The pre-match omens proved to be well-founded for Kings Langley as their league struggles continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Harrow Borough.

With kick-off delayed by 15 minutes due to an accident on the motorway on Tuesday night, torrential rain greeted the players onto the pitch on and only ended when they left it.

Kings’ resilience and determination to overcome the misfortunes that have befallen them has been arguably the biggest positive to take from their disappointing start to the season, but pluses were to be in short supply against a side looking forward to an FA Cup First Round trip to Portsmouth after knocking out Chelmsford City on Saturday.

The hosts had their best period of the match in the first ten minutes when a Harry Crawford shot nearly caught out the keeper and a Will Hall header was cleared off the line.

But in the 24th minute Jack Wood had covered the wing raid of Michael Bryan but slipped at the vital moment, which allowed the winger to deliver a cross headed by James Ewington, blocked by Alfie Marriott, but swept home by Frank Keita.

The rain continued unabated for the second half and when Ewington and Keita reprised their double act for the second goal, four minutes in, one sensed that Langley, with their current lack of goal power, were heading for a third league defeat on the trot.

Indeed, to reinforce that, striker Brad Wadkins was substituted soon after, the feeling being that he, like fellow forward Edu Toiny-Pendred, had returned from injury too soon.

Marriott had been unlucky with the goal, Ewington delivering a power shot that he reacted to with a superb save, but that man Keita was following up again to net from close range.

Crawford and Wood battled manfully and Leo Farruch gave Kings some hope when he lit up the game on introduction for a 30-minute cameo, but the result was never in doubt in the second half of a contest Kings will wish to forget.