Kingstonian 0-2 Woking
THE LIGHTS GO OUT ON K'S SEASON

A new year brought with it hope that new form could be found by a K's team looking every bit the relegation contenders that they are fast becoming. A few short weeks ago, everything looked rosy. The most important fact was whether the ground would be ready in time for the football league inspectors. Now the club just need to ensure that the Ryman league will accept them back again..... Anyway, the non-pessimists amongst the 2,467 crowd (this writer clearly not included) were hoping that new form could be found. But were left sorely disappointed. When will they ever learn?

It took just three minutes for Woking to take the lead - they seemed happy whilst the K's players didn't really appear too surprised. Matt Crossley gave away a corner out on the left, a quick pass found Steele who set up Steve Perkins on the edge of the box. With the K's right hand post unmarked, Perkins passed in that direction and the post had the easiest chance to touch the ball in from on the line. It didn't disappoint and the Cards were one up.

Not only hope was given up at this point. Every pen in the ground also gave up the ghost, until a passing WPC was persuaded to lend hers to an author in desperate need. Luckily though, nothing of any interest happened in the passing twenty or so minutes. K's then decided to at least try to try. Joe O'Connor was given an easy chance from a Phil Wingfield corner but headed wide. Next Geoff Pitcher took a clear dive out on the left, somehow persuading the referee that a free-kick was deserved. Simon Stewart would obviously have felt a bit guilty scoring from the free-kick, so instead headed over. Very noble of him.

And then it all went dark. The lights went out, the Woking fans groaned whilst the K's fans celebrated. Surely an abandonment was the best we could expect? Then the PA system crackled into life. But instead of informing us what was going on they just read out the raffle result. A Woking fan probably won that too.

Once the lights came back on Pitcher had a superb shot saved, Hay almost got in before Stewart intercepted, who then went close at the other end. Patterson crossed from the right to the far post, Stewart connected, but hit his shot painfully slowly, with the result that Flahavan just reached down to pick it up. The last chance before the break saw Steele volley over after Hay had set him up.

The second half was really more of the same, just at the other ends. Yes there were chances, but no real clear cut ones for K's. Tarkan Mustafa went close with a volley but this struck somebody's back and bounced to Pitcher who couldn't do anything. Just later Pitcher sent a free-kick into the box, Mark Harris headed on and it was once again O'Connor who had the chance to equalise. Yet he had obviously been watching Simon Stewart earlier and sent another oh-so-slow shot goalbound. This too was saved.

Leworthy came on, Patterson got booked and O'Connor missed another chance. The effort was there, but it really was just one of those days (seasons?) when nothing would go right. A brilliant Wingfield touch set up Pitcher to cross from the left, and he found Leworthy. A few weeks ago there would have been no acceptable destination for the ball other than the net. Yet Dave (along with everyone else) is not having the best of times recently. His volley looked good, but it was saved fairly comfortably by Flahavan.

With ten minutes left, nobody really expected an equaliser. Woking were still creating chances and were defending in numbers, and doing it very well. Harris probably came closest to an equaliser when his volley from the edge of the box was clearly stopped by Perkins' hand. The referee disagreed and play was waved on. Just moments later Harris attempted to recreate his volley out on the left, but instead missed the ball completely. Akrour picked it up, beat a couple of defenders and scored in the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was a goal scored against the run of play at the time, but none the less fully deserved by a player who had performed very well on the day.

All that was left was a booking for O'Connor for a quite superb foul and for Mark Harris to go close twice - once with head and once with boot. Surely the fact that three of K's best chances of the game fell to Mark "central defender" Harris says something? Woking though could have scored more while K's pushed for a consolation goal. They didn't, but didn't care. They'd picked up four points from six against a team who just a few weeks ago were boasting of their possible promotion. How wrong we all were.