Hendon Football Club apparently have a few problems with their neighbours.

The good folk of this part of north west London don’t like the lights on too late and there was the possibility of extra-time and penalties that might have disturbed their slumbers.

That was why this Bostik Premier Division play-off semi-final kicked off a quarter hour earlier than usual, but, by the time we would normally have begun, the home side were two goals up and well on the way to victory over Folkestone,

Without getting too corny, the game was over almost before it might have started!

Mixing our sporting clichés we could say Invicta had hardly turned up. They certainly weren’t at the races and this seemed very much one game too many after a very good season for Neil Cugley’s side.

All pace up front and bully boy strength at the back, the Greens of Hendon went ahead through the exceptional Josh Walker on six minutes, the ex-Fulham youngster cutting in from the right to fire across keeper Tim Roberts and just inside the far post.

Ten minutes later Walker turned goalmaker, pulling the back across for Ashley Nathaniel George to double the lead from a central position.

Problems with the neighbours? Hendon were certainly not have any problems with their Thursday night visitors!

Could Invicta pull one back by half-time? Ade Yusuff fought hard from start to finish without any sort of luck but others were showing signs of a long and hard season in which Invicta have been outstanding at times and achieved much more than anyone had expected.

But this time they were to face a frustrating even for both the players, management and their many fans in comfortably Hendon’s biggest crowd of the season.

And the home team virtually put this game to bed with two more goals in as many minutes only seconds before the break.

Gary McCann’s side believe in sharing thngs around and their two other forwards Zak Joseph and Niko Muir eagerly added their names to the list of scorers with fine strikes on 43 and 44 minutes respectively.Where was the marking?

Folkestone had no fully fit subs on the bench but the half-fit Johan Ter Horst replaced midfielder Micheal Everitt during the interval and things could only get better.

It would have been hard to imagine how they could have got any worse.

Yusuff continued to throw everything he’s got into the fight and Ter Horst provided what might just have been the turning point when he headed against the post  midway through the second period with keeper Tom Lovelock well beaten.

Skipper and treble player of the year Callum Davies charged forward to try to find a way through but you could fully sympathise when he shouted to his team-mates – “Come on. We haven’t lifted it, have we?.

Of course Hendon are far more used to the bounce on their 3G surface than the visitors, but Folkestone had not lost on their previous two visits to the overly grand sounding Silver Jubilee Park stadium.

In 3-3 draws over the last two seasons, Invicta had never behind before Walker gave Hendon that very early lead.

It was a night to forget for most of those connected with FIFC with only keeper Roberts, Yusuff and captain Davies coming out of it with any real credit.

Fussy referee Gerry Heron failed to get any grip on the home side’s time-wasting which started almost from the moment they went ahead.

He booked five Folkestone players with only one – or was it two – of the home side. At least we had the edge in that department.

Hendon now face runners-up Dulwich Hamlet in Monday’s play-off final to decide who goes up to National League South along with champions Billericay.

We would respectfully suggest that their facilities will need improving for the higher level, if they make it, but for the moment they were by some distance the better side here.

But Thursday nights for football? In two games on that day of the week Folkestone have conceded four goals each time. At least we got a point at Staines, though.

Folkestone Invicta: Roberts, Vincent, Everitt (Ter Horst 46), Newman, Davies, Hasler (Draycott 72), Dolan, Aboagye, Taylor, Yusuff, McCann.

Subs not used: Wright, Blanks, Shaw

Referee: Gerry Heron

Attendance: 722

Pictures supplied by Don Linkin.