1st Team v Tring Athletic

No. 31    Saturday 20th December 2014.     Spartan South Midlands League – Premier Division
Kings Langley                     1 (Weiss 52)
Tring Athletic                       3 (Hogg 6, Vardy 26,80)
Kings’ extraordinary run of 11 straight League victories came to an end against a Tring side who adopted Kings’ customary quick fire start and then defended resolutely. A day that saw little go the home side’s way began with a shanked Ollie Hogg shot that totally deceived Charlie Crowley in the sixth minute and got worse when Chris Vardy held off Luke Ladyman and Jack Pattison to steer the ball home twenty minutes later. Danny Hutchins had put a drive inches over and Daryl Atkins had been floored in the box, but Kings had made little impression against a rugged defence and when Dean Hitchcock was dismissed for a second yellow following a robust tackle just before the break, they were left with a mountain to climb. The management went for broke, sending on Nick Jackson in place of a defender and a strike force that had been shackled, suddenly found a threat as Mitchell Weiss took a more advanced role. The early goal they so needed duly arrived as a Tom Carter cross gave Daryl Atkins an opening that was blocked and Weiss lashed in the rebound. For nearly thirty minutes the ten men did all the attacking, with an Atkins shot tipped round the post and they thought they had finally found parity with a Luke Ladyman close range header. But the effort was ruled out for offside and Tring immediately made a rare break from their half. Chris Vardy’s shot was good, but seemed covered by Crowley, before it took a deflection off Callum Adebiyi to enter the net and negate all Langley’s efforts. Tring handed Kings the complement of wasting as much time as they could throughout the half, but they took their chances well, defended their lead in depth and took the points on a day that never had Kings’ name on it.