Sleaford 2 King's Lynn 3
16th August 2011
LUCKY Linnets narrowly avoided the type of Tuesday night result that plagued them last season when they scraped a late victory through substitute Ben Coe against spirited, but distinctly average, opposition on Tuesday night.
Sleaford, who were thrashed 6-0 by Wellingborough on Saturday, offered little in the first half and it seemed only a case of how many goals Lynn would add to the 2-0 interval scoreline.
But two goals in nine second half minutes brought the Lincolnshire side level and, had it not been for the heroics of stopper Alex Street, they could have grabbed an unlikely victory.
All this seemed unthinkable when Danny Beaumont headed Lynn ahead from Steve Spriggs' sixth minute cross and Stuart Wall thundered in Jamie Thurlbourne's corner 13 minutes later.
The alert Street had saved Wall's embarrassment in the 12th minute when he saved a deflected header, but Lynn were always on top in the first period, without moving into second gear.
Thurlbourne saw a 20-yard free kick blaze just wide and Beaumont was denied at point-blank range before Wall blazed wide from close range.
But the visitors rested on their laurels in the second half and had Street to thank for a great save from Bolland before Tunstall reduced the arrears from the penalty spot after a goalmouth foul.
Street again saved brilliantly from Tunstall before Bolland lobbed over him to equalise following a penalty area scramble in the 69th minute.
The young Lynn keeper then denied substitute Shaw and Bolland again before Lynn's own sub Ben Coe finally claimed the points with a close range effort eight minutes from time.
There was still time for Street to be forced into yet another fine save before the referee saved Lynn's blushes with the final whistle.
Lynn: Street, Watson, Duarte (Coe 75 mins), Fryatt, Wall, White, Spriggs (L. Thurlbourne 69), Buhleman (Harris 69), Defty, Beaumont, J. Thurlbourne. Sub (not used): Johnson.