Hendon 4, Aveley 1

TEN MEN Aveley slumped to their first defeat in fourteen away matches after the afternoon had started so brightly for the Millers.
The visitors had taken the lead early on before the sending off of top goal scorer Martin Tuohy turned things in Hendon’s favour.
Rod Stringer had named the same side for the fourth game on the trot and he could not have wished for a better start, carrying on from where they left off in Saturday’s convincing win over Carshalton.
After only two minutes the Millers had broken the deadlock when Tuohy worked his way down the right wing and pulled the ball back to Matt Johnson who slotted home despite the best efforts of an attempted clearance off the line from Dave Diedhiou.
The Millers continued in the ascendancy and forced home keeper James Reading into a good save low down after Sherwin Stanley had shrugged off the challenge of Mark Kirby.
Junior Dadson then went close for the visitors as his 30-yard shot just went the wrong side of the target.
But the match was soon to swing in the home sides favour as Kirby and Tuohy were chasing the ball to the by-line and after a bit of shirt tugging from both, Kirby was marshalling it for a goal kick until Tuohy needlessly took a kick at the defender.
To be fair Kirby did not make a meal of it and got straight back up, but the referee had seen enough of the tackle and gave Tuohy his marching orders and Aveley would have to play the remaining 63 minutes with ten men.
The home side from here on in always looked likely to score and within five minutes of the sending off they had drawn level as Diedhiou held off the challenge of Michael Alaile and slotted low past Lunan at his near post.
Aveley managed to hold on until half time and it was hoped they may have the ability to withstand a half of pressure from the Dons.
Hendon started brightly in search off the decisive goal and almost had it after 52 minutes but the underneath of the bar was on hand to save the Millers after Brian Haule shot goal wards from short range.
But after surviving another scare from home skipper James Bent Hendon they found a way past Jamie Lunan.
And it was Bent that got the final touch as he reacted quickest to Brian Haule’s effort coming back off of the bar.
Aveley dug deep and did have their opportunities to draw level.
First half sub Sam Lechmere started and ended a move but his header went wide of the mark, but Sherwin Stanley was to come even closer as he broke free from the defence put placed his shot agonisingly wide of the near post.
And in a decisive couple of minutes the home side made Stanley’s miss even more costly as sub Danny Dyer was through on goal and he coolly slotted past an onrushing Lunan.
Hendon added insult to injury in the last minute of added on time when Peter Dean was free at the back post and he slotted home past Lunan.
If Tuohy had stayed on the pitch things may have been better for the Millers’ but to go over an hour with ten men with the weather as hot as it has been for some time it was always going to be an uphill struggle and resulted in the Millers losing their outstanding away record carried over from last season.
Aveley: Jamie Lunan, Ryan Doyle, Sam Holloway, Nicky Symons (Lee Blackburn 65), Richard Ketchell, Michael Alaile, Mitch Hahn (Sam Lechmere 34), Matt Johnson, Sherwin Stanley, Martin Tuohy, Junior Dadson (Piers Wixon 61).
Subs Not Used: Nicky Wettner, Darren Blewitt