Kingstonian 6-0 Crowborough Athletic
AS THE CROWS DON'T FLY...

Kingstonian stormed back to the top of the table with a six-of-the-best thrashing of new visitors Crowborough Athletic.

Having lost the top spot to promotion-chasing Worthing during the week, Ks retaliated with a six-goal drubbing of the division's basement club. And with Worthing losing to Sittingbourne, the top spot was regained.

Two up within 15 minutes, the home side never looked like losing and another four goals after the break put them back again on top with the best goal difference by nine.

First Phil Williams found his shot deflected into the back of the net by skipper David Soutar after only the seventh minute and then a swivel by Carl Wilson-Denis doubled the lead on the quarter hour.

Wilson-Denis added within minutes of the break after pouncing on a ball from Simon Huckle's shot that could only find the crossbar. Then it was four as once again Huckle put a ball through but this time finding bobby Traynor. A low-ish shot then beat Robert Gordon in goal. Eight minutes later Julien Thompson, just on as a substitute, split the defence open and scored the fifth.

And then in the dying minutes league debutante Craig Mullen, on at the same time as Thompson, drilled the sixth goal in. And it could have been more as Mullen headed over in injury time from a shot crafted out by Williams.

With the pressure on following Monday's disappointment against Croydon, Ks were soon at the right end of the pitch and pushing towards the Kingston Road End. Anthony Joseph broke out of midfield in the fourth minute and his cross to Williams was denied 20 yards out by Gordon from the goal.

Photo: Roger Sims

This was only a temporary setback as he then picked up his rebounded shot minutes later and kicked away by the visitor's captain Soutar to shoot back in. This time Soutar could only head it in as the keeper went towards Williams' way.

Photo: Roger Sims

Williams nearly followed this up with a header into the ground from Huckle but Gordon was onto it quickly. Wilson-Denis soon erased this as he shot past Gordon in the 15th minute as he picked up Traynor's thru ball from Nick Rundell.

Two free kicks saw first Joseph head wildly and then Williams shot over and then just after the half-hour Traynor was unable to pick up a long pass from Wilson-Denis and then Traynor was denied by the save of the match by Gordon, who tipped over his close-range shot from Rundell's pass back in off the wall.

Still Gordon came out and in the 35th minute he dived bravely at Traynor after a pass by Wilson-Denis from the right.

Within two minutes the visitors tried to strike back but striker Matt Foreman saw his low shot easily gathered up by Luke Garrard, who had spent most of the half as a spectator. Injury time saw Traynor with another shot as he slipped in for a long reach to score.

The second half started with Wilson-Denis pouncing on Huckle's shot off the post. Then once again Huckle provided another goal with this time Traynor the poacher. At this point boss Alan Dowson had seen enough and bought on Mullen and Thompson for both strikers.

It was the other Thompson that then provided the next action as Adam, recovering from a recent injury, gave away a corner on the hour mark. Thom Nowell's kick from the left went straight to Garrard. Almost immediately the ball came back towards Garrard and Foreman forced a double save from Garrard. For the visitors that was as good as it got.

Up the other end within a minute the other Thompson took the defence apart and slotted the ball in coolly to make it 5-0. He nearly made it another minutes later after picking up NJ Lampton's cross in but this time it was not Gordon who denied him but Thompson's wayward shooting.

At the other end Nathan Millroy shot weakly on the turn to Garrard. He tried again minutes later but shot well over. Foreman tried again but it was again easy for Garrard from the long shot.

Then, with the game running down, Lampton headed in and over the crossbar. Three minutes later it was Mullen who applied the coup-de-grace with his first league goal on his league debut. He nearly added to that but he could only head over in injury time in the last action of the game.

Photo: Roger Sims