After being deemed somewhat fortunate to earn a point three days earlier in their Southern League Premier Division debut at Chippenham Town, Kings Langley experienced the other side of the coin last night when their second-half onslaught failed to cancel out a 22nd-minute Dunstable Town penalty and they were denied at least the draw that their performance merited.

Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon’s men were again denied the space to express their trademark free-flowing football in an uncompromising encounter, apart from some lively moves down the left, one of which saw a Josh Chamberlain cross almost converted by Connor Toomey.

It was the visitors though, who got the vital opener when Alex Cathline was brought down by goalkeeper Xavi Comas and Jack Hutchinson converted the penalty.

And when Dunstable had the ball in the net again, albeit with the flag already raised, the omens didn’t look good as a well-built defence, containing former Langley player Joe Debayo, looked more than capable of handling the home attacks.

These problems were addressed with a double half-time substitution - Gary Connolly and Lewis Toomey coming on for Dean Hitchcock and Ollie Cox - and the picture of the game immediately changed.

Sean Coughlan took the ball to the right corner flag and somehow got over a cross to Lewis Toomey, but the striker did not connect cleanly and the ball spun agonisingly past the junction of post and bar.

Ryan Plowright pierced the tight defence with a through ball for Connolly, but Jamie Head pulled off a superb save to tip the ball around the post and then there was a double block from Plowright and Lewis Toomey as Kings applied unrelenting pressure.

Town made a double substitution of their own, but little changed as Kings introduced the pace of Oran Swales to tighten the screw. But with 15 minutes to go, Langley began to sense that this was not to be their night when a side-footed Connolly free-kick to Connor Toomey saw the latter’s thunderbolt rattle the bar.

David Longe-King was dismissed for a second yellow card in injury time that saw Chamberlain take no further part, but the Blues left with the spoils of a well-matched and intriguing encounter.

Kings will hope to pick up their first ever win at this level when they face Slough Town at Gaywood Park on Saturday.

Kings Langley: Comas; Folarin, Adebiyi, Hitchcock (Connolly 46), Deaton, Anthony, Cox (L Toomey 46), Plowright, Coughlan (Swales 71), C Toomey, Chamberlain. Not used: Ward and Waldren.