Salisbury City 2 King's Lynn 1
9th November 2002
IT WAS a too familiar story on Saturday as the Linnets crashed to their first defeat against Salisbury in 12 matches.Peter Morris' side dominated the proceedings in Wiltshire, but an 83rd minute strike from Stuart Brown condemned The Walks outfit to their fifth defeat in six on their league travels.
Lynn had enough changes to cure their long bout of travel sickness and delivered plenty of crosses into the danger area but Lynn need to learn that you don't win anything in football for just crosses into the box.
It looked so good for Lynn after Carl Holmes had levelled Salisbury's opener in the 75th minute, but a defensive mix-up between Dean Greygoose and his defenders allowed Salisbury to take the three points.
Lynn should have opened their account as early as the first minute, but Lee Stephenson fired wide with just the keeper to beat.
Watts headed wide a Blake centre, and David Staff ran half the length of the pitch before having a shot blocked in an end-to-end opening 10 minutes.
Three successive corners to Lynn came to nothing before the fingertips of Greygoose, diving full-length to his right, denied Wayne Turk a certain goal in the 12th minute. The impressive Jack Defty blasted an effort high and wide, and in the 32nd minute Stephenson was the guilty culprit again when he missed from only a few yards out.
Holmes twice went close in the lead-up to the interval, while at the other end Greygoose was called into action to foil Wallace.
It was the same story after the break, Lynn were the better side, but it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play through Turk. Lynn refused to lie down and young Chris Bacon replaced Stephenson, while Wayne Anderson came on for the injured Defty.
Within five minutes of the substitutions Lynn were level when Holmes' header deflected off a home defender and into the net.
Lynn kept their foot on the pedal and the excellent Staff saw a 25-yard drive saved by the fingertips of Salisbury keeper Sawyer.
But as so often this season, Lynn went to sleep at the back and Brown gratefully accepted the invitation to score.
Once again Lynn piled forward. Watts' diving header from a Holmes centre went wide, while Holmes went close from a corner a minute later.
Bacon then hit the side netting in the final minute.
Salisbury: Sawyer, Purches (King 79), Cook, Thomas, Emms, Davie., Turk, Funnell (Bartlett 45), Wallace (Crook 72), Brown, Bowers. Subs not used: McGlashan, Seroudela.
Lynn: Greygoose, Staff, Blake, Burrows,Fuff, Cowling, Defty (Anderson 70), Raynor, Watts, Stephenson (Bacon 7D), Holmes.
Not used: Johnson, Weston, Dobrowolski.
Attendance: 475.
Referee: R. Greenwood (Exeter). Lynn News MoM: David Staff