Jorell Johnson was the victim of a deflected own goal winner when Kings Langley last faced Hadley, but it was the skipper who rescued a point for his side with a superb glancing header as Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw entered its dramatic finale.

The exciting Michael Adu-Poku had returned to Watford at the end of his short loan, while Hugo Atkinson returned at centre back, but Kings struggled to find their rhythm of three days earlier when they beat AFC Dunstable in the opening exchanges.

Visiting captain Luke Alfano delivered an athletic overhead kick that only just cleared the bar in the third minute and Sam Murphy was equally close at the other end, but the Bricks delivered the first blow when defensive failings to clear the second ball surfaced again on the 25-minute mark.

A searching cross-cum-shot from the left was stretching Gabriel Ortelli, but he made a decent save which he was unable to hold. The block fell invitingly for the unmarked Billy Hayes, who jubilantly netted from close range.

Unlike Saturday, there was no immediate response and although Louie Collier was working tirelessly up front, winning balls and making runs, chances were at a minimum.

Hadley missed two opportunities to extend their lead when, first, Finley Aldridge and then George Alfieri fired over the bar and past the post respectively when well placed and the home side were relieved to reach the break with no further damage.

Hayes skimmed the bar on resumption, but the introduction from the bench of Rene Howe was making a difference to the intensity of the game and almost imperceptibly it was Kings who had become the better team.

Still the visiting defence held firm, led by the impressive Germaine Dua, but the blocks were becoming increasingly desperate and with ten minutes to go, Kings won a corner on the right.

Home fans were treated to the sight of Isaac Pedro taking the kick, rather than Murphy or Collier, and his first delivery was bounced straight back to him by the first line of defence. Undeterred, he sent in a perfect high cross that the leaping Jorell Johnson on the far post met with a flicked header to find the narrow gap between post and keeper.

With their tails up, Kings laid siege to the visitors’ goal and only a superb block minutes later kept the scores level.

With the referee adding eight minutes, the traffic was one way and Atkinson was thwarted with another brave body thrown on the line with the final kick of the match.