Buoyed by the presence of Alfie Marriott after a successful appeal against the erroneous decision to send him off after 20 seconds last weekend, Kings Langley had also made two important transfer signings during the week. Alex Lafleur joined from Beaconsfield Town and Jamie Jellis from Aylesbury United and both were included in the matchday squad. On the debit side, both Edu and Bradley Wadkins
found their comebacks from injury to be premature and face further lengthy spells of absence.

Kings should have taken the lead after a mere five minutes when Harry Crawford was tripped in the box by Dan Barnard, but Jamie Cogman guessed correctly and threw himself to his left to save Crawford’s spot kick. The reprieved visitors turned up the pressure and Eli Phipps and Cameron Keetch had good chances from corners, but Alfie Marriott was equal to the challenge.

Kings failed to take the warning though and from another corner a powerful Toby Raison header put Merthyr ahead. Arel Amu missed a chance to restore parity but began the move that led to a pinpoint Leo Farruch cross that found Roddy Collins, who delivered an even more emphatic header on the cusp of half time.

The Martyrs opened the second half in rampaging fashion and hit the crossbar twice in four minutes, but as they attacked again, the referee spotted an off the ball incident on the halfway line that left Leo Farruch prostrate and Adam Davies eventually taking the long walk to the dressing room.

Sensing this was their opportunity, Kings battered the opposite goal for the last half hour, but Merthyr packed their defence and Kings were guilty of over intricate approach play in trying to find a way through. Jack Wood made a typically surging run down the left and hit
the post with a piledriver, but that was the nearest the home side was to get to claiming those elusive three points.

The two new signings caught the eye, with the promise of things to come and Roddy Collins delivered a captain’s performance down the right, but at the end of the contest, Kings knew it was a case of a golden opportunity lost and although Merthyr will be satisfied with a point in the circumstances, a draw does little to help the lowly position of either club.