Hendon defeated play-off rivals AFC Hornchurch with a hard-earned 2-0 victory ground out from a fairly cagey encounter.

The win lifted Hendon back into the play-off positions on a day when they and Lowestoft Town were the only top-six teams to collect maximum points.

The Greens made a couple of changes from the team which had gone down at Canvey Island last weekend - Rikki Banks returning in goal for his second loan spell and Elliott Charles taking over from Jamie Busby.

The visitors had the bulk of the early pressure, with Tamberson Eyong threatening down the right thanks to his pace and strength and Fola Drilonishe proving equally problematic on the left.

The balance of play was looking ominous for the home side, with Hendon not mustering an attempt on goal until the 26th minute when Casey Maclaren blasted over.

To be fair, Banks was not unduly troubled in the Hendon goal either, although Hornchurch were aggrieved on a couple of occasions when they felt they were on the wrong end of some tight offside decisions.

Hendon gathered some momentum after Maclaren skied the ball over the bar, with the home side unlucky not to take the lead just before the break when Carl McCluskey’s header was wonderfully tipped over with an acrobatic fingertip save by Urchins keeper Joe Woolley.

Buoyed by this period of pressure, the home side gained the advantage on the stroke of half-time when Maclaren lofted in a cross from the right after Hornchurch failed to clear their lines from a corner.

Scott Cousins fed the ball out to Maclaren, who crossed into the danger area. Woolley failed to deal with it, under pressure from Greg Ngoyi, and Charles was on hand to bundle home with his chest.

The first notable incident of the second half saw Maclaren, an industrious presence throughout the match, pick up a yellow card for a petulant trip just seconds after completing one of his trademark crunching tackles.

A hardworking Hornchurch side had a number of opportunities to cancel out Hendon’s lead as the second half progressed, with Orilonishe’s overhead kick being well smothered by Banks and a header looping over the bar shortly afterwards.

Hornchurch’s James Love embarked on a mazy run that made a mockery of the Hendon defence’s attempts to halt his progress, although – like many of the visitors’ endeavours – the move ultimately fizzled out without much to show for it.

The small band of Hornchurch supporters will have been cheered by the introduction of substitute Lewis Smith as he brought fresh legs and ideas for the visitors, providing the Urchins with extra creativity and options as they surged forward looking to equalise.

Indeed, they nearly levelled as the game edged towards full-time when fellow substitute Tommy Black struck the outside of the post.

Despite the best efforts of the plucky Essex side, Hendon added insult to injury in added time with a second goal.

A Hendon clearance was smashed up the field, finding the prolific Isaiah Rankin. With a sublime piece of skill, he navigated his way through the last line of the Hornchurch defence, bounding his way down the pitch like an oryx and smashed a shot into the back of the net to seal what might be a vital win for Hendon as they seek to keep alive their interests in a possible play-off place.

“This was a massive win for us,” said manager Gary McCann. “It was a really disciplined performance from us.

“I have set the players a target of six wins and one draw from our last nine league matches and if we achieve that, then I think we will make the play-offs.”

Hendon: Banks, Parker, Cousins, Wharton, Fisher, C Maclaren, McCluskey (Rankin 78), Godfrey, Ngoyi (M Lewis 67), Currie (Busby 86), Charles. Not used: Aite-Ouakrim and Peacock.