King's Lynn 0 Dorchester Town 1
18th April 2002
THE Linnets served up their worst home display of the season to leave themselves with a mountain to climb for Thursday night's second leg at the Avenue Stadium.Lynn were booed off the field by a paltry crowd of 535 as The Walks outfit failed to score a goal of their own from open play for the fourth successive home match.
The trio of second-half streakers showed
more energy and enthusiasm than some of the Lynn players, who could have easily gone into the return leg more than one goal in arrears.
Linnets coach Peter Morris said: "We were very poor in the first half, but showed a lot more life after the break.
"We had to throw a side together, but to be honest we would have lost to anyone the way we played in the first-half. We had three chances to clear the ball which led to their goal."
Morris praised the performance of Jack Defty, who made his first senior appearance for the club in midfield. "The young kid did well, he more than held his own," said Morris, who would have found it hard to pick out many other players for special mention.
A snapshot from Paul Watts and an effort from Hudson were all Lynn could muster in a dire first 45 minutes as Dorchester came more into the game as the half wore on.
In the 38th minute Matt Groves spotted Wilson off his line, but his delightful chip came back off the woodwork.
Two minutes later Simon Radcliffe's cross-cum shot shaved the Lynn bar, before Matt Holmes saw a long-range effort just fly past the post.
The opening goal arrived on the stroke of halftime when Phil Andrews poked home a Jamie Brown cross after a suicide piece of defending from Martin McNeil.
To be fair, Lynn improved after the break, but clear-cut chances were still few and far between.
David Staff saw a free-kick scrape the Dorchester bar in the 78th minute, while Magpies keeper David Elm pulled off a fine point blank save to deny substitute Jamie Clarke four minutes later.
Lynn: Wilson, Staff, March, McNeil, Welsh, McNamara (Clarke 64), Rowe, Raynor, Hudson, Watts, Defty (Bush 73). Sub not used: Harvey.
Dorchester: D. Elm, C. Poore, S. Radcliffe, M. White, O. Cherett, A. Harris, J. Brown, M. Lonnon, P. Andrews, M. Groves, M. Holmes. Subs (all unused): M. Oldbury, W. Crutcher and M. Morris.
Bookings, Lynn: Raynor (61, dissent). Dorchester: Groves (time wasting 70).
Lynn News MoM: The steakers