Your reading a pre 2010-11 archived article
October comes and goes and your intrepid Leeds fans still can’t get himself a mile down the road! Still thank the heavens for our mainstay K’s reporter Mike Underwood who gives us his latest installment of the ups and downs of our Ryman’s adopted team.
Five games in fifteen days – four of them in one cup or another and four of them involving Kingstonian.
Match 1: Ks away to former rivals Met Police (3 miles up the road) and win a drab game to match the drabness of the afternoon. In the 64th minute Bobby Traynor swooped in from a loose ball after Carl Wilson-Denis’ shot was palmed away by Mo Maan, in goal. Dean Lodge had broken up the wing before crossing it in.
Match 2: Two days later, now at home, Ks faced Kent side Beckenham Town in the Surrey Senior Cup. Last year we faced Middlesex side Ashford Town in the opening fixture – but then how big is the county of Surrey? Three goals by Carl Wilson-Denis and a fourth by Joel Ledgister saw off the visitors, two steps below in the non-league pyramid. For Ledgister, it proved to be his first, and last, goal for the club as he left by mutual consent less than two weeks later. It was also his last match for the club as the ex-Woking player seeks pastures afresh.
Match 3: That Saturday Ks faced Hastings United, also at home in a league game. Poor passing by the home side and long passes, punctuated by a few decisive ones, undid Kingstonian. 26 minutes on the clock and they were one goal to the good and their opponents minus a goalkeeper as Traynor was bought down on the edge of the area by Greg Nessling. Sam Adams, in midfield, duly had to swop sweaty shirts and then pick the ball from the back of the net as Traynor shot slightly to the right and Adams dived the opposite way. Ade Olerunda equalised before half time and then added a second from a header with nine minutes to go.
Match 5: It must be a cup match as once again Hendon were the opponents. League match in August, FA Cup in September and now FA Trophy in October. First two saw Ks win and then lose. This one ended up 4-2 as Ks breezed ahead through the second half three goals up. However a 80th minute goal from ex-Bulgarian international Lubomir Guentchev set the game into the jitters. In injury time Christian Jolley picked up a return pass by Traynor to restore the three-goal advantage but James Bent then put one beyond Luke Garrard, making a return in goal after an absence throughout this period.
The fourth match itself was seen as a neutral. Once more it was Kingsmeadow but it was the excitement of the FA Cup. Having drawn away to Crawley the Saturday before, AFC Wimbledon replayed them. midweek. I was at one end, behind the goal instead of my more usual post below the microphone in the main stand, and one son and his friend were at the other end. A couple of things stood out, crowd-size notwithstanding. I met a couple of people I post against, across various football forums. It took me back to the days I was standing, segregated, in league games and I kept being told to move along by stewards. The result was 3-1 with AFC Wimbledon progressing to the first round (proper) at Millwall. A couple more points also stood out: at Ks the fans throw banter, sometimes rude, at the ‘keeper but for Crawley a few plastic bottles onto the pitch replaced that; and James Pullen, in goal, seemed to find enough injuries and time to waste time. (I’m sure that sounds familiar to K’s fans – Ashford Town on the opening day of the season.)
More next time.
Stop me if you have heard this one before, Kingsmeadow soon, very soon.
