Newcastle Town 0 King's Lynn 0
9th March 2013
Linnets boss Gary Setchell lamented his misfiring strikers after a number of wasted chances saw them fail to score for the first time in EvoStik League action since September.
Strikers Russell Dunkley (twice), Shane Tolley and Danny Beaumont all squandered guilt-edged opportunities in front of the target as The Walks outfit left their shooting boots in Norfolk.
The point stretched Lynn's unbeaten run to 11 matches, but an angry Setchell didn't have to think too hard as to why his team only went home with a point.
Setchell said: "You can't miss chances like we have today. I know the boys don't mean to miss them but the forwards have got to take the rap.
"We've had countless attempts on goal and we've countless chances to have another attempt on goal.
"We must have had at least 30 attempts but have only worked their goalkeeper eight or nine times and sometimes it seems if the chances don't fall to Spriggsy then we don't score.
"It's disappointing as we've played well enough to get the three points. We've absolutely battered them for 90 minutes, but just couldn't put the ball in the net.
"If we play like that for the remainder of the season we will go close, as long as we take our chances when we are top."
Dunkley hit the post in the first half and worse was to follow a few minutes later when the big frontman contrived to blaze over from eight yards with just the home goalkeeper to beat.
After the interval Lynn looked certain to score when Shane Tolley was clear through, but he screwed his shot wide after finding himself under pressure from goalkeeper Dave Parton.
It was deja vu a few minutes later when substitute Dan Beaumont shot wide when one-on-one with the Newcastle shotstopper.
Newcastle's only effort on target during the whole afternoon came from substitute Matt Lowe, who forced Danny Gay into an acrobatic stop ten minutes from time.
Setchell and Lynn's misery was compounded in the dying seconds when penalty appeals for a clear handball in the box were waved away by referee Mr Taylor.
The incident led to a bout of handbags in the tunnel after the game and Setchell said: "We had a definite penalty at the end which the referee has chosen not to award because he didn't have the bottle to give it.
"Their lad has come off the field laughing because he has scooped the ball away with his hand and it's led to a ruckus in the tunnel.
"We were upset about it and tensions were riding high because they were laughing about a penalty which wasn't given by the referee.
"It was handbags in the tunnel, somebody has dropped their lipstick, but that's about as far as it goes. Nobody was hurt and there were no punches thrown."
Newcastle: Parton, Moyo, Bridge (Whalley 31), Ruddock, Carter, Askey, Diskin (Gordon 89), Millar, Sanders, Sutton, France (Lowe 76). Subs not used: Nicholls, Kenny, Lowe.
Booked: France, Gordon.
Lynn: Gay, Fryatt, Gulliver (Mulready 76), Lee, Yong, Spriggs, Bunting, Jepson (Beaumont 67), Thomson, Dunkley, Tolley. Subs not used: Watson, Butt, Ward.
Booked: Fryatt, Gulliver, Thomson.
Referee: C. Taylor. Attendance: 150.