King's Lynn 5 Irchester United 2
14th August 2010
>AFTER an absence of nine months, league football finally returned to the Walks on Saturday with the Linnets hitting five past plucky opponents Irchester United.
A healthy crowd of 825 - the best in the United Counties League for seven seasons - witnessed Lynn achieve their second win of the week to move them up to fourth in the early league standings. Two goals in as many minutes enabled Lynn to take a stranglehold on the game but it wasn't all plain sailing. Joint Linnets boss Gary Setchell said: "Obviously I'm delighted for us to get another three points, but defensively we could have been a lot better.
"We left our back four ex posed at times after getting ourselves in a comfortable position at 3-0.
"Some of the goals we scored today were out of the top drawer, but twice after scoring we have shot ourselves in the foot by conceding just moments later."
Setchell paid tribute to Irchester, saying: "They came here and had a real go, even at three goals down, and not many teams will do that this season."
Jamie Thurlbourne put Lynn on their way to victory when he drove home from close range, with Jack Defty making a real nuisance of himself in the Romans' box. Martin McNeil bundled the ball past keeper Nigel Maarman moments later following an excellent Jamie Thurlbourne cross.
Jamie's brother Luke was next to get in on the action with an assured finish from the right hand side of the box following- more hesitation in the visiting defence.
The Linnets were now three up with only 35 minutes played but with some Lynn fans possibly thinking of a cricket score, Paul Caswell converted the ball from close range to maintain his team's interest:
Despite a lot of second-half possession, the Linnets had to wait until the first minute of injury time to finally make the points safe as substitute Scott Cubberley scored an impressive goal all of his own creation.
Cubberley cut inside three Romans defenders before placing the ball past the helpless Maarman.
Yet again Caswell responded for the visitors but another Linnets substitute Robbie Harris applied the gloss with
a tap-in with virtually the game's final kick.
King's Lynn Town: Street, Bexfield, Alsop, Luke Thurlbourne, McNeil, Stone, Doherty (Smith 77), White (Kelly 69), Defty (Cubberley 61), Harris, Jamie Thurlbourne.
Unused subs: Buhlemann, Plumb.
Irchester Town: Maarman, Hackett, Glass, White, Julian, Paul Caswell, Forbes (Cottingham 69), Goodall (Duroe 61), Chris Caswell (Maude 24), Campbell, Gilsenan.
Unused subs: Hamblin, Mills.
Referee: G. Winwright Woodhall Spa. Att: 825.