1st Team v Welwyn Garden City

No. 20    Saturday 25th October 2013.     Spartan South Midlands League – Division 1
Kings Langley                       1 (Hitchcock 12)
Welwyn Garden City             0
Welwyn Garden City’s eleven game unbeaten League run was halted at Kings Langley as the home side took the points in a tense affair, courtesy of a superb Dean Hitchcock strike after 12 minutes. Skipper Gary Connolly and Connor Toomey both failed pre match fitness tests, but Kings saw Lewis Pritchard go close before Tom Carter jinked across the City defence and delivered the ball to Dean Hitchcock. The shot, from fully forty yards out, flew past the transfixed Joe Croft and into the far corner and Kings held an advantage that they were determined not to relinquish. Lewis Pritchard looked odds on to double the score on 35 minutes, but Carl Costain did well to deflect the ball off the line. It was early second half before 22 goal Jason Caswell was given his first sight of the target by the assured Craig Preston, making his 200th appearance, and while Adam Hallissey was twice foiled by Joe Croft, it was City who were now beginning to show more. However, they still made little impression on the defence of Preston, Hitchcock and Callum Adebiyi and a tigerish midfield of Jack Pattison and Lee Burgoyne allowed them little time on the ball.  The last five minutes did see Langley hearts beating faster as Sam Perrin missed a header at the far post and a huge clearance upfield bounced over Ant Ladyman and fortuitously over the bar, but Kings held on to register an important win that highlighted their character and strength in depth