A blistering start by Kings Langley fired them to a 3-0 victory at Arlesey Town on Saturday to lift them back into the Southern League Division One Central play-off zone.

Two goals in as many minutes from Mitchell Weiss and a third by David Hutton – all inside the opening 20 minutes – moved Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon’s side up to fifth in the table, six points behind leaders AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Without skipper Stuart Deaton, Connor Toomey was switched to the centre of defence and the highly-versatile 20-year-old narrowly shaded the man-of-the-match award from at least six of his teammates in an exhilarating display of total football from the visitors, who served notice of their intent from the opening whistle.

Former youth striker Matt Bateman was preferred wide left up front and produced a confident performance from the off.

A mere seven minutes were on the clock when Hutton showed remarkable anticipation to steal the ball off an opponent midway into the Arlesey half, surged forward and unselfishly picked out the incoming Weiss with a precision low pass across the face of the goal to make it 1-0.

Within ninety seconds a long ball forward was delivered to Weiss on the left and he outmuscled the defender before turning him and delivering a stunning shot from outside the side of the box into the far corner of the net.

A bemused Town attempted to stem the tide, but after a Bateman shot was saved following a particularly attractive inter-passing move, Hutton replicated the Weiss strike when he received the ball 25 yards out, flicked it up and delivered a missile high into the net for his side’s third goal.

Arlesey produced some neat passing of their own and pressed in midfield, but floundered on the defensive quartet of Emmanuel Folarin, Toomey, Callum Adebiyi and Danny Hutchins, while Dean Hitchcock and Ryan Plowright produced a near flawless display in defensive midfield.

Hutton and Weiss looked a class above, while the forays of Bateman and Stevie Ward on the wings were a constant threat to Town, who called Xavi Comas into action for the first time in the 40th minute.

The second half was never going to reach the dizzying heights of the opening 45 minutes, although Plowright and Immanuelson Duku came within a whisker of a fourth, but this will surely rank as one of Kings’ outstanding performances of their impressive season to date.