Kings Langley are staring into the abyss again after plunging back into the relegation zone following a 2-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Dorchester Town.

The hosts had looked on track to take a step to safety when Bradley Wadkins marked his return from a five-month injury by scoring in the first half, but Kings are now back in the bottom three and two points behind Dorchester after being stunned by two goals in as many minutes following the resumption.

Kings had used the two-week break to sign right-back Ryan Case from Hartley Wintney, Alie Bangura from Berkhamsted and take Alfie Williams on loan from Stevenage again.

With Wadkins and Edu Toiny-Pendred back from long-term injuries, the mood was good, although it was tempered by both Watford and Stevenage recalling loanees Shaqai Forde and Sam Dreyer at short notice.

Watford Observer:

The two sides battle for possession

Dorchester raced out of the blocks and had a shot from Billy Lowes just wide after 20 seconds, but Harry Crawford’s volley was punched away by Jack Bycroft minutes later as Kings began to play some attractive football, with Jamie Jellis pulling the strings in midfield and Joseph Lawal’s blistering pace on the wing giving the Magpies’ defence a torrid time.

The reward came just after the half hour when debutant Case delivered a long looping through ball to put Wadkins one on one with Bycroft and he slotted home from an acute angle with pin-point accuracy.

Watford Observer:

Contrasting emotions as Wadkins celebrates

Case then fired in a shot from the wing that Bycroft tipped over, with a Lowes shot held by Alfie Marriott as the visitors’ only answer to Kings’ first-half ascendency.

The fates dealt Kings another blow when the influential Jellis was unable to resume at the restart and before they had adjusted, Dorchester turned the game on its head in the first four minutes of the second half.

Alfie Stanley broke clear but still had it all to do before netting a goal equally as good as the opener, and a shell-shocked Langley succumbed again almost immediately when poor marking found Harry McGrath free to stab home a blocked Olaf Koszela shot.

Watford Observer:

It was the visitors who were celebrating a crucial three points in their bid for survival

It was a double whammy that Kings never really recovered from and although Williams came closest with a header that scraped the bar, they scarcely looked likely to salvage even a point in a second half fade out that was worryingly similar to the previous encounter at Hartley Wintney.