Met go missing at Kingsmeadow

Well, not sure how to describe this game or the disappointment in the performance. Jim made two changes at the back as Will Salmon came in at right back after missing a few games with a hamstring injury. James Aldred was recalled at left back which meant Ricardo Joseph & Elliot Taylor moved to the bench. The big change was up front as Jack Knight started in place of the very unfortunate Michael Charles our leading goalscorer so far this season who was injured on Saturday. The prognosis was the worst it could possibly be as he requires an anterior cruciate ligament operation and will be out for the rest of the season. A huge blow for the whole club as his goals have largely helped us climb up the table & his partnership with Bradley Hudson-Odoi has been very successful. All at the club wish Charlesy a speedy & healthy recovery and hope we will see him back scoring goals again when he is fit.
Anyone who watched the first 20 minutes of this game and then left would be astonished at the final result. It was all the Met and it looked more a question of when & how many they would score. Jack Knight started well and made a great run down the right side of the K`s penalty area to the bye line and put a low cross over but Bradley Hudson - Odoi just failed to convert the chance.
The Blues opened the scoring in the 12th minute after James Aldred was fouled on the Met left flank some 30 yards from goal. Charlie Collins came over to take the kick and delivered a quality cross over the penalty spot which Aaron Goode headed into his own net under pressure from Steve Sutherland.
Just after this it all went wrong for the Met and they caused their own downfall. Billy Crook has been outstanding this season but he played an awful back pass whilst half turned with his back to our goal. Pelayo Pico Gomez raced through on the gift and although Stuart Searle blocked the first effort the ball ricocheted over him and Gomez tapped home into an empty net.
This goal seemed to lift the home support & home players as they had been woeful in the opening twenty minutes. Roles reversed as the Met completely folded and K`s took the lead after 30 minutes when a ball was squared from the edge of the Met box and then curled in beyond Stuart Searle. Poor marking on the edge of the Met box gave K`s time to move the ball around and finish. Game was all but over for the Met just a few minutes later when ball watching on the edge of the box again gave Luke Pigden time to curl a delightful shot into the top corner and beyond Stuart Searle.

Half Time Kingstonian 3 Met Police 1

Inevitably Jim Cooper made two changes at half time with Nikki Ahamed and Elliot Taylor coming on for Billy Crook & Tyron Smith.It was no surprise Jim made the changes he did for the second half as after the first kingstonian goal the Met had been very disappointing. Nikki Ahamed drove forward and injected some much needed pace to the Met attacks but the second half lacked any real chances for either side. Elliott Taylor managed to make some new friends in his own usual style amongst the home support in an unaccustomed role down the left wing! Will Salmon suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury mid-way through the second half and Nigel Neita replaced him, allowing Elliot to escape his new `best mates` in the crowd and revert to being a right back.
Jack Knight should have scored in the latter part of the game when he broke towards the goal after a great first touch, but he mis controlled the ball in the box and a heavy touch came back off the keeper and away to safety. The home side did manage one scare on the Met goal in the second half when a header from a corner came back off the underside of the bar and was hooked away.
The game drifted to its inevitable conclusion as the Met looked like they were wishing the minutes away so the whole evening could finish.
Jim gave an interview after the game where he acknowledged the failings of his side and the individual errors that led to the first two goals. Onwards to the FA Trophy game on Saturday at home to Dulwich Hamlet & there must be a huge improvement in effort & commitment from the Met but looking at the faces as they left the pitch they all know that.
Met Team 1 Stuart Searle, 2 Will Salmon, 3 James Aldred, 4 Billy Crook, 5 Steve Sutherland, 6 Jay Lovett, 7 Charlie Collins, 8 Ty Smith 9 Bradley Hudson-Odoi, 10 Ryan James 11 Jack Knight
Subs: 12 Elliot Taylor ( replaced 8 – 46 mins) 14 Ricardo Joseph 15 Nikki Ahamed (replaced 4 – 46 mins) 16 Nigel Neita 17 Alex Kozakis
Man of the Match : Nikki Ahamed ( Met Police)

Excellent links to the videos from the game are copied below & another great job by Bernard Kasparas!

Video from match : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SriZztITpPw&feature=youtu.be

Post match with Jim Cooper : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IAHXsr0-VA&feature=youtu.be