Grantham Town 5 King's Lynn 1

15th January 2005

The Linnets served up their worst display of the campaign as local rivals Grantham became the first side to complete a double over The Walks outfit this season.
Forget the miserable performances at Hemel Hempstead, Dunstable and Rugby United earlier in the season, this was far worse as Tommy Taylor's side surrendered to their hosts without the resemblance of a fight.
After the game a furious Taylor blasted his side, saying: "They let themselves down and the club down so why should I stick up for them?
"Let the players come out and explain to the fans and media what that performance was all about. It's no wonder the previous managers decided to walk.
"I told the chairman after the game I would rather jack in myself rather than settle for that type of display. I don't want supporters giving me the stick they did after the game and I apologised to them for what happened.
Taylor added: "We couldn't handle a big side. We couldn't handle big balls into the box, could not handle pressure and could not handle people running at us.
"We never closed the ball down and didn't pass it either. Our physio got closer to the ball when he came on the pitch than some of our players did."
missed penalty
The Gingerbreads could even afford the luxury of a missed penalty against a Lynn side without the injured Gary Setchell and who lost Jack Defty with a knee injury in the second half.
Grantham took the lead with their first effort on goal in the eighth minute when Jason White nodded a deep cross back to Lee Glover, whose shot was turned in by Jim Neil. Lynn drew level following a delightful move six minutes later when Mark Angel exchanged passes with Danny Bloomfield on the edge of the box before firing home.
There was little the Linnets could do about the home side's second goal, although goalkeeper Steve Wilson looked clearly out of position, when Willis Francis unleashed a 35-year screamer which flew into the top of the net.
Wilson had to be alert to foil Neil close to the interval in a half where Defty had twice headed Angel corners over the bar.
Six minutes into the second half Wilson and his defence were asleep when Glover rifled home from 20 yards out.
Three minutes later Bloomfield glanced a Ludovic Quistin header wide, but that was the last seen of Lynn in any department for the remainder of the game.
Midway through the second period Angel produced a clumsy challenge on Glover in the Lynn box, but Dominic Hallows blazed the resulting penalty well wide.
But the home faithful only had to wait four more minutes for their fourth goal when a comedy of errors at the back led to White slotting home.
Former Linnet Jamie Clarke completed Lynn's misery deep into injury time when he nodded in at Wilson's far post after the Lynn defence were nowhere to be seen.
Grantham: Ziccardi, Wooding, Hallows, Sturgess, Reddington, Speed, Glover, Francis, Turner (Quailey 87), White (Clarke 87), Neil (Smith 83). Subs not used: Julian, Smithen. Goals: Neil (7), Francis (32), Glover (50), White (69), Clarke (90).
Lynn: S. Wilson, Jones, Chick (Quistin 52), Matthews (Blake 63), Hammond, Camm, Defty (J. Wilson 69, Holmes, Bacon, Bloomfield, Angel. Not used: Higgs. Goal: Angel (14).
Booked: Jones, Defty.
Attendance: 503. Referee: R Burton (Kettering).
MoM: The supporters who had to put up with this woeful display