Gallagher scores last gasp winner for Kings Langley

Gallagher scored his first goal for Kings Langley Under Tens 15 years ago, going on to notch over 100 at junior level for the club.

Now in his third spell with Kings, he earned them all three points with a dramatic last minute winner at home to a St Ives side, reduced to ten men for the last 20 minutes.

Kings’ plans were disrupted by a warm up injury to Josh Chamberlain, who fell awkwardly and dislocated a shoulder, but they began brightly and the speed of Oran Swales and Mahlondo Martin on the wings gave Immanuelson Duku chances, frustrated by a trip and then a lob of the keeper just wide.

Scott Sinclair and Ben Seymour-Shove were providing a threat at the other end and the latter brought two good saves out of Danny Boness. Wing back Stevie Ward did well when under pressure at the corner flag to find Martin, whose shot was tipped over by Tim Trebes, but the half ended goalless.

That changed within three minutes of the restart when a peach of a cross from the right by Mahlondo Martin found Connor Toomey on the far post and he had space to control and drill the ball home in one movement.

Soon after, Ward hit the post from a tight angle and Seymour-Shove tested the bar at the other end. The striker was not to be denied though, as he took advantage of uncertainty between Kyle Anthony and Jorell Johnson to break and put the ball in the far corner for the equalizer.

The Ives’ joy was short-lived as the race to a lobbed through ball ended with a mid-air collision outside the box, which left Duku and Trebes prostrate, following which the keeper was shown the red card on his recovery.

However, Kings failed to take advantage of their numeric superiority and were relieved to see Boness make a full length save from the ubiquitous Seymour-Shove and even more so when the striker put the ball past the post with just the keeper to beat in the 88th minute.

Two minutes later, it was the home fans who held their heads in their hands as Immanuelson Duku was put through, only for stand in keeper Lee Chaffey to pull off a courageous block at his feet.

That would appear to define proceedings, but with the referee consulting his watch, a Tom Nyama attempted through ball looked to be cut out by Ives skipper Charlie De’Ath, only for the ball to skid under his foot and fall invitingly to Joe Gallagher, on for Swales after an hour, to calmly place an unstoppable shot past Chaffey to the relief of his team mates and the chagrin of the plucky visitors.

They visit Cinderford Town next on Saturday.