Kings Langley travel to Champions-elect Real Bedford on Saturday afternoon with a stern examination expected from the league’s dominant force.
Three games remain for Steve Heath’s side, with Saturday’s trip to Bedford followed by an Easter weekend containing the visit of second-placed Berkhamsted and a crucial tie at Northwood, which rounds off the season. Tuesday night’s point stretched the gap between them and the bottom three back to four points, with Leverstock Green not in midweek action, but the sides chasing Kings - Northwood and the Green - both have an additional game in hand.
There have certainly been signs that Heath is starting to imprint his ideas on his squad and although that elusive win remains hard to come by, the 2-2 draw against Biggleswade could yet prove significant.
Again Kings were left heartbroken as an 80th-minute equaliser denied them all three points, but the two goals they scored act as evidence of steps being taken in the right direction. Having struggled for goals of late, three in their last three suggests they are finding some fluidity in the attacking areas and now just have to combine that with the defensive side of things to pick up a vital victory or two as the season reaches its dying embers.
The trip to the home of the Pirates, however, will be a tricky task. A win at the weekend for Real will secure them the title that seems inevitable and a stunning run of form has seen them go unbeaten in the league since December. That rocking of the ship was exacted by Kings, one of only two sides to beat Bedford this campaign, and will act as a glimmer of hope to cling to for Heath’s men.
Their offensive record is quite remarkable, having scored 119 goals already this term with four games left to play. That’s 34 more than anyone else and 17 of them have come in their last three outings. A 6-0 thrashing of Stotfold was followed by a 7-1 annihilation of Beaconsfield, and most recently they overcame Aylesbury 4-1.
Kings will have their hands full all over the pitch but will be especially mindful of forward Joseph Evans. He has 34 for the season, including six in his last eight, and is unsurprisingly the league’s top scorer.
The odds may appear stacked against them, but at this time in the season anything can happen. Kings are fighting for their lives and they’ll be sure to leave everything out on the pitch in the hope that the bit of fortune they have been missing goes their way and they can pull off a landmark victory.
The boys would cherish your support, so to be there and back the lads head to the Ledger Stadium for 3pm on Saturday afternoon.