King's Lynn 0 Peterborough 1
7th May 1955
It may have been the last league match of the season, and true that no vital issues depended on the outcome, but so attractive did the meeting be-
tween Lynn and Peterborough prove to be that at the Walks, on Saturday evening more than 8,000 people,
representing the best "gate" of the season, came to see game.
For Peterborough and their many supporters the occasion was a happy one. To begin with they won both points, which assures then of third place in the Midland League, but more than that they played well enough to have won by a more convincing margin. In: fact, for three quarters of the time there was only one team in it - and that was Peterborough.
Against a Lynn team still below their best form, they moved with speed and precision, casting aside their often criticised defensive style of play. Contrary to the general expectation that the match would resolve itself into a tussle between Lynn's generally free-scoring attack and the sound Peterborough defence, spectators saw for the most part the Peterborough attack at grips with the Lynn defence.
Peterborough played slick football, with the inside trio of Martin, Kelly and Emery, the key men and their efforts only failed more than they probably would have done in other matches, through the grand work of the Lynn rearguard in which Heagren was the star.
Time and time again as the Peterborough attack weaved its way down the middle, the raids came to an abrupt ending when Heagren moved into the picture, His tackling, his coolness and his distribution of the ball were of a very high order, and Kelly can rarely have had a more frustrating game.
Wherever he went, so went Heagren, and rarely was he able to lose this shadow.
Wingers McNamee and Woodgate found Rowe and Bannister a good match for them, while Martin and Emery had their work cut out to get the better of Robinson and Bunn.
But they worked so well that the Lynn wing halves had little scope to launch attacks themselves, and even when they did they found their passes being intercepted by the Peterborough defence, which always appeared a yard faster than the Lynn players.
The only goal of the match came after 21 minutes. And then Kelly, moving out on the right flank, for once "lost" Heagren and slipped a shrewd pass inside to MARTIN. The Peterborough inside man swivelled round on his left foot and cracked the ball first time with his right foot past Corbett before the Lynn goalkeeper had a chance to move. Lynn turned the game more in their favour towards halftime, but on the resumption Peterborough again were on top. They pummelled away at the Lynn rearguard without further success, and then, spurred on by their supporters, Lynn staged a late all-out rally in which Ward and Todd were the schemers. But with Ryder well below form and Bloomer and Edwards off-colour with their shooting, their efforts proved in vain. Bloomer had one golden opportunity near the end when he received the ball while standing unmarked to the right of goal, but he left his shot too late and Lowery, who had rushed out, succeeded in smothering the ball.
Lynn: Corbett; Rowe. Bannister: Robinson. Heagren, Bunn: Ryder, Todd, Bloomer, Edwards, Ward.
Peterborough: Lowery; Stafford G., Killin; Stafford E., Rigby. Taft; Woodgate, Martin, Kelly, Emery, McNamee,
Attendance (excluding season ticket holders): 7,591.