King's Lynn 4 Gloucester City 0
12th November 2005
The Linnets fired themselves up to sixth in the league standings after one of
the best games seen at The Walks this season.Goal machine Danny Bloomfield registered a brace, while Danny Hammond and Adam Smith were also on target as Lynn reached 100 goals in 55 games under the managership of Tommy Taylor.
Hammond's strike 14 minutes before the break, Lynn's second goal of an entertaining afternoon, saw The Walks outfit make the magical three-figure goal mark.
Manager Taylor said: "Had both sides taken their chances it could have quite easily ended 8-6.
"We didn't play that well and had we passed the ball a bit more we could have scored a few more.
"It did us a lot of good scoring an early goal, although they put plenty of good crosses in the box and their forwards were a real handful."
The turning point of an end-to-end slog was undoubtedly John Higgs' penalty save in the 35th minute after Grant Cooper had clumsily bundled Dave Wilkinson to the floor.
Higgs brilliantly saved to his left to deny Neil Mustoe with Lynn leading 2-0.
Bloomfield had put Lynn ahead in the 6th minute when he calmly finished Jack Defty's headed pass.
Hammond made it 2-0 in the 31st minute when he dug the ball out to finish in a crowded box.
Despite the final score, Lynn didn't have matters all of their own way and in the 38th minute Higgs' reflex stop fell invitingly into the path of Marvin Thompson, who blazed over from six yards out.
Gloucester keeper Matt Bath foiled Matt O'Halloran with his legs just before the break and seconds after the restart was at the Tigers' rescue again to deny the same player.
A lively Gloucester outfit refused to throw in the towel, Wilkinson responded with a snapshot into the side netting, while both Mustoe and Tom Webb weren't far away from reducing the deficit.
Lynn's third came in the 48th minute when Adam Smith rifled home despite the despairing efforts of a Gloucester defender.
O'Halloran and Bloomfield exchanged passes before the former flashed a shot wide, while Bath pushed Defty's stinging drive over his bar.
Higgs then bravely smothered at Wilkinson's feet as the Tigers continued to look for that elusive, but deserved, goal.
Twelve minutes from time Bloomfield gave the final score a rather flattering look when he raced clear before applying the finishing touches to his 12th goal of the season. Lynn: Higgs, West, Smith, Hammond, Cooper (Jones 79), McNeil, Defty, Anselin (Harvey 74), Camm, Bloomfield, O'Halloran (Fell 74). Sub not used: Heath-Preston.
Goals: Bloomfield (6 and 78), Hammond (31), Smith (48).
Gloucester: Bath, M. Thompson (Davis 65), Mansell (Harris 50), Griffiths, Tomkins, Burns (C. Thompson 50), Mustoe, Webb, Addis, Corbett, Wilkinson. Subs not used: Knight and Randall.
Bookings: Griffiths and Burns.
Referee: S. Burt (Northampton). Att: 690. MoM: M. McNeil.