King's Lynn 3 AFC Telford United 1
15th December 2012
King's Lynn Town manager Gary Setchell hailed his players as continued their giant-killing tricks by upsetting Blue Square Premier Telford at The Walks.
Livewire Steve Spriggs was the two-goal hero as Lynn stormed past higher-league opposition for the fifth successive round and into the last 16.
Spriggs' 17th goal of the season gave huge underdogs Lynn a dream start in the 11th minute.
But they were pegged back when Kris Taylor found the back of the net from a weak free-kick just before the half-hour.
Telford's Steve Jones saw red for two bookings inside a minute in the second half before a late second from Spriggs and a goal from substitute Jason Turner, both in injury time, sealed another famous triumph.
An ecstatic Setchell said: "I can't praise everyone of my players highly enough. This is my best day as a manager and a fantastic day for the club.
"We've come into this game on the back of a 4-2 home defeat by Hucknall but we've matched and, at times, bettered a team who play three leagues higher than ourselves.
"My players were written off after last Saturday but they've exceeded everyone's expectations, they were absolutely teriffic."
Disappointed AFC Telford boss Andy Sinton said: "We paid Lynn every respect by having them watched twice but indiscipline from one of my players has cost us again.
"I had no complaints with the referee's decision at all. You can't do what he did just 30 seconds after getting booked in the first place.
"I'm not going to say that we were this, that and the other because you've got to give every credit to King's Lynn.
"They've done really well but the sending-off has tipped the balance in their favour when we were on top at 1-1."
EvoStik Division One South Lynn were forced into two changes from the side convincingly beaten by Hucknall last Saturday.
Goalkeeper Alex Street replaced the cup-tied Danny Gay between the posts, while Sam Mulready came in for the cup-tied Shane Tolley in attack.
Under-pressure Bucks' boss Sinton made four changes from the side which lost at Hyde in a bid to find some winning form after only one win in ten.
Out went Will Salmon, Chris Sharp Nathan Rooney and Jordan Rose and in came the quartet of Richard Davies, Kieron St. Aimie, Kris Taylor and Michael Wylde.
Lynn stunned their illustrious visitors by taking the lead in the 11th minute.
Mulready's centre from the left was dummied by Russell Dunkley and the ball fell to Lynn's top-scorer whose shot took a deflection past a stranded Ryan Young.
The hosts continued on top with Ross Watson's cross evading a body of players inside the AFC Telford box.
In a carbon-copy move, Street delivered a peach of a cross from the right and Mulready was just inches from connecting.
In between those efforts, Phil Trainer skied a shot over the woodwork, while Davies' half-volley went straight into the arms of Street.
The miss proved to be costly when The Bucks levelled matters with a goal out of nothing four minutes later.
A free-kick on the edge of the box by Kris Taylor was tamely hit and the ball squirmed under the body of a red-faced Street who should have done better.
Telford's equaliser lifted the Shropshire side, who ended the first 45 minutes on top.
Street redeemed himself ten minutes before the interval when he pulled off a fine fingertip save to deny Davies.
Thirty seconds after the restart a mistake by Michael Wylde saw Spriggs feed the ball to George Thomson whose hit his shot straight at Young when either side of him would have seen the shotstopper beaten.
The visitors broke straight down the other end of the Pitch and St Aimie's shot was brilliantly parried away by Street to his right.
An end-to-end start to the second period then saw Spriggs strike the post following a wonderful run and shot while St Aimie was again foiled by Street after a cross by Taylor on the left.
Jones' dismissal left Telford facing 30 minutes with just ten men.
But they nearly took the lead when St. Aimee forced Street into another fine save.
With the clock counting down, Dunkley thought he had given Lynn the lead. But his header, from the excellent Spriggs' cross, went agonisingly wide.
And at the other end, Street nearly had a moment to forget when his clearance was charged down by Steve Leslie and the ball looped over his woodwork.
Lynn had the last laugh in an absorbing contest when Spriggs scored his 18th goal of the season with a sublime finish and Turner compounded Telford's misery in the dying seconds of injury time.
Lynn: Street, Watson, Yong, Fryatt, Gulliver, Bunting, Spriggs (White), Quigley, Dunkley, Thomson (Thurlbourne 80), Mulready. (Turner 90+2) Unused subs: Buhlemann, Lee. Booked: Yong, Watson, Fryatt. Scorers: Spriggs 10, 90, Turner 90+4
Telford: Young, Valentine, Preston, Davies (Brown, 71), Trainer, Jones, St. Aimie (Sharp, 80), Spray (Hubbins, 61), Leslie, Taylor, Wylde. Subs not used: Collister, Salmon.
Booked: Jones. Sent off: Jones.
Goal: Taylor (29).
Referee: N. Kinseley. Attendance: 955.