Hendon FC 0-3 Salisbury FC

Hendon FC suffered their third consecutive league defeat at the hands of 6th place Salisbury. It was a nervy match that didn’t see many chances created by either team, but saw Salisbury dominate possession of the ball and push forward much more. Hendon, who were missing many of their starting 11, seemed disjointed. They didn’t push forward enough or apply enough pressure when they were on the ball, and in the end their attackers were isolated and unable to create many clear cut chances.

The game started slowly, not many chances were created by either team. Salisbury pushed forward and had more of the ball but not much was created as Hendon defended quite well. In the 19th minute Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick cut inside from the wing, forcing Chris Grace’s first save of the afternoon. A minute later, Francis Amartey brilliantly spun his marker and ran towards goal. However, in what’s been a recurring theme for the striker in recent games, he failed to shoot until it was too late. Neither team really hung onto the ball very well but it was Salisbury who looked the more likely to score. In the 30th minute, they almost did, Howie Hall getting back brilliantly to clear a Salisbury cross off the goal line. However, one minute later Salisbury’s dominance was rewarded. A corner, not dealt with by the Hendon defence, fell to Thomas Leak who tapped the ball into the Henson net. 1-0 and hilariously, due to a mistake in the team sheet, the announcer incorrectly accredited the goal to Nathaniel Oseni before being informed of the error. It got worse for Hendon, who were now struggling with the pace of the Salisbury forwards. A ball through to Hippolyte-Patrick, was missed by Hall who slipped on the wet surface, putting the Salisbury winger through on the wing. He then put in a cross to Tobias Holmes who tapped the ball past Grace into the net. 2-0.

The second half saw one change made by Hendon. It seemed as if Manager James Gray was trying to cut his losses because he brought off winger Ash Abdollahi for defender Toby Bryon, and moved left back Charlie Smith to left wing. Despite this, Hendon pushed forward a lot more and looked more of a threat. Valentine, who had had a poor first half began to affect the game more. In the 59th minute he sent a cross right across the face of the Salisbury net. Salisbury also came close to increasing their lead. A double block off the line from a corner, in the 63rd minute, prevented it from becoming 3-0.

Hendon’s attacks were too slow and predictable, mostly if not all going through Valentine. Kameron English coming off in the 48th minute from an ongoing nerve problem in his hamstring, didn’t help either. Salisbury had the better of the play and in stoppage time, substitute Leroy Lita turned his defender on the edge of the box and sent a shot into Grace’s bottom left. 3-0. A fair result in the end, the score line accurately reflecting the balance of the game.