Kingstonian 1-5 Purfleet
PURFECT

K's entered 2002 unbeaten at home under Steve Sedgley and looked to continue that run against fellow mid table occupiers Purfleet, who included ex K's striker Steve Brown in their starting eleven. For the K's, James Pinnock was making a welcome return to the first team, starting his first game since Basingstoke back in August, and recent signings Luke Dowling and Craig Rocastle retained their places after steady if not outstanding debuts a week earlier.

Pinnock was involved from the onset in all of the home side's attacking moves. First he played a neat one-two with Mead before beating two defenders only to come unstuck when faced with a third. Shortly afterwards another crisp move saw Ronnie Green release Pinnock down the right, whose cross found Sadler, but his shot was blocked for a corner.

With just eight minutes on the clock a corner at the other end saw an alarmingly unmarked Cliff Akurang rise highest and power Purfleet into an early lead. And a familiar tale that would become during the ensuing 82 minutes.

Purfleet doubled their money on twenty, breaking swiftly from a K's attack, Steve Brown darting down the right wing and squaring for Akurang who fired left footed past Lance Key's despairing dive.

K's responded well, Danny Bolt bringing out a good save from Alex O'Reilly, the visiting keeper, and Rocastle seeing his powerful drive flash wide with O'Reilly a mere spectator. Barnsby was booked for a late challenge on Akurang before Sadler headed wide from a deep Dowling cross.

But just as K's were seemingly starting to get a grip on the game they were again caught on the break and found themselves three goals to the bad. A good run from Bowes drew the attention of Barnsby and Hustwick, but neither K's defender was able to do anything as the ball was threaded between them to a grateful Brown who made a scoring return to Kingsmeadow with a precise right footed finish.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Within two minutes the lead was reduced to just the two goals when Green headed home a Bolt cross at the near post to give the home fans a lingering sense of hope. A hope which was almost extinguished a minute before the break when Akurang again found himself unmarked from a corner, only to see his header returned by the crossbar and the ball cleared.

Purfleet began the second half as they had ended the first - putting the K's goal under pressure. Akurang turned provider for Brown to fire a volley which was well saved by Key. The save, however, just delayed the inevitable for a few moments as from the resulting corner Purfleet went four-one up. Yet another free header allowed skipper Jimmy McFarlane to head the visitors into an unassailable lead and firmly extinguish any flickering hope of a comeback.

Still searching for his hat trick Akurang saw his 30 yard drive tipped over by Key, while K's were still persevering at the other end - Sadler's left foot volley through a crowd of players was just wide and Green almost capitalised on a short back pass.

Mead and Key combined with a block on the line and a point blank save in an attempt to keep the score respectable but again their efforts just proved to be off putting in the short term, as five minutes from the end substitute Colin Simpson headed into an empty net after Keeling's volley had struck the post.

There was still time for Purfleet to inflict further embarrassment on the home side and only Key kept the score line at five, twice pushing efforts onto the frame of the goal, and bravely saving at the feet of Keeling on another occasion.

K's day was summed up in injury time when a Pinnock cross from the right eluded all the Purfleet back line finding Green unmarked two yards from goal. The young forward somehow managed to chip his effort high over the crossbar and this wasn't to be his, or indeed K's day.

A year ago K's were knocking out Southend at Roots Hall in the FA Cup. This scene couldn't have been more different. But K's started 2001 with a resounding home defeat and followed it up with an against all odds victory against a side one division higher, away from home in a cup competition. Much improvement will be needed if that feat is to be repeated at Kingfield in seven day's time, but as they say, football is a funny old game.