Kings got 2022 off to a flying start with the first away victory of the season, serving up a polished performance that overwhelmed the hosts. Hendon came into this fixture on a run of three wins and a draw, fired by the prolific strike partnership of Liam Brooks and Joe White, while Kings made one change, Edu starting in place of Imran Kayani.

The match got under way on a well-used 3G pitch with end to end play, but it was a quarter of an hour before Jack Wood tried his luck with a powerful shot from outside the box that Fred Burbidge palmed away. The pairing of teenage centre backs Sam Dreyer and Will Hall was giving a new found assurance to the Kings’ defence and both were superb throughout, effectively shackling Brooks and White to such an extent that they hardly registered a shot on target. The loss of the screening Gary Connolly before the half hour mark was a blow, but after a quiet start, his replacement Lanre Ladipo grew into the role and the presence of on loan keeper Jack Smith, though rarely troubled, further boosted the confidence.

When Kings went ahead after 37 minutes, it was no more than they deserved and came from a Jamie Jellis inswinging corner that was recycled back by Sam Dreyer. Lanre Ladipo got a foot to the ball as a melee ensued and Edu improvised with a lobbed shot over his shoulder and past the stranded Burbidge. The half ended with an offside decision against Kings being the first time that the referee had used his whistle for anything other than the ball out of play. A quite remarkable statistic in a fast flowing and entertaining first half.

Kings economically named strike force of Amu and Edu found themselves similarly shackled by the Dons’ experienced central defensive pairing of Christian Smith and Quba Gordon, but Jamie Jellis and Jack Wood were constantly troubling the hosts with their pace and their ability to interchange positions anywhere across the width of the pitch. Both seemed always in motion, harrying the opposition when in possession and a constant threat when they had the ball.

As Kings piled on the pressure, it was fitting that Jack Wood was to land the killer blow with thirteen minutes left. As the Dons tried to play their way out of defence, a loose forward pass was seized on by the youngster, who took two steps forward and unleashed a low venomous shot from outside the box that fizzed past defence and keeper. The referee added five minutes of extra time, but Kings never looked likely to relinquish their advantage and comfortably saw time out to claim a morale boosting victory.