Kingston men’s football team fought valiantly in a close 3-2 defeat to their rivals Surrey.
Ryan Rocastle
Kingston showed a lot of fight and courage but were beaten 3-2 by Surrey in the big football derby.
The Cougars can be proud of their efforts as they missed several key players in midfield.
They also had goalkeeper and man of the match Kieran Sanderson to thank for not suffering a bigger loss as he made several excellent saves.
Captain Dan Rich said: “I’m so proud of my players they have given absolutely everything.”
A tense start
The first 15 minutes of the match were tense with both teams struggling for any rhythm.
On the 22nd minute Kingston took the lead when Tang Van Ngujen found some space in the Surrey penalty area and calmly finished in the bottom corner.
Surrey should have scored twice but Sanderson denied their striker from close range.
The Stags then equalised in the 32nd minute taking advantage of poor Kingston marking from a corner.
Kingston would have been happy to go into the break level but a mix up at the back allowed Surrey’s striker to tap in to give them a 2-1 lead.
After the break
The second half began with a great Surrey move and a shot which Sanderson reacted well to and palmed on to the crossbar.
Kingston carried on fighting hard and Jordan Gibbens in central midfield was beginning to see more of the ball but they couldn’t create any clear chances.
On the 81st minute for the second game in a row Rich gave away a penalty, which Surrey converted and the game was all but over for Kingston.
Late consolation
Fittingly, considering the effort that KU had put into the game, the Cougars scored with the last kick of the match. Terry Mireku curled in a great free kick from 25 yards.
Surrey Captain Matt King said: “It would have been interesting if there was more time left after Kingston scored their second.”
Grace Henley 
Josh Smith 
Ella Rebbitt