Win-gate shuts on K’s
Free-scoring Kingstonian have rarely looked like drawing a blank at Kingsmeadow this season...
...but finally their shooting boots deserted them as they fell 1-0 at home to Wingate and Finchley.
Even without Dean Lodge, they did not have trouble creating chances, but found visiting goalkeeper Bobby Smith in top form while blazing a plethora of other chances over or wide of his goal. And after Mark Henry delivered a 57th minute sucker punch for the visitors, rather than rallying a frustrated Ks side slipped into some of their worst form of the season, rarely even looking like equalising.
The start was promising. In just the eighth minute Aaron Goode found Matt Pattison, who after some exquisite skill picked out Wade Small, only for the forward to volley over on his wrong foot.
McCollin headed over, Pattison scuffed a shot at Smith after a fine run and then the midfielder came narrowly close from distance. The warning signs were there for Ks though, with Daniel McGonigle firing a volley narrowly wide for Wingate.
Ks continued to pressurise but Sam Clayton's fierce long range volley cleared the crossbar and Gary MacDonald also missed the target sending the teams in level.
After the break Smith came off his line well to deny Andre McCollin before Henry struck to give the visitors the lead. Daniel Morris attacked down the left, beat Kieron Murphy and squared for Henry to tap in from close range.
Ks almost responded immediately, with McCollin feeding Small only for Smith to make the save of the match from close range.
Ks soon became frustrated and their efforts petered out into sloppy errors and misplaced passes. Alan Dowson tried to change things with the introduction of Craig Mullen and Goma Lambu, but despite the latter having lively moments it was too little overall effect.
Small had a header saved and McCollin volleyed wide at the death but in truth it was the visitors who looked more like scoring in the closing stages, their best effort seeing Rocky Baptiste hit the side-netting after another defensive lapse.
Report: Simon Grier
