King's Lynn 1 Newport IoW 3

1st December 2002

ON the back of a six-game winning run which earned Peter Morris the division's Manager of the Month award, opponents Newport's future hanging by a thread an odds-on win for Lynn then, right?
Wrong. Definitely a case of 'after the Lord's Mayor's show'.
In front of the biggest league crowd of the season on Saturday, Lynn should have been buzzing and the third from bottom visitors should have been there for the taking.
But the home team simply weren't good enough. The Islanders had ex-Aston Villa and Portsmouth Guy Whittingham out injured, but they still did the double over The Walks outfit.
Lynn had their usual quota of chances, but lacked as much urgency and could not force away keeper Joe McCormack into saves often enough, while the defence was shaky.
Two members of the rearguard, Lewis Blois (perhaps still feeling his way back to fitness) and Mark Burrows, had nightmare games.
At the last minute Lee Stephenson had to come in for Carl Holmes, who broke down with his foot injury during the warm-up.
And only a last-ditch tackle by Adam Lang denied Stephenson a scoring chance in the fourth minute as the Linnets dominated the first quarter hour.

Jack Defty and Chris Bacon went close with headers before Newport enjoyed a good spell with Simon Pilcher volleying over and skipper Steve Riley putting a free header wide.
Stephenson with a header and David Staff with a 20-yard shot had Lynn's best chances of the half on the 30-minute mark, but both were just off-target.
However, The Port struck twice in three minutes just before half-time with their first efforts on target.
A good through ball saw Ashley Wright finish neatly into the corner against the run of play then, with the hosts' defence at sixes and sevens, Jamie O'Rourke headed home after Mark Preston's centre.
Lynn came out fighting after the break and within nine minutes hit back, Chris Bacon continuing the run of great goals seen at The Walks with a 25-yard right-foot blockbuster into the top of the net.
But inside 60 seconds more slack work defending a corner saw Danny Rofe restore the two-goal lead.
Stephenson had two shots saved following good work from Paul Raynor and Bacon respectively; he was substituted soon after.
His replacement Paul Watts could find no way through either as Defty was moved upfield.
Watts (twice) and Staff both fired wide when well placed.
Lynn's day was summed up in injury time when Defty was set up nicely with time and space on his hands, took a swing and missed the ball completely.
Lynn: Greygoose, Jones, Blois (Cowling 88), Burrows, Fuff, Defty, Weston (Blake 64), Raynor, Bacon, Staff, Stephenson (Watts 70). Sub not used: Dobrowolski
Newport: McCormack, Riley, Lang, Cole, Tagg, Preston, Keeping, Rofe, O'Rouke, Wright, Pilcher. Subs not used: Whittingham, Barsdell, O'Connor, Isaacson
Referee: Henry (Northamptonshire)
Att: 670

MATCH STATISTICS	Shots on Target	Shots off Target	Corners	Caught Offside	Free kicks Conceded	Bookings
Lynn	3	9	11	2	11
Newport	4	4	7	6	13	Keeping (75, foul)