Lowestoft Town 2 Kingstonian 0

Att 501

Teams:-
Lowestoft Town: Jones, Williams, Gleeson (Okay 46 mins), Gaughran, Adam Smith, Fisk, Jack Ainsley, Lee Smith, Jarvis, Eagle, Reed (Bailey 90 mins)
Subs; Okay, Stuart Ainsley, Bailey, Fitzgerald, Jessup

Kingstonian: Tolfrey, Goode, Hogg, Drage, Page, Casey, Ofusu-Hene, Kavanagh, Moss, McCollin, Knight
Subs; Okojie, Sweeney, Moody, Jelley, Faith

Lowestoft Town put in a superb all round performance of football, deservedly beating promotion rivals Kingstonian 2-0.

Gleeson and Reed returned to the squad but Henderson was sidelined after coming off injured in the second half at Enfield Town last weekend. The line-up for Kingstonian included the dangerous strike partnership of Moss and McCollin, who between them have already scored nineteen goals. It was a partnership that certainly had potential to test Gleeson in central defence, who's a fantastic footballer but does struggle with pace.

The match got underway in blustery conditions with Lowestoft playing the conditions perfectly by knocking the ball around on the deck right from the off.
The returning Gleeson found Adam Smith in loads of space down the left and with his pinpoint cross met by the head of a blue shirt, Kingstonian had to clear their lines. Reed then showed great determination to win the ball for Lowestoft, as the blues started to assert pressure and look for an early breakthrough.
Adam Smith and Eagle were already looking dangerous down the left for Lowestoft and with Eagle showing some great footwork he nearly put Lowestoft ahead but after shifting across the area and bending a shot in on goal, the keeper turned it over the bar. It had been all Lowestoft up until that point but immediately following the Eagle effort, Kingstonian very nearly caught Lowestoft out at the back but luckily it came to nothing.
The first fifteen minutes of the match flew by and was very appealing on the eye with Lowestoft showing the most in attack and Reed showing a great work ethic and determination to his play.
Kingstonian hadn't caused any real threat on the Lowestoft goal but out of nowhere Casey absolutely leathered one from distance and with Jones beaten all ends up it cracked against the underside of the bar and came back into play, much to the relief of the home faithful.
Lowestoft were still in the ascendancy though and were looking a threat every time they came forward with both Eagle and Jack Ainsley putting high quality deliveries into the box from wide roles.
It was a great delivery by Eagle which forced Kingstonian keeper Tolfrey into action, as Eagle lifted one into the box and Reed got up really well to head down and force a great save.
It really was becoming a great game of football to watch and with Kingstonian putting together a good passing moving to get themselves into a dangerous area, Jarvis was forced into making a brilliant last ditch tackle to deny them.
The referee wasn't having an awful lot to do but Drage had persistently fouled for Kingstonian in the opening period and following what must have been his third or fourth offence the referee surprisingly kept his cards in his pocket. It was a decision in which the referee was appearing to set his stall out in being fairly lenient, which is why Lowestoft and Fisk felt really aggrieved moments later when Fisk made his first foul of the game and the yellow card came straight out.
Jack Ainsley was having a great game down the right and with him sending a ball right across the pitch to Eagle, he knocked the back across the box and Reed was at hand to give Lowestoft a fully deserved 1-0 lead (31 mins).
Kingstonian had a glorious chance to equalise when a ball over the top set leading scorer Moss away and in on goal but with him not getting anywhere near enough purchase on his strike, Jones was able to stick a hand out on the deck and gather it in.
Lowestoft were now dropping off a bit as halftime approached and Ofusu-Hene was starting to prove a handful down the right for Adam Smith. It was Ofusu-Hene who was involved in the move that nearly brought Kingstonian level just before the break, doing really well down the channel and picking out McCollin but his shot across the deck scuffed the bottom of the goal post and went wide.
Lowestoft had survived a couple of moments in the first half, where lady luck appeared to be on their side for a change. However, Lowestoft had played really well in a great half of football and deserved their lead at the break.

