Lynn 2 Bromsgrove 0

GIVING their most positive performance at The Walks for quite some time Lynn scored two and could easily have had several more against Bromsgrove on Saturday.
It was the kind of performance that will stop the decline in attendances even though the most the Linnets can hope for is a modest place in the top half of the Southern League table.
In fact if the Linnets put in more games like this before the end of the season they could climb up several rungs in the ladder.
At Corby the previous week and against Bromsgrove Lynn succeeded in keeping a clean sheet. And the strength of the defence on Saturday was matched in midfield which acted is a springboard for many good build-ups into attack.
At full back Vince Radcliffe had probably his best game of the season. His forceful runs down the right were a worry to Bromsgrove and he was quick to get back into position when attacks broke down - one 30-yard . run back from deep in the Bromsgrove half to stop John L. Dye in the second half immediately comes to mind.
But Lynn are still essentially a hard-working team outfit and they showed on Saturday that they can be most effective when they are putting their moves together.
Bromsgrove, it must be remembered were one of the teams who until early in the new year were involved in the promotion struggle.
Like Lynn and several other sides they have not had the consistency to stay up with Grantham and Atherstone, but. are still a useful outfit. Early in the season they had stopped Lynn with a late goal to take the points at Bromsgrove.
 

They managed little against Lynn in this return match with Gary Steel being inactive for long periods.
He had an early save to make from Keith Partridge who managed a shot as he sat on the ground and later had a header from Rovers debut centre-forward Phil Yates which landed on top of the net. These were the two best Rovers efforts.
Lynn were much sharper especially in going forward. A 15th minute angled shot from Mick Bloxham was uneasily palmed down by Chris Hooper and it needed the calmness of Clive Hopkin to clear.
In the next minute Hooper could not even get a hand to David Clarke's low shot. Clarke had taken up Tony Woolmer's pass and cut inside and his left-foot shot went across Hooper and tucked into the far corner of the net.
When Freddie Easthall was blocked by Keith Ball ten minutes later, Colchester referee K. W. Ridding awarded Lynn an indirect free kick only some 15 yards out.
Clive Adams took it with a short tap to Bloxham who hit the bar and subsequent shots from Clarke and Woolmer were blocked.
Nigel Smith also seemed to want to join in the fun and he made a spectacular diving effort to reach one low centre but fractionally missed the ball.
In the second half Smith forced the ball in but a Lynn forward was offside then later on with a clear view of goal he hit high over the bar.
Clarke headed Bloxham's centre against the bar before Bloxham finally settled the issue in the 64th minute.

Lynn - Steel, Radcliffe. Lindsay, Painter, Smith, Brooks, Adams. Bloxham, Easthall, Woolmer. Clarke. (Sub. McCallum).
Attendance 362.
Report by permission of the Lynn News