Morecambe 0-0 Kingstonian
K'S SHOW THAT THERE'S MORE-TO-COME

Kingstonian made their first lenthy trip of the season along with a hundred or so of their fans to Morecambe to see the K's battle out a 0-0 draw, which looked better in the cold light of day than it did in the cold wind of Morecambe.

The first half, which was punctuated by the referee's whistle, gave little for the small crowd to get excited about. There seemed to be an air of lethargy about both the teams' performance and the fans vocal support. In the opening minutes Morecambe went close with a lob which had Barret back-pedaling after Patterson had lost possession about forty yards from goal. The strong wind, and extremely large pitch, were making conditions hard for the players, and it was only in the 36th minute that K's came close. This, a fine move attacking the end towards Morecambe's splendid new terracing, was created by a pass from Pitcher to Rattray after Leworthy had taken two defenders out of the way, with a superb off the ball run. The ball fell to Eddie who hit his shot just wide of the left upright.

The three centre-backs in particular were looking good at the heart of the K's defence limiting the northeners to long range shots, and appear to have gelled into an efficient unit in the brief time they've spent together.

The second half brought a more determined K's team onto the pitch, with the crowd sensing their desire not to go home empty-handed. Controversy erupted in the second half, as Eddie Akuamoah was hacked down just outside the opposition's box. The Morecambe number 5, Kenny Mayers, who was having a torrid time keeping up with the energetic winger, was justly booked.

The K's defence continued to impress with Stewart, Harris and Crossley playing well, Stewart even getting into the penalty area at times. Danny Smith didn't look out of place too much, and perhaps the wing- back position is the one that will give him most joy at K's. Luckett was typically impressive again and Rattray had a solid game in the middle of the park. Geoff Pitcher went on a run on the left hand side of the penalty area. A challenge was made on him, and though there was physical contact, it was certainly not enough to warrant the dive that he made. It certainly didn't impress Mr. A. McGee from Liverpool who proceeded to book Pitcher for ungentlemanly conduct.

As the second half went on, the prospect of a goal looked increasingly likely, though K's looked the slightly stronger team. Morecambe's Hall had a good oppportunity but hit his shot wide, and Gary Patterson had a chance but was denied by a superb double block by the Morecambe defence. Geoff Pitcher also had another chance but stumbled over at the critical moment. Some time before the final whistle Eddie took off on another run skinning Mayers for fun. The dread-locked defender brought down Eddie again, as he had just gone past him and forced him to be stretchered off by a foul only surpassed in its ferocity by Patterson at Yeovil last week. Mayers should have been booked for this challenge but having already been booked the referee cowardly refused to show him the red card.

With thirteen minutes remaining, Joe Francis was introduced for Dave Leworthy. This meant that K's had to play out the rest of the game without a centre-forward to get on the end of chances that Eddie was still creating. With Gavin Holligan getting bored on the bench, the introduction of Francis, at such a late stage, seems to suggest that Geoff Chapple doesn't quite have the confidence in the eighteen year old - much to the annoyance of his dad, who travelled up to the match.

Both Matt Crossley and Simon Stewart performed heroics at the heart of the K's defence - perhaps the teams were tiring after three games in a week, but whatever the reason, the possibility of a goal being scored was increasing with every passing minute.

The travelling fans went home disappointed, though slighty cheered up upon hearing the Woking result. The frustration is perhaps an indication of the superb start that we have made. There aren't many people who would have predicted K's having 7 points from a possible 9. Confidence in the team must be sky-high, and the visit of Rushden on Tuesday night will be eagerly anticipated.