Hendon manager Lee Allinson was left to bemoan a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance, particularly defensively from set-pieces, following their FA Trophy exit on Saturday afternoon.
The Greens bowed out after a Halloween nine-goal thriller as they lost 5-4 against Isthmian League side Corinthian Casuals.
Shaun Lucien edged the Greens ahead from the penalty spot before two quick strikes from Jerson dos Santos edged the home side ahead.
Skipper Tommy Brewer cracked home a superb equaliser five minutes before the break to take the sides into the interval level pegging.
Kieran Cadogan put Casuals ahead on 57 minutes before Toby Byron headed the Greens level once again.
Goals from Jack Strange and Benjamin Checklit appeared to have given Casuals an unassailable lead however Cheyce Grant’s 89th minute strike reduced the arrears and set up a grandstand finish.
“I’m very frustrated, the players are frustrated. I thought we started the game outstandingly well,” Allinson said.
“We had them watched three times, we’d done our homework and knew how they play and we had so much on the ball and were very good.
“We went 1-0 up and then I think we probably over passed it a little bit, and stopped getting balls into the box and creating one-v-ones.
“They got a corner out of nothing, they hadn’t threatened us at all, and ‘Northy’ (Jonathan North) made a great save, tipped it onto the bar, and it’s landed underneath for the lad to knock it home.
“They started to play a bit more forward, and we played very sideways, and backwards.
“We’re 2-1 down against the run of play, but that’s how they set up, they want you to have the ball and hit you on the counter attack.
“We spoke at half-time about defending better, set-pieces were our undoing, we’ve not defended well enough at all.”
Hendon were due to face Metropolitan Police Southern League Premier South on Tuesday in what could prove to be their last game for a while as the country heads into a second lockdown which will see grassroots football suspended for the time being.
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