with early Bury sub Blake connecting sweetly with a cross from the right, tucking his volley past the despairing Maan.

Just before half time, a Bury attack was clumsily dealt with by Walters, who brought down his man in the box for a clear penalty that provoked little objections from Hendon. Clark stepped forward and blasted the ball past Maan to give the visitors the lead at the interval.

Hendon began the second half as they did the first, retaining lots of possession but not capitalising on it in any meaningful way. Many crosses were delivered towards to Bury area, but Hendon often had little to show for their dominance. The 55th minute saw the Bury keeper make another great save from a powerful Hendon header, followed 15 minutes later by a spectacular tip over from a long range shot.

Hendon made a change, with Federico coming on for the hardworking Diedhiou in the 67th minute and soon clinched a deserved point when Garnham failed to hold onto a powerful Hendon free kick, Hall on pouncing on the rebound like an ocelot, before smashing the ball home, grabbing his second of the afternoon.

Two more Hendon subs appeared shortly thereafter, Michael Lewis coming on for Mazzone and Daly making his debut, replacing the heroic Hall.

Both sides had chances to grab all three points, with Bury arguably having the best when Sam Reed wriggled past a couple of Hendon defenders in stoppage time. His shot was wayward, however, meaning that the spoils were shared between the two teams.