The Blues were not disheartened by this though, and immediately set out to regain parity. Craig Ellis sent an excellent through ball to James Gershfield as he broke down the left side. He cut inside and shot to the near post but keeper Robert Pietka saved well with his legs. Chances flowed for both sides, Kevin Chakaodoza went on a run between the two Wingate & Finchley centre-backs but his shot fizzed off the frosty surface and rolled wide. At the other end, Guy Helman won the ball in an advanced position and played in Elvis Balic, but his low shot from the edge of the area was off target. Balic himself then played a superb lofted through ball to Calvin Petrie but he was just beaten to the ball by the onrushing goalkeeper when any form of contact on the ball would have led to a certain goal.

Substitute Tashan Bradshaw-Brown was brought on early in the second half to add fresh legs to the forward line, and almost scored within 30 seconds. Marc Weatherstone played a long ball up to Bradshaw-Brown, he judged the flight of the ball better than his marker, and he took the ball down well before unleashing a firm drive that was well held by the ever-solid Pietka. Hayes doubled their lead moments later amid further controversy. Danny Jordan picked up on a loose clearance on the edge of the area. As Anfossy came out to close Jordan’s angle, he sent a mis-hit shot bobbling across the face of the goal and Chakadoza, seemingly approaching from an offside position, slotted the ball home into the empty net.

Wingate & Finchley reorganised their midfield at this point, with the tenacious Daniel Berg and skilful Mus Dumbuya making up the central pairing. James Gershfield attempted a speculative effort from 25 yards but he failed to trouble the keeper. Then came the move of the game, as Dumbuya played an excellent one-two with Hussein Isa to put himself through on goal, but again Pietka stood firm and make an assured block from the shot. The visitors’ deserved goal came in the 82nd minute, when Bradshaw-Brown rose well and headed home a Gershfield corner to pull the defecit back to one goal.

However just as hope had been renewed, the win was sealed by the home side almost instantaneously when Chris Mills sent an unstoppable shot into the bottom right corner from 25 yards.

Wingate & Finchley: Daniel Anfossy, Marc Weatherstone, Guy Helman, Craig Ellis, Denis Paratusic, James Cole, Mus Dumbuya, Daniel Berg, Calvin Petrie (Tashan Bradshaw-Brown 54) , James Gershfield, Elvis Balic. Subs: Kieran Street, Lee Rosamund.