Kingstonian manager Alan Dowson slammed his men for a ‘really bad performance’ as he saw them go down 2-0 at home to second-placed AFC Hornchurch.

Two Martin Tuohy goals were the difference between the sides, but the difference in performance was far wider in a game that Dowson described as ‘men against boys.’ After a fine recent run of form, the Ks were brought crashing down to earth.

"It is the sort of game that shows the massive gulf between us and the top five teams," said Dowson.

"It has given us a bit of shock."

It was two well-worked goals that secured the points for the visiting Urchins as Ks firstly failed to deal with a long ball over the top in the seventh minute, giving Tuohy a simple chance which he dispatched with aplomb, lobbing the advancing Rob Tolfrey.

It took another 60 or so minutes for the second goal to arrive as Tuohy smashed home former-Kingstonian loanee Fola Orilonishe’s cross on the volley.

Those two were more than enough for send Hornchurch home happy as a toothless Ks’ performance never troubled Joe Woolley in the visitors’ goal.

The only presentable chance of the afternoon fell to Bashiru Alimi whose header went over, but the entirety of the team wasted good positions all afternoon long in a game where it was a lack of cutting edge rather than a lack of possession that did for Kingstonian.

"We could have been out there for two games and we wouldn’t have scored a goal," added Ks chief Dowson.

"I'md devastated about what’s happened out there."

The scoreline could have been worse as Tuohy and Hunt both forced good saves from Tolfrey, but in reality, two goals always look plenty and Hornchurch were more than comfortable.

Kingstonian are far from out of the play-off picture, but the result and performance were a massive blow.