King's Lynn 2 Stewart & Lloyds Corby 2
13th September 2003
TWO goals in the final seven minutes left sloppy Lynn's participation in this year's FA Cup competition hanging in the balance.Peter Morris' side were coasting into the second qualifying round, but late schoolboy defending allowed plucky S and L Corby to earn an unlikely replay.
The writing was on the wall from the start. A big Walks crowd and no more than a pub team in front of them, but like so often in the past Lynn failed to deliver despite carving out chance after chance, especially in the second half.
Manager Peter' Morris had the players locked into the dressing room for 30 minutes, and quite rightly so.
Too many players were off-colour for the Walks outfit, who looked lightweight in attack and uninterested over many areas of the pitch.
Only veteran midfielder Paul Raynor and second half substitute Carl Holmes deserved to escape any kind of inquest. They were the only two players who looked, committed to the Linnets' cause.
S&L should have taken the lead as early as the fourth minute after catching the Linnets' rearguard asleep, but ex-Stamford forward Jamie Gilsenan's shot was cleared off the line by Adam Jones.
Eight minutes later the same away player forced Steve Wilson into a testing save down to his left.
Lynn, finally woke up with visiting keeper Shaun Allen twice coming to the rescue to deny Harris in the space of a few minutes.
Richard Woodrow had a shot deflected onto the post and three minutes before the break Mark Burrows saw his header cannon off the visitors' bar.
It was one-way traffic for long periods of the second half after the introduction of Holmes for the injured Nicky Blake and Malcolm Ndekwe for the disappointing Chris Bacon sparking Lynn into life.
Ndekwe's pace haunted the Corby side and the big frontman had enough chances to bag himself a double second. half hat-trick.
It was the reliable Holmes who gave Lynn the lead in the 70th minute when he sweetly volleyed home his first competitive goal of the season from just inside the box. .
Ten minutes later Ndekwe was hauled down by Alan Hall in the box and Holmes calmly stepped up to slot the resulting spot-kick in the bottom corner of the net.
It now looked a question of how many Lynn would score, but S&L had other ideas and pulled a goal back when Steve Farr's 83rd-minute lob gave the minnows some hope.
Corby's hope turned to joy deep into stoppage time when Lynn had numerous chances to clear their lines before substitute Michael Byrne sidefooted the ball home. Lynn: Wilson, Jones, Blake (Holmes 54), Burrows, Fuff, Defty, Huke, Raynor, Bacon Ndekwe 64), Harris, Woodrow (Glarvey 64). Subs not used: Nobes.
Stewarts & Lloyds: S. Allen, M. McConnell, F Kerr (G. Robb 90), L Walker, J. McKay, A. Hall, S. Farr; P Sneddon, M. Curtis, G. McIlwain (M. Byrne 78), J. Gilsenan, Not used: S McCool, D McIlwain, D. Fox.
Referee: Mr M. Blackledge (Peterborough). Attendance: 871.
| MATCH STATISTICS | Shots on Target | Shots off Target | Corners | Caught Offside | Free kicks Conceded |
Bookings |
| Lynn | 14 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 8 | |
| S&L Corby | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | Farr (dissent, 42) McKay (late tackle, 68) |