Christmas might have come early for Kingstonian, but boss Alan Dowson was in no mood to hand out too many presents.
 

Ks triumphed 4-1 over Lewes on Saturday and the squad marked the occasion by heading out on their festive celebrations – a month ahead of schedule.
 

The win put them top of the Ryman Premier League table – on goal difference – as the title race heats going in to the Christmas period.
 

And while Dowson was not overly impressed with the performance, he did transform from a half-time Scrooge to a part-time Santa in the interests of his men enjoying an even happier yuletide.
 

“For 50 minutes we were rubbish against Lewes. They could have been 3-1 up at half time and I had a right go at them in the dressing room,” he said.
 

“If we didn’t have Andre McCollin and Ryan Moss we would not have won the game.
 

“It makes up for the games where we have played well this season and not got anything out of the match.”
 

He added: “The lads went out for their Christmas do. I do not tend to soclialise with the players, but because they have done so well, I was happy to give them a lift into Clapham after the game.
 

“We haven’t got a league game for a little while and I thought it was a good time to get the party out of the way.
 

“You look at the results around December and January and there are always some shock scores because of the party season.”
 

Defender Matt Drage, winger Charlie Knight and midfielder Tommy Kavanagh are all carrying knocks and are unlikely to be risked for Tuesday’s Surrey Senior Cup clash at Sutton United.
 

Dowson expects them to be fit when Cray Wanderers visit next weekend, but even if they aren’t he insisted Ks have the squad to cope.
 

“I have good players calling me asking to play for us and I cannot get them in,” he added.
 

“We’ve got the likes of Javlon Campbell, who has scored a hat-trick this season, and Danny Sweeney,  who almost joined Ipswich Town in the summer, on the bench.
 

“That shows how strong we are and it is what you need if you are going to be pushing at the top.”