With the Bank Holiday fixture being played on the day after Boxing Day and some matches affected by Covid, the rain failed to deter a bumper crowd for the local derby and both sides served up a festive feast of football, with fortunes changing until the last minute.

With Lee Axworthy transferred to Hertford Town, Kings brought in experienced keeper Jack Smith on a short loan from Hayes and Yeading and also signed Slough Town prospect Imran Kayani, with both starting against third placed United.

It was Kings that made all the early running, with an Erin Amu shot tipped round the post, an audacious Sam Dreyer 45 yarder just past the post and an Imran Kayani effort palmed away by Sam Beasant. The pressure told on twenty minutes, when a free kick on the Kings left flank produced a teasing in-swinger with its trajectory looking to have beaten the defence before Erin Amu made sure with the decisive touch for his first goal for the club.

Chesham responded with Jaden Thompson-Brissett’s shot punched away by Jack Smith, who was looking solid in the home goal, but it was Kings who were still in the ascendency with a superb run and cross by Jack Wood being met on the volley by Jamie Jellis before skimming the bar. Imran Kayani was showing his pace with a run and shot that Sam Beasant did well to tip over the bar, but United grabbed a lifeline in the last minute of the half when another free kick saw Lewis Rolfe’s fierce shot from the edge of the box strike the underside of the crossbar and bounce down to strike the unfortunate Sam Dreyer and cross the line.

The second half resumption showed that the impetus had swung the Generals way and it was they who were making the most chances as Kings struggled to recreate their rhythm and make an impact down the middle. As the contest entered the last quarter of an hour, a throw in led to Lewis Rolfe having a sight of goal and his shot came off the inside of the post to put the visitors firmly in the driving seat. Or so it seemed, but regulars have seen enough last minute twists in the tail of late and the home fans were to be treated to another as the irrepressible Jamie Jellis made another right wing run, sent over a low angled cross and there was Sam Dryer to stab the ball home with three of the five additional minutes on the clock.

It was no more than was deserved and another vital point, but it could be argued that the overall performance could so easily have resulted in three if that elusive ‘rub of the green’ (or in this case woodwork) had gone Kings way.