Northwood 0 King's Lynn 1
17th December 2005
Adam Smith scored the only goal with 15 minutes left of the game at Northwood
Park to beat the bottom of the table side and keep their promotion chase alive.Earlier in the season, the Linnets would have looked at Saturday's fixture and imagined a nailed-on three points as Northwood made a dreadful start to the season.
Instead Lynn inflicted the Woods' first defeat in three games following their impressive wins over Merthyr and Halesowen.
Linnets manager Tommy Taylor said on meeting yet another physical side: "They picked up a few bookings. The worst foul was by miles a double-footed lunge on Cedric. He should have been sent off for it, but the referee just yellow carded him. That started a brawl, and they got three booked in that."
Taylor was referring to a lunge from Woods' Wayne Carter on Cedric Anselin just before half-time, and added: "We knew we weren't going to be intimidated, we got some boys in there who can look after themselves."
On an unbeaten run that now stretches to seven league and cup games, Taylor added: "I hope it's another 20. We had four or five good chances in the first half to win, but we need to shoot more when we get in the box, not pass and try to walk it in.
"Matt O'Halloran had gone clean through but the keeper's got his fingertips to it and pushed it onto the post. Danny Bloomfield tried to score but it was hard in there as the box was getting divoted up.
"The ground was pretty hard, we didn't bother going back inside after the warm-up." Lynn in the opening 15 minutes were occupying the Northwood half.
Anselin was inches wide with a volley from the edge of the area before the Woods' keeper on loan from Harrow Borough, Craig Nicholson, denied Danny Bloomfield with a fingertip save.
The hosts then came back into the game. Alistair Heselton went close with an effort.
As Northwood enjoyed a succession of corners, James Shipperley's header deflected off Anselin and onto the bar while Garrard volleyed over.
John Higgs pulled off a good save from a Clark 25 yard free kick.
Just before the hour mark The Walks outfit were unlucky not to open the scoring, O'Halloran and Bloomfield hitting the woodwork in the same move.
On 75 minutes Taylor's gamble of playing substitute Danny Hammond up front again bore fruit.
The defender's low cross found Smith whose deflected shot gave Nicholson no chance to give the visitors the lead.
Northwood desperately swarmed forward for the equaliser but Lynn claimed their fifth clean sheet of the league campaign.
They were again indebted to the steady Higgs, who dived full length to thwart sub Harry Howell two minutes from time and end the Woods' mini-revival.
After tonight's game that is it for Lynn before Christmas. A haul of seven out of nine points over the holiday period would keep them nicely in the play-off hunt.
Northwood: Nicholson, Nolan (Grieves 80), Moore, O'Connor, Shipperley, Demetrious (H. Howell h-t), Garrard (Shaw 64), Carter, Clark, Heselton, Hart. Subs not used: M. Howell, Matthews.
Booked: Demetrious, Carter, O'Connor, Nolan.
Lynn: Higgs, West, Smith, McMahon, Cooper, Jones, Camm, Anselin, Bloomfield, Defty, O'Halloran (Hammond 60). Not used: Fell, Harvey, McNeil. Attendance: 202.