The Kings Army was questioning its eyesight last night, as their team gained only a second League win, blowing away Hartley Wintney, courtesy of a superb hat-trick by Alfie Williams.

On a night when everything clicked for Kings, the visitors had no answer to the exuberant wing play of Jack Wood and Jamie Jellis, the strength of warhorses Harry Crawford and Roddy Collins, the Exocet-like shooting power of Williams and the dominance of a new look defence, which secured a prized clean sheet.

The first few minutes set the tone of the match, as Jack Wood nicked the ball in midfield, skipped past two defenders and fed the ball to Alfie Williams, who picked his spot to beat Luke Williams. Hartley were on the back foot, clearing off the line after ten minutes, but the reprieve was short lived as Jack Wood surged down the right wing, cut in and fired a second from an acute angle.

A Harry Crawford goalbound shot was deflected over the bar for a corner and Harrison Bayley managed the first shot for the visitors on the half hour, but as the half entered time added, the irrepressible Williams lined up a free kick on the right. The expectation was of a high ball into the box, but the low shot was in the far corner of the net before a beleaguered defence had time to adjust.

Whatever was said in the visiting dressing room was to no avail, as the first minute of the restart saw Crawford slip a forward wing pass to Jack Wood and his low cross found Roddy Collins at the far post to make it four from close range. With the home supporters in full voice, their pleas were answered on the hour, when Alfie Williams picked up the ball centrally in the opposition mid half and fired a first time shot past his hapless namesake to ensure that he would go home with the match ball.

Hartley forced Alfie Marriott into a fine double save in the last fifteen minutes, but even from that, Jorell Johnson’s instant pass set Jack Wood free to end his run firing just past the post. There was a moment’s concern for the Alfie Marriott Preservation Society when Kingsley Eshan hit the bar, but Kings finished worthy winners and with high hopes that this would not prove to be another false dawn.