Hendon 3 Uxbridge 1 (AET)

Middlesex Senior Cup Final (at Yeading FC)

Subs Dave Hunt and Martin Randall struck in extra time to earn Hendon their third consecutive county cup.

But the Greens were made to work against their Ryman League Division One (North) opponents and had to battle hard after Dale Binns was sent off on the hour after a clash with John Swift.

Eugene Ofori had given Hendon the lead just after half-time but the Reds hit back five minutes later through Mark Weedon.

When Binns was dismissed minutes later, the Greens looked up against it.

Uxbridge should have won it in the final minute when Mark Royle blazed over with the goal at his mercy, but Hendon took control in the extra 30 minutes and deservedly came out on top.

Dave Anderson's men dominated the opening 45 minutes and it looked like they would walk this encounter at The Warren. But they were unable to find the net.

Andy Cook forced the first save from Uxbridge keeper Ray Francis on 27 minutes with a shot from close range, which the keeper did well to push out having seen the ball late.

Ten minutes later Binns saw a fierce volley from the edge of the box clear the bar by a matter of inches and, with a minute of the half remaining, Steve Forbes had a close-range effort saved by the legs of Francis after a fine run.

The goal finally came in the 50th minute. Ricci Crace got the better of Stuart Bamford and set up Ofori who shot into the corner from all of ten yards.

But Uxbridge, who had offered little up until then, equalised out of the blue when Mark Weedon raced in to meet a Jamie Cleary free-kick.

The Reds, lifted by the sending off of Binns minutes later, had their best period of the game. Dave King pulled off a fine save to deny Cleary with seven minutes to go, but the keeper was to blame for gifting the Reds a chance at the death. King failed to hold a Swift cross and the ball fell invitingly to Royal but he shot over, much to the dismay of his team-mates.

King had to tip a Cleary volley over at the start of extra time, but that was all Uxbridge were to offer.

Hendon took control and struck at the end of the first period. Ofori dispossessed Chris O'Leary and fed Hunt who found the net through a crowd of players.

Two minutes later it was all over when Randall slotted into an empty net after the keeper had pushed out an Ofori effort.

Manager Anderson said he was delighted to win the cup for the third year in succession, but admitted it was tough: "You never win a cup easily and Uxbridge made us work very hard."

HENDON: King, Cousins, M. Burgess, Howard, Cooper (Hunt 100), Butler, Crace (Randall 103), Cook, Ofori (Gavin 113), Binns. Subs not used: J. Burgess, McLeish.