Kings Langley defeat Salisbury in their own backyard

This was arguably the result of the day as Kings dented Salisbury’s title hopes with a
determined victory that helped erase the memories of the Whites’ 94th minute equaliser in
Hertfordshire eighteen days earlier. It appeared that Langley had come with a plan to slow the
game down from the start and keeper Alex Tokarczyk became the target of a large partisan
crowd’s ire with his leisurely approach to goal kicks from the onset. The home side had the
better of the first quarter of an hour with Louis Benson on the wing and Thomas Whelan
through the centre looking particularly dangerous as Kings struggled to find their rhythm. But
their first serious foray was a flowing movement of artistry that gave them a lead that stunned
the home crowd and gave manager Steve Claridge apoplexy. Callum Adebiyi and Charlie
O’Keefe combined on the left to send Lewis Putman on his way to the corner flag, where he
beat his man with sublime footwork to send over a cross that was met with an emphatic
header by Rene Howe. For all the pressure Salisbury then exerted until half time, Kings’ only
anxious moments were a goalmouth scramble and a diving Mullings’ header past the post and
they always looked dangerous as they executed the other part of their tactics, which was to hit
Salisbury on the break.
The atmosphere ramped up even further after the interval with Tokarczyk making an excellent
save, but he was powerless when, with shades of the previous encounter, Salisbury equalised
with a swerving free kick by Louis Benson. If the hosts thought they were halfway to three
points, they were forced to think again as a break by Rene Howe and then a header by
Mitchell Weiss brought the best out of keeper Jake Hallett, before Jorell Johnson had a good
chance that seemed to take him by surprise. The sheer number of home attacks had the
travelling fans counting down the minutes, but with the ninety almost up, the unthinkable
happened as far as Salisbury were concerned. Kings had mounted another keep-ball attack,
but Lewis Putman played the ball square to Josh Coldicott-Stevens, introduced ten minutes
earlier, and the midfielder unleashed a 25 yard rocket into the net. The eight minutes of time
added were ridden out, leaving Kings celebrating a monumental victory and only outside the
play-offs by goal difference.