1st Team v Welwyn Garden City

No. 33    Saturday 8th March 2014.     Spartan South Midlands League – Division 1
Welwyn Garden City                        3(Norris 45+4, 62, Caswell 60 pen)
Kings Langley                                   2 (Connolly 20, 81)
Kings lined up for the clash of third v fourth without leading scorers Alex Campana and Adam Hallissey, but the pace of the replacement duo, Jack Johnson and Paul Insley caused City early problems, Joe Croft pulling off a courageous block from Johnson in the second minute. Reward came on twenty minutes when an inch perfect lobbed through ball from Connor Toomey dropped over the shoulder of Gary Connolly, who steered it past the keeper. Kings continued to threaten and Insley was only inches over the bar, but City finally began exerting pressure as the game drifted into first half time added on and it was in the fifth of these minutes that Joel Norris found room to turn and slot home an equalizer. The initiative had been snatched away and the visitors looked vulnerable for the first time, but a calamitous two minutes on the hour mark saw the defence that has been the bedrock of this season’s success succumb twice. Craig Preston clashed with Norris in the box and Jason Caswell dispatched the penalty and then Kings’ ‘Mr. Reliable’ made a rare error by dallying on the ball and losing possession to Norris, who beat the exposed Ant Ladyman. A stunned Kings had gone from a comfortable lead to staring defeat in the face in just seventeen playing minutes and lost rhythm and pattern for twenty minutes. But to their credit they battled to the end and were given hope of salvage when a high cross from the left was dropped by the keeper, the ball was partially cleared and Gary Connolly smacked home a spectacular volley. However, they were unable to alter the script that decreed that this was to be one of those days and despite all their efforts, City were able to close out the game.