King's Lynn 1 Bath City 1

11 November 2000

LINNETS confidently began a new chapter in their turbulent history.
In the first game without their manager Gary Mills,
who resigned on Wednesday, Lynn were "awesome" according to acting manager Tony Spearing, who started his second spell in charge of the club.
On a pitch resembling a skating rink after torrential rain, both teams provided entertainment and
Linnets played brilliantly at times.
From numbers one to eleven, everyone put in
maximum effort, deserving a win but denied one by a second half equaliser.
"We were awesome at times, I'm delighted with the attitude and performance. They knocked it about and it was a pity we never won it," said Spearing.
"We put so much effort into the first half that maybe we ran out of it a little."
The side was boosted by a good-luck message from Mills.
"Gary phoned me on Friday and Saturday to wish the players all the best and I told them that," continued Spearing.
"I told the players don't let people have the opportunity to get you down. Do it for yourselves, do it for me."
Spearing's words worked as it was arguably their best home display of the season.
Also encouraging was reserve forward Simon Bush, who scored on his first start, while keeper Ben Nower made his home debut in place of Chuck Martini, who missed his first league game for two seasons because of a family illness.
Lynn went ahead in the 25th minute as Bush mishit a left foot shot from a cross by Dave Puttnam - having his best game of the season in his new wing-back role - and the ball crept in the bottom corner of the net.
As Lynn displayed some neat passing, Tommy Wright shot narrowly across goal. Then in a great move, Bush played a delightful one-two with Dave Robinson, his effort was blocked and Puttnam fired over the follow-up.
Lyndon Rowland, covering every blade of grass, found Bush with a through ball but he drove just the wrong side of the post.
In the first minute of the second half, Bath sub James Hughes cleared from Wright, but this failure to grab the second goal cost Lynn dear as the Romans got stronger as the game went on.
Martin Paul was inches wide with a near-post flick-on from player-manager Paul Bodin's free-kick.
Bath levelled on the hour when another Bodin free-kick was met by Jon Holloway's looping header which caught the swirling wind and the stretching Nower could only help it into the net.
Both sides traded chances.
Paul, Scott Walker, Holloway and Mark Harrington could have won it for the visitors: Going close for Lynn were a Simon Dakin volley and a near own goal from Kevin Lloyd's looping clearance. Lynn: B, Nower, S. Dakin, C. Clark, D. Robinson, G. Fuff, A. Hayes, E. Nwadike, D. Puttnam (L. Gibson 79 , S. Bush (J. Palmer 84), L Rowland, Sub not used: W. Anderson.
Bath: S Bibbo, P. Tisdale, R Bodin, M. Harrington, C. Towler J. Hughes (h-t),
K. Lloyd, J. Fraser, J. Holloway, G. Colboume (S. Allison 72), M. Paul (O. Maclean 88), S. Walker.
Att: 782.

MATCH STATISTICS	Shots on Target	Shots off Target	Corners	Caught Offside	Free kicks Conceded	Bookings
Lynn	4	5	6	5	10	Nwadike (27, foul) Dakin (41, foul) Robinson (58, foul)
Bath	5	5	3	5	15

Lynn News Man of the Match - Lyndon Rowland