Kings Langley exited this season’s Herts Senior Cup with an abject display against lower ranked hosts Wormley Rovers as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the second round.

The visitors’ performance can be aptly summed up by their failure to muster a single shot on goal in the entire match on Tuesday night.

Kings did field a below-strength team featuring several under-18 debutants in the match-day squad, but that should not excuse what was a woefully under-par performance.

That’s to take nothing away from Wormley who thoroughly deserved the victory with their superior application and desire.

Kings’ recent league performance against Ware had been encouraging, even in defeat, but the missing spine of three of their most in-form players in Isaac Pedro, Henry Burt and Bradley Smith seemed to alter the dynamics of the team so significantly that they lacked any sort of cohesion throughout.

The home side were on the front foot from the start with the lively Sam Bahaja proving a handful and it was his speculative cross that saw Kings keeper Cian Moore’s attempt to be decisive end in cleaning out the onrushing Cormac Clarke.

A penalty was the inevitable outcome which George Beattie dispatched confidently with just ten minutes gone.

Kings responded fleetingly with the creation of a few promising opportunities but the energetic home side were quick to snuff out danger when it threatened.

The hosts doubled their advantage on the half-hour when a failure to deal with a routine low cross gave the effervescent Bahaja the simple task of tapping home.

In the second period, manager Jordan Parkes wasted little time in ringing the changes, bringing on the under-18 trio of Tommy Gibson, George Higgs and George Cain, but despite plenty of youthful exuberance, the three youngsters could make little inroad into a resilient home defence.

In fact, the increasingly confident home side could and should have increased their tally. Only some-last ditch defending and a couple of point-blank saves from Moore prevented a more embarrassing scoreline.

As it was, the home side saw out the match without any anxieties and have the prospect of a bumper home tie against non-league giants Boreham Wood.

For Kings, there is only reflection on a thoroughly disappointing performance that they will want to put behind them - and quickly.