Joe Gallagher scored his first goal for Kings Langley Under-10s 15 years ago, going on to notch more than 100 at junior level for the club. Now in his third spell with Kings, he earned them all three points with a dramatic last-minute winner against a St Ives Town side, reduced to ten men for the last 20 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.

The plans of joint bosses Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon were disrupted by a warm-up injury to Josh Chamberlain, who fell awkwardly and dislocated a shoulder. But the hosts began brightly and the speed of Oran Swales and Mahlondo Martin on the wings gave Immanuelson Duku chances, frustrated by a trip and then a lob of the goalkeeper just wide.

Scott Sinclair and Ben Seymour-Shove were providing a threat at the other end and the latter brought two good saves out of Danny Boness.

But Kings wing-back Stevie Ward did well when under pressure at the corner flag to find Martin, whose shot was tipped over by Tim Trebes as the opening half ended goalless.

That changed within three minutes of the restart when a peach of a cross from the right by Martin found Connor Toomey on the far post and he had space to control and drill the ball home in one movement.

Soon after, Ward hit the post from a tight angle and Seymour-Shove tested the bar at the other end. The striker was not to be denied though, as he took advantage of uncertainty between Kyle Anthony and Jorell Johnson to break and put the ball in the far corner for the equaliser.

The Ives’ joy was to be short-lived as the race to a lobbed through ball ended with a mid-air collision outside the box, which left Duku and Trebes prostrate, following which the keeper was shown a red card on his recovery.

However, Kings failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority and were relieved to see Boness make a full-length save from the ubiquitous Seymour-Shove and even more so when the striker put the ball past the post with just the keeper to beat in the 88th minute.

Two minutes later, it was the home fans who held their heads in their hands as Duku was put through, only for stand-in keeper Lee Chaffey to pull off a courageous block at his feet.

That would appear to define proceedings, but with the referee consulting his watch, a Tom Nyama attempted through ball looked to be cut out by Ives skipper Charlie De’Ath, only for the ball to skid under his foot and fall invitingly to Gallagher, on for Swales after an hour, to calmly place an unstoppable shot past Chaffey to the relief of his teammates and the chagrin of the visitors.

Kings Langley: Boness; Ward, C Toomey, Johnson, Anthony (Hitchcock 70, Floarin, Nyama, Plowright, Duku, Martin, Swales (Gallagher 60). Not used: Comas and Bush.