On the day that Kings paraded their new loan signing, Dylan Asonganyi from National League side Maidenhead United, it was a previous signing that made the headlines and earned Langley a welcome three points. Lanre Ladipo has battled to gain a starting role since his move from Hayes and Yeading United, but he came off the bench on the hour mark to hit a stunner that lit up a dull match. Gary Connolly dropped to the bench to accommodate Asonganyi and the only other change was positional with Sam Dreyer adding stability to the centre of defence.

Borough nearly caught Kings cold when George Moore hit the post after a mere 41 seconds, but Kings hit back with a Sam Dreyer shot cleared off the line and then the lively Jamie Jellis also hit woodwork from a seemingly impossible angle. The mirror imaging continued when Dreyer cleared off his own goalline on twenty minutes, but the game descended into a routine of long balls from end to end that wasn’t particularly entertaining. But skill was on display in the last minute of the half, when a cracking 25 yarder from Borough’s Joseph Otudeko was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Alfie Marriott to keep the sides level.

The home side had had the better of the first period, but that was to change dramatically as the hour mark passed when Kings should have scored from two one-on-ones within five minutes, but both Dylan Asonganyi and sub Aral Amu missed their chance. However, within minutes Lanre Ladipo used a different route when he took a short pass from Jamie Jellis twenty two yards out and delivered a guided missile that honed in on the top corner, giving Josh Strizovic no chance of reaching it.

It was a stunning effort, worthy of winning any match, but would Kings, who had failed to hold a winning lead on nine previous occasions, hold on to take the three points? The answer was an emphatic yes, as their game management was totally effective in the final ten minutes after Alfie Marriott was called upon again to tip an inswinging Moore free kick onto and over the bar. Indeed, they could have extended the lead in the last five minutes when a demoralised Borough allowed a third one-on-one situation to develop as Harry Crawford broke clear, but Strizovic was again equal to the task.

While Kings are still in the relegation zone, the next two fixtures, which are against the bottom two, will be defining, but Kings will go into them buoyed by the confidence that this gritty performance will have inspired.