Today I travelled to South Harrow and to Earlsmead, home of Harrow Borough and currently Hendon too for today's FA Trophy 1st Round tie between Hendon and Whitstable Town. Hendon sat 13th in the Ryman Premier while their opponents were 19th in the Ryman South so Hendon were expected to progress but this is cup football so you just never know. Both teams were in decent form coming into this tie and so a good battle was expected. It was the away side who could of taken the lead inside the first minute but the striker lost his footing allowing the keeper to gather. Hendon created the better chances in an entertaining first half hitting the woodwork on three occasions and also producing a couple of decent saves from Whitstable keeper Luke Watkins. The Oystermen did have their moments too and forced a decent save by Hendon stopper Berkley Laurencin. Hendon thought they had the lead right on half time but the referee Lloyd Wood deemed that keeper Watkins was fouled so the goal was chalked off. The second half was as entertaining although the chances were less than the first half. Hendon should of taken the lead when the ball found its way to Lee O'Leary but his turn and snapshot went just wide. Hendon finally made the breakthrough on 68 minutes when a deep cross to the back post was nodded in by Jefferson Louis to give the men from North London a 1-0 lead. However Whitstable were not going to give up that easily and turned the match on its head. On 71 minutes Hendon keeper Laurencin tried to come for a ball into the Hendon box towards a group of players but got no where near it and was left in no mans land while Whitstable centre back Lawrence Harvey nodded into the unguarded net to make it 1-1. Four minutes later Charlie Smith found himself one on one with the Hendon stopper and although Laurencin got a big hand on Smith's effort he could not stop it continuing its path towards goal and it rolled into the net to give the Ryman South side a 2-1 lead with 15 minutes left. Hendon only really produced one more good chance when Louis was left free at the back post but his effort was weak and well wide of the goal. Whitstable held out comfortably to record another 'Cupset' against Ryman Premier opposition and progress to the last 32 of the Trophy for the first time in their history, oh and £5,000 in prize money to boot.
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