Two cup finals and two defeats - Hendon will be hoping it is third time lucky in the league.

Gary McCann's troops will be looking to put Tuesday night's London Senior Cup loss at the hands of Tooting & Mitcham behind them for one final push to make the Ryman League Premier Division play-offs this weekend.

The Greens, who also lost out in the final of the Middlesex Senior Cup over Easter, are in danger of not reaping any rewards from what has been a fabulous season.

A win at home to Wealdstone on Saturday would be enough to finish in fifth position, the final play-off berth, but defeat would see them relying on others.

Hendon 2 Tooting & Mitcham 3 . . .

London Senior Cup final . . .

(at Imber Court) . . .

Hendon will not want to finish the season labelled as the "nearly" team.

Once again they fell at the final hurdle in a premier cup competition.

And, while the Middlesex Senior Cup defeat against Conference South highfliers Hampton & Richmond Borough was no surprise, the Greens started as favourites this time, against a Tooting side playing in a division below them.

However, Hendon did not really turn up on the night. They were outfought from the first minute, their Ryman League Division One South opponents the hungrier for victory.

Despite a late rally, the Greens could have few complaints about the result.

Tooting's John Henry-Haden deservedly put the underdogs in front on 12 minutes when he bundled the ball home from close range after keeper Richard Wilmot had pushed an Oliver Hunt header into his path.

But, against the run of play, Danny Dyer hit a low shot into the far corner for a 24th-minute equaliser.

Within two minutes, Henry-Haden drilled past Wilmot to restore the lead, and it looked like game over ten minutes into the second half, the same player this time crossing for Paul Vines to head past Wilmot.

The Greens were handed a lifeline with eight minutes to go, when Lubomir Guentchev was brought down by Tooting keeper and ex-Green Dave King.

Brian Haule stepped up to tuck the penalty into the corner, the ball grazing the post on its way in.

But Hendon could not force the game into extra-time. Sub Rakatahr Hudson almost profited from a corner, only to see his stoppage-time volley strike the post.

But that would have been harsh on Tooting, who showed the same battling qualities Gary McCann's troops have themselves displayed to defy the odds in the Premier Division.

Go to www.times-series.co.uk for full match report.

HENDON: Wilmot, Parker, Burgess, Leach, S Page (Hudell 66), Dyer (Hudson 66), L Guentchev, D Haule (I Guentchev 70), B Haule, Aiteouakrim, J Page. Subs not used: Blackmore, Hyatt.