Kingstonian 3-2 Wingate and Finchley
Corie Andrews strikes a 90th minute winner as Kingstonian move off the bottom.
The great man that is Jimmy Greaves said it frequently to the former Liverpool striker Ian St John when they both hosted a football show on Saturday lunchtimes on ITV - it's a funny old game, Saint! He may just have had tonight's match in mind.
Kingstonian won their first match of the 2020-21 campaign with a breathless 3-2 win over a Wingate and Finchley team that must be wondering what the heck just happened.
K's took the lead in the 5th minute when Ollie Cook, making a welcome return to the Kingstonian defence, blasted a header home. But that was a catalyst for the visitors to up their game in search of an equaliser and they will feel unlucky not to have got one before the break.
Any words spoken by either manager during the half time break probably flew right out of the window when a lightning strike doubled the Kingstonian lead when a super run and cross from Tom Richards was put into the net by Elliott Buchanan. Only nineteen seconds had elapsed of the second half.
But the Blues were made of stern stuff, and before the hour was out they were back on equal terms, and deservedly so. The first goal came in the 51st minute when Kavan Cotter's back heel found the back of the net, and eight minutes later some good play from the left ended with Suleiman Bakalandwa tapping home for his team's second.
It looked for large periods of the second half that K's would be satisfied with a draw, but they ended up finishing the game stronger than their opponents, and to complete a night of dramatic football, Corie Andrews scored a scorcher of a goal from the edge of the penalty area in the 90th minute. The home supporters then had to endure just over seven minutes of added time but at last the referee decided to end the match; K's would celebrate a morale-boosting victory whilst Wingate and Finchley would rue a night that could have been so much better for them.
K's are next in action on Saturday away to Enfield Town, kicking off at 3.00pm; it is highly recommended to secure your ticket online at https://shop.etfc.london/events - there is a reduced capacity of 350 and tickets have been selling fast.
