Bad luck and trouble continue to be Kings’ constant companions as they fell to a 1-0 defeat for the fifth time this season and Kyle Connolly’s straight red ostensibly cost a point at the very least.

There was hope that things were improving when the strike force of Bradley Wadkins, Edu and Harry Crawford appeared in the squad together for the first time this season, although the first two would start on the bench.

After an even opening five minutes, the Blues got in behind the Kings’ defence, but Alfie Marriott made a great close range stop. The visitors bounced back and Alfie Williams displayed his passing skills with a long ball that put Louis-Michel Yamfam through down the left, but his shot was wayward.

Roddy Collins and Erin Amu combined well for Liam Beach to push the latter’s shot round the post for a corner, but Kings were getting caught offside on a number of occasions, causing promising moves to break down. The game settled into a bland period of midfield sparring, Blues wasting their one good chance by firing over the bar.

The defining moment of the encounter arrived on the cusp of half time as Marriott comes out well to claim a through ball, but a subsequent scuffle between Kyle Connolly and Jack Mazzone results in Connolly being shown a straight red and Mazzone a yellow. The offence is unclear to the crowd, but the referee is adamant and Kings are down to ten men for the whole of the oncoming second half.

Chris Cummins is forced into a half-time reshuffle, sacrificing Yamfam for Jack Wood and going narrow in midfield as Collins joins Erin Amu and Alfie Williams in the middle of the park. The second half is one way traffic as Kings battle bravely, while the home side are mostly restricted to half chances as the defence, led by the outstanding Jorell Johnson and Will Hall, stand firm.

Edu enters the fray as the hour passes and Brad Wadkins replaces Harry Crawford ten minutes later in a move to give the Blues something to think about in defence, but with ten minutes to go, the home pressure finally pays off and it’s a familiar story as once again a set piece proves Kings’ undoing as a powerful header from a corner finally beats Marriott.

For Kings, the only real chance of the half comes with four minutes to go as Edu cuts into the box from the right-hand side and hits a low shot that fizzes past the post The game ends 1-0 and though KL can’t argue with the result, they can definitely feel frustrated that their good work was for nothing and what felt like a very avoidable red card has ultimately cost them any chance of coming away with anything from the game.