Kingstonian 1-2 Walton & Hersham
CORY-BLIMEY

Just three days after Kingstonian blew the Isthmian Premier league leaders out of the water, a team almost unchanged lost somewhat embarrassingly to Walton & Hersham, tenth in the Isthmian first division. Some watching didn't much care as it was "only" the Surrey Cup, but it would have been nice to still have some silverware to aim for as we enter the colder months.

The visitors started like the proverbial train - scoring with just two minutes on the clock. David Cory swung in a corner from the left and Tony Sweet stuck it past Lance Key at the near post. A momentary blip? Seemingly not. A slightly very under-weight back-pass from Dave Clarke looked to have presented Sweet with another chance, but Lance Key did well to close him down and challenge. Except in the process he took a kick on the knee and needed several minutes of treatment before play could continue.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Greg Ball had the first chance of the evening for the "Conquerors of Canvey" (© B. Frawley) but saw his effort saved well by goalkeeper Luke Garrard. The resulting corner saw the ball played back out to Danny Bolt on the right, and when his cross came in Garrard brought down David Sadler to hand K's an easy chance to get back into the game (above).

Danny bolt always looks confident taking a penalty, and so it proved as he just about sent the ball past Garrard's diving frame (below). One-one on fifteen minutes and the world looked to be back in its usual shape.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Not long afterwards Sadler received the ball from a Bolt cross, and when he touched the ball past Alan Dowson and into the area he fell to the ground. Referee Mr D. Crick wasn't keen on giving two penalties though, and waved play on.

But with twenty-four minutes on the clock he had no choice. Another cross from Bolt on the left was met by Greg Ball in the area. His touch took the ball past Nicky Andrews, giving the defender no option but to bring him down. The penalty was rightly given, so up stepped the oh-so-confident Bolt.

Time for those who say " Danny bolt always looks confident taking a penalty" to eat their words. A blast against the bar was bad enough, but his attempt to then head the rebound into the net (thus playing the ball for a second time) was something which shouldn't even be seen in a Junior's match.

Still, one-one at half-time wasn't too bad, and the introduction of Adrian Jones in place of Key was little to be worried about. The debutant even got a chance to show his mettle when another poor back-pass, this time from Leon White, meant he had to leave the sanctuary of his area to tackle Scott Edgar. He didn't quite get it right, but Max Hustwick was thankfully on hand to mop up.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Still, the warning signs were there, and they weren't heeded quickly enough. A cross from Francis Dolan on the right (above) landed the ball on the head of substitute Marcus Rose at the far post, only for him to head backwards instead of forwards into the empty net.

K's took their time to warm up, but they did have a few chances in the half. David Sadler had - and missed - the best of them when set free by James Pinnock (on for Eddie Duah). His shot from the edge of the area was only a couple of inches away from Garrard's right-hand post - but a couple of inches can make all the difference.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Walton were still in the match as a fighting force and K's were thankful for the stature of Mark Jones when he headed a shot from Cory off the line with Jones beaten. But Jones could do nothing about the winner with five minutes to go. A cross from the right was met by Cory, whose shot was well saved by Jones. He couldn't however hold the shot and Cory reacted first to the rebound to tuck the ball away.

The dozen-plus visiting supporters celebrated, as the home fans worked out that at least this meant no extra-time. There was still time for Leon White to head against the top of the bar from a corner, but as the whistle went there could be few complaints. The difference from Saturday was startling, and it's a shame that this team will now play out the season with meaningless league games. However, one defeat does not a poor team make.