Rayan Clarke returned to Kings Langley and capped a second-half cameo with an assist and two stoppage-time goals to seal a win that had looked unlikely with three minutes of normal time left as they claimed a dramatic 3-1 victory over Northwood.
The Woods had taken the lead through Archie James in the 50th minute and were on course for their first points of the season until Charne Lemba equalised in the 87th minute, with Clarke then taking centre stage in the Southern League Division One Central contest.
Clarke had departed during the close season for Step 2 side Tonbridge Angels but when Kings were alerted on Friday that a dual registration opportunity was available, the paperwork was quickly completed.
With Shaun Keane and Daniel Aldana unavailable, manager Jordan Parkes drafted in teenage winger Juud Farrant at left-back in a surprise but inspired choice as well as making his own first start of the season.
The visitors had troubles of their own, rooted to the foot of the early table without a point, but showed a fierce determination to end that run and there was little between the teams in a first half which was absorbing, but lacked any hint of the drama that was to come.
Kings frontman Lance Williams put a header onto the top netting of the goal after ten minutes, Parkes was just wide of the post soon after and Alison De Paiva’s rasping drive brought an athletic tip over from Kings’ custodian Cian Moore, before the interval arrived.
The away side made two half-time substitutions and got off to the perfect start five minutes after the resumption as a Kings attack floundered and skipper James broke to beat the defence and steer home.
The home side appeared stunned, as a result to upset the form book beckoned and it was ten minutes before they regained their composure to significantly up the pressure with an inter-passing brand of football, as the visitors adopted a siege mentality and, perhaps understandably, broke up play at every opportunity.
Clarke had been introduced immediately after the goal to a welcoming reception from the home crowd, taking time to shake off the rustiness caused by a recent lack of match time, before beginning to cause Wood problems down their right flank.
As the pace of the game upped, the confident runs at the defence by Farrant excited the audience and Langley thought that they had levelled when Lemba, a rock at the centre of defence, got a touch in a crowded box, but the ball was cleared off the line.
However, it proved to be a portent of things to come as, with time running out Clarke delivered a cross from a short corner and Lemba got the touch to deflect the ball home to the relief of the home faithful.
Six minutes later with the game into the third minute of an added eight minutes and Farrant, popping up on the right, was instrumental in a passing movement across the face of the Northwood defence that finally found Clarke centrally, just inside the box. Showing quick foot adjustment, he unleashed an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net to cue ecstatic celebrations from players and supporters alike.
Still the drama wasn’t over, as the King of the afternoon beat the offside trap to take a lofted through ball and lob the keeper to put the result beyond doubt.
Even he could not have imagined at kick off that he would write himself into the ‘I was there’ moments of the club’s history books.
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