VCD Power Past Lacklustre K’s
Kingstonian slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Kingsmeadow against the league's bottom side in a poor display that ultimately lacked quality, especially in front of goal.
The home side started brightly with Kavanagh and Sweeney often breaking through to good effect from the centre of the pitch. Two gilt edged chances soon went begging after 20 minutes. First Pinney was played through and skillfully lifted the ball over the keeper only to see the covering left back, Basey, clear off the line and then Casey's shot from a narrow angle was deflected narrowly wide by the VCD keeper, Nick Blue.
However, it was not all one way traffic and after a few hairy moments as they tried to play their way out from the back, VCD fashioned a number of chances themselves, albeit these were mostly long range efforts that didn't really trouble Tolfrey.
Kingstonian started the second half brightly with decent chances falling to Laidler and Sweeney, both from distance, which Blue was equal to. However, the pendulum swung significantly as VCD took the lead in the 65th minute. As Smith made progress down the left, he tangled with Laidler and the resulting loose ball was drilled across the area and hit Michael Power and dribbled across the line past Tolfrey's despairing dive.
As multiple substitutions followed the game really opened up and there were chances at both ends with VCD coming close to extending their lead on the counter attack as Bremner hit and the post and later Smith flashed a cross across the face of the goal. In reply Kavanagh had a goal bound effort deflect agonisingly wide with the keeper stranded and Pinney came close with an effort from a narrow angle that was well saved. In the dying seconds Tolfrey was at full stretch to keep out a Perkins strike.
There was plenty of huff in the final few minutes from the K's but little puff as they seemed to run out of ideas and VCD survived to record a precious win.
There were passages of reasonably encouraging play, most through the midfield as Sweeney started to impose himself in the centre of the pitch, but it should be put into the context that the visitors had arrived with the second most porous defence in the league and had played two days previously, unlike the home side. If anyone was expecting Kingstonian to miss the power, pace and work ethic of Andre McCollin, here was the evidence.
Match report by Peter Allen.
