Late goal earns point

by ALAN SCOTT

You could actually see the Wembley Arch from the press box on the left side at Hendon's ground.

But Harlow were not inspired to play like Wembley heroes although they deserved a point, even though it came rather fortuitously as the hosts had been reduced to ten men minutes earlier which gave the Hawks fresh hope.

It prevented Harlow, missing key striker Alex Read who is unwell and likely to miss Saturday's league match against AFC Sudbury, slipping to what would have been a third straight defeat.

They had led at half-time through Keiran Bishop but Hendon fought back in the second half and looked set to take all three points.

I actually ended up at Harrow Borough's ground first, thanks to the dodgy Hendon website and an out of date postcode from a previous ground share.

I wasn't the only one who was late - Harlow Town co-owner Tom Cunningham also suffered a horrendous journey to Kinsgbury Town's old ground, where Hendon's nomadic existence has taken them to now.

After a scrappy first half hour the hosts came desperately close to taking the lead but Spencer McCall's shot thudded against a post.

And the Hawks made Hendon pay for that miss when they took the lead on 38 minutes. The ball came in from the right and poor defending from the hosts allowed Bishop to acrobatically bicycle kick the ball into the net from close range.

At the other end Hendon broke but Karl Oliyide drilled a low effort wide with just Harlow keeper David Hughes to beat.

Harlow still looked threatening and Bishop almost got another but was just unable to get on the end of Jared Small's fantastic ball into the box.

Small's rash challenge could quite easily have earned him a second red card in successive games before the break. But he escaped with a caution.

Hendon levelled just two minutes after the restart. Oliyide was given too much time and space and drilled into the bottom right corner from 20 yards out.

Harlow hit back and Layne Eadie's dangerous deep cross from the left was headed just wide of the far post by Bishop.

Hendon, much improved in the second half, should have gone in front on 67 minutes after some statuesque Harlow defending. A free-kick from the right was met by Dave Diedhiou but his lofted header from five yards out hit the right post and bounced to safety.

But the hosts quickly made amends when they went in front on 70 minutes. Right-back Chris Seeby beat two Harlow players far too easily before hitting a crisp shot with the outside of his boot which hit the far left post and crept in.

Hawks boss Danny Chapman responded by making two substitutions straight away, with Mario Noto and Leon Antoine replacing Lawrence Yiga and Joe Benjamin.

Harlow were given hope seven minutes from time when Hendon midfielder Alfie Young was sent off. He had already been booked when he stupidly kicked the ball away to waste time and received a second caution.

And the Hawks made them pay when they equalised on 87 minutes. The home defence failed to clear and sub Antoine picked up the loose ball and hammered a shot from ten yards into the roof of the net.

Alan Moges goal-bound header was blocked by a Hendon defender as Harlow were unable to snatch victory but Chapman's substitutions clearly paid off and they will be content with a point from a tricky away trip against a side buoyed by an impressive FA Cup win at the weekend.