A solitary strike from skipper Peter Holmes and a first clean sheet in four months saw Hayes & Yeading earn a vital three points at a sun drenched Glassworld Stadium.

Manager Garry Haylock made two changes to the side beaten at The New Lawn as Adam Green and Andy Yiadom were replaced by Elliott Buchanan and Ben Wright in the United starting line-up.

The game took quite a while to get going as the two sides appeared a little apprehensive in an attacking sense, the first strike on goal coming after 17 minutes. Lee Brown's free-kick from the left was headed out Remy Clerima to Tom Cadmore who tried his luck from distance but his shot swung wide of the right hand post.

A couple of minutes later a neat chip over the defence by Holmes allowed Wright to run into the area but his effort was well smothered by Stutes keeper Joe Welch who was quickly off his line. Welch's opposite number Lee Harrison was soon being forced into his first action as a cross from the left was met at close range by Lee Smith, the United stopper doing very well to get his fingertips to the ball to divert it around the post.

United were soon back in the ascendancy and chasing that all important opener. Bradley Pritchard broke away at pace down the right before firing a low cross that went through defenders and keeper before arriving with Jefferson Louis who missed his kick at the far post with the goal-line just inches away.

Welch then caught easily from a Louis header before being beaten on 39 minutes. Holmes played the ball to Buchanan who with the deftest of flicks played the ball back to his skipper who fired into the bottom corner of Welch's goal from 20 yards, his third from distance of the season.

Just before the break it could have been two. Wright headed on to Buchanan, his shot was cleared off the line by Lanre Oyebanjo and Wright's follow up clipped a defender and span just the wrong side of the upright. The resultant corner was collected by Charlie Wassmer at the far post and he rolled it into the path of Jamie Hand but his shot was wide of the post.

The second half was to see the home side become a whole lot more adventurous. Six minutes had passed when a throughball from Antonio Murray sent Omer Riza through against Harrison, the Histon player beat the keeper to the ball but took it far too wide and when the ball was pulled back Wassmer was well placed to clear the danger.

Louis and Lee Brown combined well on the left minutes later with a cross to the near post being helped goalwards by Pritchard but a touch by Welch took the ball into the side netting. Louis then shot wide for United after being picked out by Holmes.

Just before the hour a tiring Buchanan who had recently returned from illness was replaced by Nathan Webb and it was he who came to United's rescue minutes later blocking an Oyebanjo header on the goalline before United managed to scramble the ball clear.

The Stutes created another good chance a couple of minutes later when Riza sent substitute Lewis Taaffe into the United box only for Harrison to tackle him feet first, the ball deflecting off the Histon player for a goal-kick.

Holmes tried his luck with a volley after a part cleared Cadmore free-kick dropped nicely for the United skipper but Welch held on easily. A deep corner by the home side a short time later was headed over by Clerima.

As the game entered stoppage time Pritchard twice had a chance to seal the game, Cadmore and Wright moved the ball down the right providing Pritchard with a shooting chance which he lifted over the bar and then Holmes broke away before pulling the ball back but this time Welch was in the United man's way, blocking with his feet, the follow up being halted by an offside flag and then the final whistle.

Report by Kevin Watts.

United Man of the Match: Adam Bygrave.