1st Team v Harpenden Town

No. 9    4th September 2012.     Spartan South Midlands League - Division 1
Harpenden Town             2  (Adam Smith 36, Mark Hitchcock 65)
Kings Langley                  1  (Callum Adebiyi 6) 
Kings suffered their first league reverse of the season with a lack lustre display. It had all started well for Kings with their now well practised short corner routine paying dividends after just six minutes when Shaun Owens curled in a shot that Callum Adebiyi deflected past the despairing home keeper, but that was as good as it got and from then on Ross Hampton in the was by far the busier keeper. In the 20th Hampton was called on to dive bravely at the feet of the onrushing Hitchcock. and needed lengthy attention before he could continue. Kings worked hard to find an opening and despite some good approach work opportunities were few and far between though Jimmy Armstrong did go close on two occasions with a couple of sharp shots. At the other end Harpenden pressed well as a unit and Kings were on too many occasions caught in possession. An equaliser looked inevitable and it arrived in the 36th minute when Kings inability to deal with a long throw into the box allowed Adam Smith to convert at the far post. As the second half began, there was a.  portent of things to come as another long throw created confusion in the Kings defence and it was only the width of the crossbar that denied the home team. Langley were still finding it difficult to generate any rhythm in their play and it was no real surprise when Town went ahead, the lively Mark Hitchcock rising above the defence to head home from yet another long throw. The introduction of  Scott Bonner and Steve Noonan enabled the visitors to at last exert some sustained pressure, but to no avail and Town rightly took the points. Line-up 4-4-2