Match Report

As in the previous round, this cup tie was played in continuous rain, but both teams produced attractive interpassing football at a high tempo throughout to give the crowd value for money. Kings began in rampant mood with Mitchell Weiss testing Lewis Carey after five minutes and the Rooks were mostly confined to their own half for the first twenty minutes as Max Ryan and Weiss again had headers marginally wide. A series of corners by the home side failed to produce the breakthrough that their possession probably deserved, but at the quarter mark, Lewes came into the game when a needless foul resulted in James Hammond’s free kick hitting the bar. Five minutes later Jonte Smith forced Martin Bennett into a good save with his feet, while Mitchell Weiss again went close with a flick from a Callum Adebiyi cross. It had now turned into a finely balanced game, but the breakthrough came from a Kings error, as Max Ryan’s surging run and pass out of defence was intercepted by Omar Lawson, who slipped the ball out to Dan Darbyshire on the right. The defence was totally stretched and when Darbyshire elected to shoot across Bennett, it hit the far post to be followed up by Jonte Smith from close range. 
Kings began the second period as they had started the first and Jorell Johnson went near, while Josh Coldicott-Stevens grazed the outside of the post. Stevie Ward was causing the visitors concern on the right and ended a penetrating run with a shot that was deflected to safety, but Kings were not to be denied as a superb diagonal wing pass from Rene Howe set Ward in on goal again and Carey did well to block his shot, but Weiss reacted quicker than the defence to thunder a rising shot into the net from close range. With the visitors on the back foot, Kings went all out for victory with another series of corners, but as time ebbed away, the balance between all-out attack and being caught on the break became a fine one. A spectacular run through the centre by Max Ryan was finally halted, Lewis Carey somehow got his fingertips to Rene Howe’s powerful header and deep into time added the home crowd was on its feet as Callum Adebiyi’s header from a corner caressed the wrong side of the post. And that was it, as two utterly spent sides faced up to the fact that they have to do it all over again on Wednesday night.  RM