Hendon manager Gary McCann felt his team were fortunate to only lose by one goal as the Greens suffered a third successive defeat on Monday.

The Dons, who were thumped 4-1 away at Brentwood Town on Saturday, hosted Leatherhead two days later and threw away a 2-1 lead at Earlsmead to go down 3-2.

McCann took to Twitter to say: “Didn’t get what we deserved tonight… Deserved to be beat by more! Saturday seems an age away!”

Hendon fell behind after eight minutes and they continued to struggle for the opening half an hour.

The hosts then enjoyed a purple patch, with Carl McCluskey levelling in the 32nd minute and then heading home from Sam Flegg’s cross early in the second half, while 16-year-old Keagan Cole saw a further goal disallowed for offside.

However, the Dons were unable to stay on top and Frannie Collin struck twice for the visitors, who were much the better side in the final half an hour.

It leaves McCann’s side just four points above the bottom four, but 21st-placed Farnborough are set to be automatically relegated because of a failure to pay creditors so Hendon are effectively nine points above the drop zone with three games left.

Meanwhile, Wingate & Finchley have also lost their last three games after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Harrow Borough was followed by a 6-0 hammering at Bognor Regis Town on Tuesday.