With Christmas already a memory, Kings Langley and Barwell took it upon themselves to stage their own exchange of presents in this somewhat strange encounter. Kings could claim, with some justification, that they dominated the proceedings but conceded a bizarre own goal after half an hour and spent the rest of the match trying to beat Cian Tyler in the Barwell goal, succeeding only in the last minute when his own defender steered a cross past the impressive 17 year old keeper, on loan from Coventry City and playing only his second match for the Canaries.

Yet it had all started so differently as Langley, unbeaten in the new decade, exuded confidence with their free-flowing, interpassing football producing five clear chances in the first twenty five minutes as opposed to an angled shot by Kai Williams that Melvin Minter blocked for a corner. A Jordan Parkes shot on the run was a foot wide of the post before a sweet move between Parkes and Will Hoskins ended with Harry Crawford’s outstretched foot inches from converting the cross. Cian Tyler then opened his personal crusade against the Kings’ forward line, holding a powerful, well placed shot from Mitchell Weiss and then a wickedly deflected effort from Kyle Connolly. When a Roddy Collins header did bypass the keeper, Reece Ford, later to have mixed fortune, was on hand to clear off the line. It seemed only a matter of time, so the home crowd were stunned when an innocuous Barwell cross was held by Melvin Minter, but the ball slipped out of his hands and over the line. A somewhat affronted Kings picked up the baton again and as the half closed saw double blocks deny Parkes and Crawford and then a stinging 25 yard shot by Crawford finger tipped round the post.

It was more of the same in the second half as Jordan Parkes hit the bar with a twenty yard free-kick and a Harry Crawford shot was deflected onto the post by Tyler, who then halted a Will Hoskins effort with his outstretched legs. Barwell were dogged in defence and looked dangerous on the occasional break, in particular a Kai Williams low cross finding no takers and a Jahvan Davidson-Miller cross glancing off the bar. As the home efforts became more frenetic, Chris Cummins gambled on introducing three attacking players for forward Mitchell Weiss and defenders Dean Hitchcock and Lloyd Doyley. The second of these was 18 year old Edu Toiny-Pendred, who had re-signed the previous day after an autumn at an American college and he immediately made an impact down the right flank with some powerful penetrating play. As the last minute clocked up, it seemed the visitors would hold out, but an exchange of passes down the wing saw Edu produce a low, deceptive cross and the unfortunate Reece Ford steer it past the valiant Tyler. Certainly some element of justice was done to reflect the home possession, but such is Kings’ mind-set of late that this will feel like a missed opportunity.

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