FROSTBITE

Kings’ midweek problems continued on a cold and frosty evening at Bromsgrove’s impressive Victoria ground as they were ultimately well beaten by the rampant Rouslers. Langley welcomed the return from injury of experienced defenders Lloyd Doyley and Gary Connolly, but their woes began in the first few minutes when an innocuous cross was not dealt with. In the ensuing scramble Jorell Johnson was
adjudged to have fouled Gift Mussa, allowing Greg Mills to emphatically convert the resultant penalty. It was the worst possible start, but Kings responded positively with Jordan Parkes again providing the springboard for many of their attacks and Mitchell Weiss and Saul Williams working hard to provide outlets. Despite Kings honest endeavours and plenty of possession, they were rarely able to penetrate the resilient
home defence. Conversely, the Bromsgrove attack, spearheaded by the combative Mikey Taylor, created attempts on goal with ominous regularity. It was therefore no real surprise when after half an hour, scorer Mills reprised his dead ball accuracy with a peach of a free kick that gave King’s custodian Melvin Minter no chance. In between Mills double act the visitors momentarily thought they had restored parity when Mitchell Weiss was first to a loose ball to fire past Platt in the Bromsgrove goal, only for the Assistant’s flag to truncate celebrations for offside. The match was effectively sealed just before the break when the irrepressible Taylor shrugged of the attention of Jorell Johnson to sprint clear and steer the ball past the advancing Minter. The half time score may have been harsh, but it was ample testimony to the potency of
the home side’s attack. The second period saw the introduction of Louie Collier alongside Mitchell Weiss up front as Kings looked to find a way back into the contest. To their credit they made a real fist of it going forward with first Roddy Collins thumping the bar with a searing drive
and then Louie Collier being thwarted at the last by a smart save from keeper Platt, but they kept plugging away and were finally rewarded when a clever combination between Collier and Weiss saw the latter rifle home from a sharp angle. Alas, King’s consolation was not destined to be the final bow in this performance. Within a minute the home side had restored their three goal advantage when the elusive McDonald was pulled back by Calum Adebiyi at the expense of both a penalty and a red card for the big defender. McDonald, himself, despatched the spot kick to bring the curtain down on an impressive display by the hosts, in which Kings had played their part, but were decidedly second best on the night.

By Derry Edgar