After last week’s ecstasy of a dramatic Cup win, it was back to the agony as a stoppage time Salisbury goal condemned Kings to another home defeat. It was a double whammy as the heroes of that win suffered further set backs on their road to recovery as Edu Toiny-Pendred limped off in the 70th minute and Harry Crawford, though named on the bench, was not considered fit enough to come on.

Promising young midfielder Alfie Williams, signed n a month’s loan from Stevenage, made his debut, while Arel Amu returned after being cup-tied. The versatile Jack Wood had been switched to the number 10 role and he had the first shot of the match in the first minute. Six minutes later a peach of a through ball from Alfie Williams set him one on one with the keeper, but his effort flew over the bar.

However, the early pressure was to tell on the 15 minute mark as Eli Hearn’s electrifying right wing run and cut inside was unceremoniously halted by a trip in the box and Edu Toiny-Pendred coolly dispatched the resultant spot kick. Salisbury were hardly in the game at this point, but on the half hour mark only the outstretched leg of keeper Liam Studley foiled a Charlie Davis shot and as they upped the pressure, Studley pulled off another good save to deny Dan Fitchett.

Steve Claridge’s half time team talk to the visitors was probably a harsh one, as they were level within three minutes with Oliver Knowles hammering in a left wing cross from the edge of the box, but an immediate response from Kings saw Jack Wood on the end of a through ball from Yasin Arai, but his shot lacked power and was saved by Beauchamp.

The impetus was now with the visitors as Kings had lost their early sparkle and a Knowles shot flashed wide, before Sam Roberts hit a post, collected the rebound and was stunned as Liam Studley made an instinctive point blank save. One more chance fell to Jack Wood, this time inches over, and any critics should be reminded that the midfielder put himself in position to accept chances on more occasions than anyone else.

It was a display of character from the 18 year old, that on any other day could have resulted in a hat trick. But with the goal threat of Edu, (moved wide to accommodate the somewhat subdued Arel Amu), removed following a touchline sprint and tangle that aggravated the previous injury, Kings closed ranks to deny the seemingly inevitable. That they did so for the twenty minutes of normal time that remained, made it all the harder to take when a right wing cross from Odubade was met with the perfect volley by Charlie Davis to rocket into the top left hand corner in the third minute of stoppage time.