King's Lynn 1 Tiverton Town 1

19th January 2008

Only if the league start giving out bonus points for the number of gilt-edged chances created and missed during a match.
In the space of a week Keith Webb's side went from a comfortable victory against a useful Rugby Town outfit to a team short of ideas in and around the penalty area.
Even Mark Camm's first goal at The Walks for three-and-a-half years wasn't enough to hand them the points, and in truth, Lynn failed to force Tiverton goalkeeper Ray Johnston into a serious save despite their domination for long periods of the 90 minutes.
After the game Linnets boss Keith Webb admitted that he side had failed to deliver the goods in front of goal.
A deflated Webb said: "It's the same old, same old.
"I'm gutted. People have got to learn as we're our own worst enemies.
"There's no excuses and I said to the players after the game they're trying to score the perfect goal. I want them getting in where it hurts. Tiverton had defenders who did it a couple of times near the end when it looked easier for us to score."
Webb added: "How many times have you seen us dominate games like that during the course of the season?
"I know and the players know that to win leagues these are the type of games you have to close out 1-0. You always expect them to have an opportunity – at the end of the day they had three.
"We've let the others back in and blown a chance to get two extra points, but it's not all doom and gloom.
"Let's not get too despondent. The players have given everything. I'm not going to lay into them about effort – it's just the quality of our finishing."
The prospects of a goal avalanche looked so good when Lynn took the lead as early as the seventh minute
A glorious piece of chest control and an inch-perfect pass from Jack Defty set up Camm to slide the ball past Johnston – a goal fit enough to grace any football stage.
But thereafter Lynn left their shooting boots behind.
Defender Greg Crane glanced a header wide, while a curling effort from Joe Francis, who delivered some delicious crosses in from out wide, flew narrowly wide of Johnston's right-hand post.
Ten minutes before the break Scott Howie denied awkward striker Simon Bochenski with his legs after the frontman shrugged off the attentions of Linnets skipper Mark Warren, who looked short of match fitness.
Soon after the restart Ben Sedgemore fluffed his lines with a scuffed effort and substitute John Turner blasted straight at Tiverton defender Chris Vinnicombe.
Sedgemore's lob cleared the Hospital End car park while debutant Kieran Deane, who replaced Michael Frew midway through the second half, saw his header turned behind.
The visitors, clearly spurred on by Lynn's inability to add a second, grew in confidence as the half wore on.
Tivvy skipper Nathan Rudge somehow headed wide with the goal at his mercy and Howie bravely blocked at the feet of James Fraser.
The writing was clearly on the wall for Lynn and in the 78th minute Bochenski's cut-back was fired home by Glenn Gould.
Turner found a yard of space at the other end but blazed over, Matt Nolan headed wide and Francis' late effort lacked the necessary power to beat Johnston as the game came to a predictable conclusion.
The Linnets have now dropped points in three of their last five home matches and the stark reality is unless the club make a bold move and invest in a striker they look destined to rely on the lottery of the play-offs come May.
Perhaps their reluctance to bring in the recently-available Chris Dillon could prove costly.
Lynn: Howie, West (Nolan 88), Chapman, Warren, Crane, Camm, Frew (Deane 64), Sedgemore, Defty, Bloomfield (Turner 60), Francis. Subs (not used), Murray, Fleming. Goal: Camm (7).
Tiverton: Johnston, O'Brien (W. Gardner 89), Vinnicombe, Bulley, Rudge, T. Gardner, Bye, Young (Knighton 57), Bochenski, Fraser (Gould 57), Neale. Subs (not used): Villis, Wyatt. Bookings: Vinnicombe, Rudge, Bye. Goal: Gould (78).
Referee: P. McCaul (Hunts). Attendance: 1,094.
MoM: Joe Francis.
Stats, Lynn first: shots on target 3, 3; off target 11, 2; corners 2, 3; offside 12, 2; free-kicks conceded 11, 9.