King's Lynn 1 Histon 2
11 November 2003
LYNN'S proud record in the League Cup came to a sorry and rather abject end at The Walks on Tuesday night.Semi-finalists, at least, for the last five seasons, Lynn never looked like continuing that trend against a weakened Histon side, who left four of their main stars on the bench.
The Linnets have never beaten Histon before and neither has Peter Morris as a manager and on this evidence that statistic doesn't look like being broken this season.
Histon showed far more desire and movement than Lynn and unlike their hosts played for each other.
Despite falling behind to a cracking strike from David Staff, The Stutes never looked like being beaten.
Lynn gifted Histon two soft goals on the night and Morris said: "The two goals we conceded were awful.
"The first free-kick went straight through the wall in a similar position to the one Hastings scored from on Saturday and the second one we just didn't pick up on.
"One of their players went off injured and we've had about-two minutes to get ourselves organised, but their fellow has just been allowed to head it without even jumping.
"We had some half chances in the first half, especially Mark Camm who has been unlucky, but we can't keep conceding goals like we have been."
Strangely, Lynn chose to drop goalkeeper John Higgs, hero of the last round and the reason why they got to this stage in the first place, for the recently out-of-favour Steve Wilson, who again failed to command his area with the authority he should do.
In the third minute, Carl Holmes blazed over when well placed and four minutes later Wilson had to be alert to foil Stutes striker Neil Kennedy.
Linnets midfielder Camm scuffed a couple of efforts wide after making two good runs into the box, while Peter Munns headed over at the other end.
Fourteen minutes before the break, Wilson failed to come for the ball and March was forced to redeem the keeper by clearing off his line.
Lynn took the lead five minutes later when a Paul Raynor corner was only half cleared to Staff, who thundered home a left-foot shot from just outside the box.
Histon levelled with a carbon-copy free-kick to the one Hastings netted from last Saturday when Adrian Cambridge drilled home through a non existent wall on the stroke of half time.
What proved to be the winning goal came eight minutes after the restart when Kennedy glanced home the easiest of headers, under no pressure from any Lynn defender.
Lynn huffed and puffed for an equaliser to ease the tensions of several disgruntled supporters, but frequently gave the bail away and rarely looked like breaking down a stubborn Histon rearguard.
Lynn: Wilson; Jones, March (Woodrow 66) Burrows, Fuff, J. Defty, Camm. Raynor, Ndekwe (Bacon 66), Staff, Holmes. Subs not used: Glarvey, Higgs and C Defty.
Histon: P Barber, L Farrington, W. Goddard, R Hipperson, S. Holden, A. Cambridge, C. Tovey, N. Andrews, P Munns, N. Kennedy, O. Mintus. Subs not used: J. Rowe; J. Barker, C. Vowden, I. Cambridge and M. Haniver.
Attendance: 524.
Referee: V Culot (Norwich).
MoM: Glen Fuff/Mark Camm.