Spalding 0 King's Lynn 0 (Lynn win 4-3 on penalties)
16th November 1999
Lynn dramatically won their first ever penalty shoot-out at the sudden death stage.But the Linnets should have been out of the cup as the Tulips were 3-1 up before three successive misses enabled skipper Tony Marsden to strike the winning spot kick.
"It’s never a ice way to lose, but we didn’t on this occasion," said Lynn manager Gary Mills, who revealed he had been involved in penalty shoot-outs as a professional and at Grantham against Leigh in the FA Trophy.
"If games have to go to penalties we have to be strong. When we were 3-1 down I always knew that funny things happen and our keeper might save a couple."
The drama made up for a nondescript scoreless match on a chilly night with Spalding the better side and Lynn’s attacks foiled by inspired ex-Linnet keeper Kevin Cross.
Early on Chuck Martini had to smartly save from former Grantham boss Dave Gilbert while all Lynn had to show for the first half was Chris Cleaver’s turn and shot which cross magnificently blocked.
Linnets had to wait an hour for their first corner as they missed the invention of the suspended Dave Puttnam.
In the second period, Lee Wilson charged down the ball, which released Cleaver but Darren Cundy made a superb saving tackle.
A minute later Martini had to parry a dangerous cross from Craig Wilson and the returning Dave Robinson cleared from six yards. Wilson was twice denied by cross in one-on-one situations while a moment of genius from Lyndon Rowland nearly won it. He flicked the ball over a defender’s head, raced through but cross would not be beaten.
At the shoot out stage, Tony Spearing found the net for the first time in Lynn colours to pill it back to 3-2, then Martini made two dramatic low saves.
As it entered sudden death Spalding's Nigel Vince could not pick a worse time to blaze over, while Marsden made no mistake.
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SHOOT OUT DETAILS |
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Spalding |
Lynn |
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Gilbert |
1-0 |
Mills |
1-1 |
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Keeble |
2-1 |
McGinty (saved) |
2-1 |
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Cundy |
3-1 |
Spearing |
3-2 |
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Williams (saved) |
3-2 |
Wilson (saved) |
3-2 |
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Revilll (saved) |
3-2 |
Rowland |
3-3 |
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Sudden Death |
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Vince (shot over) |
3-3 |
Marsden |
3-4 |
Lynn: Martini, Dakin, Spearing, Robinson, Fuff, Harbottle (Mills 70), Turner (Nwadike 64), Marsden, Cleaver (McGinty 70), Rowland, Wilson
Spalding: Cross, Frecklington (Williams 105), Cundy, Vince, Hipperson, Keeble, Wilson, Dolby, Hercock, Revill, Gilbert.
| MATCH STATISTICS | Shots on Target | Shots off Target | Corners | Caught Offside | Free kicks Conceded |
Bookings |
| Lynn | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 16 | |
| Spalding | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 17 |