Ryman Premier
Kingstonian 2 v 2 East Thurrock United
BOTH sides were desperate for a victory to sustain slim hopes of a Ryman Premier Division play-off place so a draw was a huge disappointment for both.Ks still have a mathematical chance of making the top five but for Rocks the dream is over for another year.
However, they will look back on Sunday’s game as one that brought a return to form. They were the better side over 90 minutes and but for a combination of bad luck and a refereeing blunder they might well have won the day.
In many ways it encapsulated their season – a case of what might have been.
They made a blistering start and the country’s top non-League scorer Sam Higgins, recovered from a groin injury, set the tempo after five minutes, carving through the home defence to unleash a shot that came off the underside of the bar and bounced down and out to safety.
Moments later Higgins had another chance after an incive ball from Nicky Symons opened up the home defence but couldn’t dig the ball out from under his feet and in the end was penalised for handball as he tried to get a shot away.
The visitors continued to press and Mitchell Gilbey and Kye Ruel, who were working their socks off, combined for Ruel to strike at goal and draw a decent save from Rob Tolfrey.
At the other end Kingstonian finally got their act together and Steve Laidler got a strike in on goal, but didn’t trouble David Hughes. Soon after Pelayo Pico Gomez curled a shot wide.
At the other end Higgins whipped a wonderful ball across the face of goal that Gilbey seemed set to tap in but he was upended by a defender for what looked a certain penalty but ref Paul Yates waved away appeals. The pressure continued and Gilbey had a close range effort blocked before Higgins’ header from Ryan Sammons’s cross was comfortably saved by Tolfrey.
Rocks were quickly back on the attack and took the lead on 29 minutes when Gilbey’s pass set Higgins free and he produced an accomplished finish.
Kingstonian responded well and Malachi Hudson was only denied by a brilliant save from Hughes, who got down late to tip a curling shot round the post.
And, in the closing minute of the half they controversially drew level when Hughes flapped at a cross which fell into the path of Alan Inns who appeared to control it with his hand and forced the ball over the line. Mr Yates had a good view and was unmoved by the incandescent appeals of East Thurrock’s defenders and gave the goal.
Undaunted, East Thurrock made a bright start to the second half and within seconds Higgins got on the end of Gilbey’s cross but volleyed over from close range.
They continued to press and were rewarded on the hour when Gilbey was pulled down in the box and Higgins lashed home the ensuing penalty.
The pressure continued and what would probably have been the game’s decisive goal looked on when Higgins lobbed Tolfrey but agonisingly the ball came back off the bar.
The effort put in by East Thurrock began to tell as the half wore on and they began to run out of legs, allowing a reshaped Ks side more of the ball and space to work with it.
Gomez went close with a shot he hooked across the face of goal but the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Inns forced the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.
A couple of minutes later sub Daniel Sweeney, who had been influential since his half time introduction had a glorious chance to fire Ks ahead but he scuffed his shot past the post.
The final chance of the game came in added time when Rocks sub Lewis Smith surged through the penalty area. He had a chance to shoot but took an added touch that forced him wide and he elected to lay the ball into the path of fellow sub Ellis Brown but the ball was poor and the matchwinning chance – and with it Rocks final hopes of a play-off spot went begging.
