Match Report

Kings made several changes to the previous match, Charlie Burns debuting
in goal on loan from Hampton & Richmond and joining Hemel Hempstead
Town loanee Kavan Cotter, who came in at right back against Harrow. Elliott
Godfrey and Davide Pobbe stepped up in midfield and Edu Toiny-Pendred
joined Mitchell Weiss up front in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield.
Promoted Taunton are on a roll, having lost only one League game last
season, but Kings started brightly, with a Callum Adebiyi far post header
from a free kick cleared off the line. Town soon began to show their form and
Dan Sullivan came close with a deflected header and a shot over, while a
Matt Wright header came back off the bar. Langley mustered a reply with a
Callum Adebiyi volley just wide, but when Jorell Johnson was adjudged to
have fouled Wright on the edge of the box, Ben Adelsbury’s free kick through
a packed area took a deflection to give Town the lead in the 26th minute.
Burns did well to block a Shane White shot on the break soon after and the
ubiquitous Johnson appeared at the other end for a 50/50 chance with
keeper Lloyd Irish, only to see the ball roll slowly wide of the post.
Kings had been second best in the first period and called on Charlie Burns to
bring off a smart save from another central Adelsbury free kick, but were
showing signs of growing into the game. That reaped its reward when Edu
came out of defence on the right and fed a diagonal cross to Mitchell Weiss
who showed pace to cut into the opposition half and unleash a spectacular
shot from the edge of the box that flew into the net. Wright had the ball in the
net from an offside position soon after, but the crowd were lifted by an
audacious Weiss shot from fully 50 yards that beat the keeper, but was just
over the bar. There was little between the sides now and an Adebiyi
rampage down the left saw Edu unable to turn on a chance and then Town
cleared the ball off the line in a scramble. But Town still had that slight
physical edge and with four minutes to go, a corner was flicked back into the
box and Ryan Brett powered a header home from close range to deny Kings
their first point of the season, one that few would have begrudged them on
this improved performance.