Match Report: Hendon 1-0 Kings Langley

Kings Langley began their pre-season campaign on Tuesday evening with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Hendon at Silver Jubilee Park stadium.

Langley fielded two almost entirely different XIs, featuring numerous trialists, across the two halves of the match, but acquitted themselves well throughout against their higher-tier opponents.

After a tight first half with little in the way of clear chances for either side, the game was won on the hour mark, as a neat one-two on the edge of the Kings area saw the Hendon left-winger find some space to curl a right-footed shot into the far corner of the net.

Once they had conceded, the makeshift Kings XI found some rhythm in their passing and could have easily found a late leveller but for a few wayward final balls. There were certainly promising signs though, with on-field relationships expected to naturally improve as pre-season develops.

New signings Rene Howe, Sonny French, Cheyce Grant and Sam Murphy all got 45 minutes in their legs, while club captain Jorell Johnson played for just over an hour.

Post-match, Jordan Parkes told us that the game was mainly about fitness for his new-look squad. “I thought from minute one to ninety, we pressed and pressed and we looked sharp. They’ve had a couple of extra games than us, so I was impressed with that.”

Jordan also said he saw “a lot of positives” on the technical side of the performance. “We’re looking at 22 players today and there’s still more players that weren’t involved who we’re having a look at. In terms of the spine of the team, I’m very happy with the experienced players that we’ve got. Then we’ve got some young, exciting players that we’re looking to give opportunities to.”

Langley continue their pre-season preparations with a friendly at Tring Athletic on Saturday afternoon.