Tommy Williams endured his first home defeat as Kingstonian manager on Saturday, but it was the performance as much as the result which rankled.

While a 1-0 scoreline against in-form Leiston heralds no crisis, Williams didn’t spare his players from criticism, keeping them out on the pitch until past 5pm to get the message across.

“We were lacklustre,” he said.

“We lacked any kind of tempo. I was very disappointed with the performance.

"Too many were waiting for someone else to spark the game into life and it needs to be better.

“We can’t ghost through games of football and just expect it to happen. I feel we wasted minutes on the pitch. It was far too flat.”

Following the FA Cup theatrics last Monday, a 5-3 win after extra-time, this was a wake-up call – albeit one that had most in the crowd nodding off, so sparse was the action.

Only one home win and four draws already this campaign suggests problems, particularly in midfield, where the combination of Steve Laidler and Tommy Kavanagh continues to struggle against opponents who put an extra man in the middle.

Coupled with poor distribution from the centre-halves, the evolution to a more progressive style of play so far remains elusive.

“But it’s only our second defeat of the season,” added Williams.

“It’s about how we bounce back and the character we can show. They all know now that level of performance is not acceptable."

The away side from Suffolk looked comfortable throughout and got a deserved winner with 10 minutes left. Rob Tolfrey could only parry a shot from distance and Gareth Heath followed up to slot the ball into the corner.

For Ks, only Andre McCollin and Alex Addai, marauding down the right, carried any threat, but there was too much dysfunction around them for any real chances to be forged.

The late cameo by Daniel Sweeney, returning from injury, was one positive ahead of next Sunday’s FA Cup third qualifying round tie at home to Eastbourne Borough of the Conference South.