Met Police may have seen their FA Cup run come to an end on Saturday, but striker Allan Tait insisted it was just the beginning of their season.
 

The 31-year-old former Kingstonian striker netted the club’s first ever FA Cup first round goal with seven minutes remaining, but it was not enough as League One Crawley Town held on for a 2-1 win.
 

Tait, Crawley’s leading goal scorer in 2005, switched to Imber Court earlier this season after leaving Kingsmeadow, but has found his opportunities limited behind loan star Jonte Smith.
 

The Blues are 17th in the Ryman Premier League, but have three games in hand over many of their rivals – including near neighbours Ks – and Tait insisted they had to build on their day in the spotlight.
 

“We pushed a top five League One club all the way and more than held our own,” he said.
 

“We’ve probably got another 36 league and cup games to go so this really should be the beginning of our season now.
 

“We’ve made a decent start and had a good run in the cup, but that is over and we have to kick on from this.”
 

And Ks boss Alan Dowson is wary of the threat the Blues pose to his side’s own promotion hopes as Cooper’s men play catch-up on the rest of the field.
 

“They are in a massively false position at the moment and did the Ryman League proud on Saturday,” he added.
 

“Jimmy Cooper and Gavin Macpherson are a fantastic management team and are the perfect example of what you can achieve with good management.
 

“They are going to make this league very interesting.”
 

Tait quit Ks in the summer having scored only seven goals in 52 appearances – including 28 as a substitute –  for the Kingsmeadow outfit.
 

The Blues are his 12th club in a career that started in the Tottenham Hotspur youth team and, with Ks hosting Cooper’s side on Boxing Day, he is well used to getting stick from opposition fans.
 

“It was nice to score, but some of their fans were shouting at me and I was thinking ‘hold on a minute, I used to score goals for you’,” added Tait, who featured for Ks in their London Senior Cup final defeat to Hendon at Imber Court.
 

“I only live 10 miles from Crawley and it is still a club that is very close to my heart.
 

“Things were a bit frustrating at Ks. I was in and out of the team and at my age I need to be playing regularly, so I left.
 

“I’m enjoying things and I hope it works out.”