King's Lynn 5 Oswestry Town 1
6th November 1982
LYNN gave Oswestry the Special K treatment with Saturday's five-goal hammering at The Walks.For openers, new centre forward Jim Kabia scored on his debut and the cream was provided by Nolan Keeley with the next four on target.
It added up to Lynn's best win yet in the Northern Premier League and warmed the supporters on a chilly November afternoon.
Oswestry manager Fred Morris later told Linnets boss Keith Rudd: "That was some of the best football I have seen in the NPL."
Rudd's comment was: "In terms of quality I thought it was the best performance by a Lynn side for many years."
It must be pointed out that Oswestry struggled after losing defenders Alan Dwyer (pulled muscle) and John Bendon (badly gashed nose) in the first 40 minutes which left them playing with ten men.
Morris said afterwards: "It was one disaster after another and you can't play after losing vital players like that that."
But Lynn would surely have got goals against a full strength opposition. The signs were there when Kabia had a fourth minute shot cleared off the line and winger Brian Thomson clipped in a 20-yard free-kick over the defensive wall and against the bar.
Oswestry, always a lively side and they recently beat leaders Mossley, were being pushed back especially down the right flank where the impressive Les McJannet and Thomson kept defenders under pressure.
In quick succession Ashton in the Oswestry goal kept out efforts from Easthall and Johnston. But he was left floundering in the 33rd minute when a five man move was ended with Kabia's low shot crashing into the net.
Centre half Bendon went off minutes later, going to hospital to have five stitches in his nose injury. Before Oswestry had re-organised they conceded a penalty for handball and Keeley had power and accuracy with the shot.
Either side of the interval Oswestry caught Lynn napping with snap raids which could have led to goals, but the finishing of Williams and then Sudlow was not good enough to beat Drewery.
Lynn really should have got another penalty when Thomson was brought down by Sudlow after a teasing run, but the referee T. Hill, normally quite fussy, would have nothing of it.
Keeley then got to work with three more goals between the 57th and 68th minutes. He powered in two close range headers and also a penalty again awarded for handball.
Kabia wanted to get into the act again and his 76th minute pile-driver from the edge of the area brought the save of the match from Ashton who turned it round the post.
Lynn were guilty of some careless play in the closing minutes and Ian Clarke took advantage to whip in an angled drive past Drewery for a consolation goal.
Lynn: Drewery; McJannet, Bircumshaw, Johnston, Wiles: Watts, Elliott, Keeley, Thomson, Easthall, Kabia;, sub Thompson.
Oswestry: Ashton, Raynor, Dwyer (sub Moores 20 mins), Bendon, Heath, Clarke, Roberts, Smith, Sudlow, Rutter, Williams.
Referee: T. Hill (Lincoln). Attendance: 425.