A Harry Crawford hat-trick helped resurgent Kings Langley to a pulsating win over table topping Bromsgrove Sporting, ending the Rouslers’ ten game unbeaten run and easing the memory of a midweek defeat at Bromsgrove on a cold night in early December. It was also the
first hat trick by a Kings Langley player since December 2018, when Mitchell Weiss notched a trio in a 3-0 home victory over Gosport Borough.

Chris Cummins started with the experienced pairing of Harry Crawford and Will Hoskins, Mitchell Weiss moving to the flank and Saul Williams and the less than 100% Stevie Ward dropping to the bench. The game began at a pace that was to continue for the whole encounter, but it was Crawford who put Kings ahead as early as the eighth minute. A break of stunning simplicity saw Mitchell Weiss launch an accurate diagonal cross field pass almost from the halfway line to Jordan Parkes, who controlled it and sent a through ball into the path of Harry Crawford. There was to be no one-on-one with keeper Dan Platt, as he ran onto the pass and delivered a first time rocket from nearly twenty yards high into the net for a breathtaking finish. An edge crept into the game as play switched from one end to the other and while the encounter had its share of physicality; it was interspersed by some swift interpassing movements from both sides to delight the eye. Such a move paid off for the visitors on the cusp of the half hour when Gary Mills delivered a raking left wing cross that was met on the run with a close range volley by Richard Gregory that Melvyn Minter got a hand to but couldn’t stop.

The half closed with a Mitchell Weiss effort cleared off the line, but within five minutes of the restart Kings went ahead in bizarre fashion when a Jordan Parkes free kick into the box sailed over the head of Roddy Collins to be met by the outstretched foot of the backward falling Jorell
Johnson. The high ball looped goalwards and the alert Crawford reacted quickest with a point blank header on the far post. The Rouslers responded & felt that they should have had a penalty from a tussle between Greg Mills and Alex Anderson, but Langley put themselves in
the driving seat with a fluid move that carved through the defence and climaxed with a one-two between Parkes and Crawford putting the striker through. He still had it all to do as he was forced wide by defender and keeper, but his final touch was precise and completed his hat
trick in style. Parkes, with an eye for the spectacular, kept the large crowd on their toes as he twice had keeper Dan Platt scrambling back with accurate shots from the halfway line, the first of which Platt reached with a leaping save just under the bar.
With nothing to lose, Bromsgrove threw numbers forward and Melvin Minter pulled off a fine double save, but despite the late bombardment, Kings held firm to record a notable victory, making it five wins and a draw from the last seven and adding to the belief that last season’s second half surge up the table can be repeated.

Next up we host Stratford Town on Saturday 25th January. For the latest odds on the match, make sure you visit BetVictor

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