Lowestoft made a change at the break with Gleeson feeling unwell and being replaced by Okay, who slotted in at right back as Williams moved into the centre alongside Gaughran.
Kingstonian were left feeling aggrieved early in the half as Knight bent a shot into the top corner but with the referee having already blown for a foul, the goal wasn't allowed and to make matters worse the resulting free-kick in a dangerous area came to nothing.
It took ten minutes of the second half before both sides settled into the game again but it was Lowestoft who were knocking it round on the deck and in their first move of the half, Eagle sent one over from distance.
Kingstonian are a well balanced, decent outfit and even though they looked dangerous, Williams and especially Gaughran were handling the dangerous strike duo really well. Gaughran never seems to put in a poor performance and yet again he was putting in a towering performance at the back, winning headers and reading the game superbly.
Nearly all of the play by Lowestoft had been on the deck so far but with a big ball sent booming up the field, Reed controlled it superbly in a dangerous area but with plenty of defenders present he scuffed his shot.
The game was now approaching the seventy minute mark and a period of the game where the next goal would be crucial. Lowestoft were continuing to exhibit some lovely passing and with a ball being sent right across the Kingstonian box, it just needed a touch from anyone but got nothing from either set of players.
An Eagle corner was sent to the far post and Gaughran sent a free header down and just past the wrong side of the post, as Lowestoft looked to seal the game. Another corner, this time from Jack Ainsley saw Gaughran connecting with his head again but this time it was on target, only for something or someone to block it on the line. Lowestoft were not only showing quality on the ball but were applying great pressure and working really hard when Kingstonian were in possession.
The final fifteen minutes were entered with Lowestoft still worthy of their slender 1-0 lead and not for the first time during the game, the stand started to chant "Come on you Blues" as they looked to be the twelfth man and see their team home.
As expected Kingstonian were now pushing Lowestoft back and throwing numbers forward to try and find that key breakthrough and an equalising goal.
As Kingstonian continued to throw numbers forward, Lowestoft pounced and landed the crucial blow to put the game to bed and seal the three points. From a Kingstonian move, Lowestoft won the ball and pumped a big ball forward to the left side of the pitch and even though he must have been running on empty, Reed did really well to get the ball under control. He then set himself and squared the ball across goal to Lee Smith, who had made a great run from all of sixty yards back to slot home for 2-0 (85 mins).
The game was effectively over now and with the minutes being seen out and a late change seeing reserve team forward Bailey replace Reed, Lowestoft claimed the points and a massive morale boasting victory.

It really had been an excellent all round performance by the team and every single player had performed to a high level. The statistics page on the website will only allow one Man of the Match selection, so for that purpose I have given it to Jake Reed for a performance that not only contained great determination and hunger to win everything but also a goal and an assist.
There were however a large number of players who were equally befitting of being given the Man of the Match honours. There was Jack Ainsley who has been forced to play in a number of positions due to injuries and he put in his best performance in a Lowestoft shirt with some great tackling and top draw deliveries. Eagle was a little genius again with some high quality touches and passes, while Fisk put in another superb hustling and bustling performance. Then there was the ever consistent and ever impressive Gaughran who reads the game so well and is such a key player for Lowestoft with his strong aerial ability and defending.

At the end of the match I grabbed a quick word with an exhausted Jake Reed:-
A really big all round performance from the team today I thought?
"Yeah it was a good performance and everyone put a shift in. It felt like everyone was working 110% and with a clean sheet also we couldn't have asked for more".
On a personal level, a goal an assist and you look really hungry up top, wanting to win every ball?
"I just want to get back to my normal self, as when I was at Yarmouth I was banging in two or three goals a week and was really fit. So I'm just trying to push myself as much as I can to get back to that stage and to get fully fit".
Kingstonian are a great side who are always up there and the next two or three games bring equally good sides, so this result must be a big boost going into those games?
"Yeah of course. They're one of the top three or four teams in the league and we've just beaten then 2-0, so you can't ask for any more".

Lowestoft are next in action on Tuesday night when they welcome Heybridge Swifts to the Crown Meadow in the Robert Dyas League Cup 2nd Round.

Terry Bullen