Close to a hundred Kings Langley supporters made the trip into Buckinghamshire on a chilly evening, hoping to see their side book a place in the Bank Holiday Play-Off Final alongside Cockfosters or Risborough.

Kings started brightly and arguably had the better of the first half. Chances came and went for Louie Collier, Ezra Forde and Edu Toiny-Pendred, but despite some encouraging attacking play, the breakthrough just wouldn’t come before the interval.

Winslow’s famously sloped pitch had been a talking point before kick-off, and it proved significant after the break. With the advantage of playing downhill, the hosts struck within minutes of the restart to take the lead.

A second goal followed not long after — well taken, though helped along by a debatable throw-in decision — leaving Kings with a mountain to climb. To their credit, they responded well. Izzy Hilaire pulled one back to give the travelling fans renewed hope, and with the away support in full voice behind the goal, Kings pushed hard for an equaliser.

There was a moment when it felt like it might come, but Charlie Johnson was unable to convert when the chance presented itself, and the hosts held on.

By the following day, as the disappointment began to settle, manager Steve Heath spoke to the club’s media team, keen to pass on a message to the supporters after another remarkable effort this season.

“On behalf of myself, my staff and the players — thank you for last night. Our support was incredible, honestly.

You’ve been with us every step of the way this season and it’s not gone unnoticed.

It’s been a long, hard campaign with plenty of challenges, and while we didn’t achieve our objective, we’ll learn from it and move forward.

I’m going to recharge the batteries for a couple of weeks — and then we go again.

Enjoy your break, and I’ll see you all in the summer.”

While a well-earned rest is on the horizon, there was a clear sense that Heath already has one eye on what comes next — and he’ll be hoping the Kings faithful are right there with him when the new campaign begins.