Joint managers Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon both expressed their disappointment at their side's display via Twitter after Kings Langley passed up a golden opportunity to advance to a financially rewarding FA Cup third qualifying round tie following a last-minute winner from a Hadley side ranked two steps lower in the pyramid.

Following the 2-1 defeat, Hanlon described it as a “poor, poor performance” while Hughes tweeted: “Vast contrast in performances for @KLFCOfficial within the same week. I’m dumbfounded. Poor, poor display! Onwards! Football hey! #lovethegame”.

The joint bosses both also gave credit to Hadley via the social media website, but Kings would not have been expecting to be on the receiving end of a cup upset after coming into the game following three straight wins in all competitions.

Despite being without injured in-form striker Lewis Toomey, the Southern League Premier Division side began promisingly with Sean Coughlan and Manny Duku causing problems up front, while Connor Toomey cleared off the line at the other end.

The first controversial decision came on 18 minutes when the lively Duku kept the ball in play with a header, while his feet were the other side of the touchline, ran onto his own pass and was felled as he entered the penalty area. The striker dispatched the penalty himself and the visitors turned on the style with one-touch passing that resulted in a Connor Toomey volley just over, a Gary Connolly shot just wide and a Ryan Plowright effort tipped behind.

Hadley survived without further damage and came back into the game when a Sanchez cross saw Danny Boness smother the ball at Ivan Machado’s feet and the latter’s ball across the face of goal went unconverted.

The pendulum had swung and it was all Hadley for the last 15 minutes of the opening half, but suddenly Kings broke, the otherwise immaculate Sam Lyon and goalkeeper Charlie Mann missed a cross, but the latter recovered to brilliantly block a point-blank effort from Duku. It was to prove a turning point.

Hadley picked up where they had left off and the seemingly inspired introduction of Dom Petrucci early into the second half saw his first touch as a control of the ball and his second a volley that bulged the back of the net.

Then came the second controversial incident as Duku took advantage of a misunderstanding between Mann and Harry Sedgley to have a clear sight of goal before being hauled down. It was a far more obvious misdemeanour than the first-half incident, but was waved away by the official.

Both sides battled for the decider as incident piled upon incident with Connor Toomey blocking what seemed a ‘must score’ moment from Machado, a Kyle Anthony header inches over for Kings and further brave blocks by both Anthony and Boness as the visitors lived dangerously.

The last minute of normal time arrived, but an outcome still looked likely and so it proved with a disputed free-kick seeing Machado’s looping back header orbit perfectly over Boness and under the bar to send Hadley into ecstasy and Kings into despair.