Match Report

Manager Steve Conroy demanded a reaction from his players after the previous inept performance
and he certainly got one as the real Kings Langley stood up to take high flying Salisbury to within
sixty seconds of defeat. Stevie Ward and Junior Osborne were reinstated, with Gary Connolly and
Josh Coldicott-Stevens dropping to the bench and both sides began at a pulsulating pace, with
plenty of skill and commitment on show, but little in the way of clear cut chances. Kings certainly
had the better of the early stages, with Andronicos Georgiou shooting just wide from a Rene Howe
pass, but Salisbury came into it on the half hour when Tom Whelan put a looping volley just wide.
The second half of an absorbing contest began in similar fashion with Kings again asking the
majority of the questions, but sometimes making the wrong decisions in the final third and a
Georgiou shot was parried by Jake Hallett with Stevie Ward just missing the rebound. This was to
be a prelude to the breakthrough minutes later when Howe’s through ball to Mitchell Weiss saw the
striker get a shot in under pressure, Hallett parry and an alert Ward react quickest to slam the ball
home. All of which stung Salisbury into furious action with substitute Chris Shephard producing a
rocket with his first touch that drew a magnificent flying touch round from Alex Tokarczyk, an effort
he had to reproduce minutes later from a Tom Whelan low shot. Fellow sub Dan Fitchett looked
certain to score until Tokarczyk and Jorell Johnson combined with a last dich tackle and Kings were
under the cosh, but relied on quick breaks to relieve the pressure and test Salisbury’s nerve. One
particular incisive run through the middle of a retreating defence ended with Dylan Switters hacked
down by a cautioned Matt Partridge and the resultant free kick fizzed just over by Georgiou. As the
minutes passed and time added stretched to five minutes, it seemed Kings would record a victory
of character but there was to be a final twist. For the side in front, game management by
possession is a vital tactic and Kings excelled at it. For the side behind, the tactic must be to draw
a foul and capitalise on the free kick. And that’s how it played out! The full blooded commitment of
Dylan Switters earned him a second yellow and the free kick on the edge of the box was
dispatched with such skill by Chris Shephard that Kings custodial hero hardly saw it. So honours
even, probably a fair result on balance, but Kings should not let a lingering sense of disappointment
detract from the positives of a performance that says they are back to form and ready for another
assault on the play-offs as the season enters its final third.