King's Lynn 5 Sittingbourne 2
21st February 2004
THE Linnets came through a curious game as goals were shared among five players.Lynn went behind then were 3-1 up at half-time, and came alive midway through the second half to canter home in the end.
"It was a stuttering performance and a bit strange, it was Banbury all over again," said joint manager Darren Bloodworth.
"It was a very poor first half, we were off the pace, then again to score five makes it look a little better, and perhaps it's the measure of a good side.
"Daniel Hammond on his first team debut came on and did well, as did Stevo and Robbie Harris."
Joint boss Kevin Boon said: "Sometimes we don't keep our enthusiasm and tempo up. When our adrenaline is going we pass it much quicker."
The Walks outfit had a wake up call on five minutes. Kieran Marsh stole unmarked into the left of the Lynn box, keeper Steve Wilson parried his shot and David Corry put the visitors ahead from close range.
Home debut boy Craig Fishlock's free-kick was saved at the second attempt, but the hosts did not take long to equalise. On the quarter-hour mark Dale Watkins rose between two defenders to head home a David Staff cross.
Three minutes later Jack Defty directed a slide rule diagonal pass to Carl Holmes, who passed the ball calmly into the net.
Staff's lob was not quite high enough, while Holmes' volley was blocked by Dean Yorath at close-range.
However, Staff made it 3-1 a minute before the break, stealing the ball from the dawdling Yorath and slotting the ball home from 20 yards.
Watkins had to limp off, Robbie Harris coming on, while Lee Stevenson played his first home game in seven months when he came on for Camm.
Teenager Daniel Hammond impressed when he replaced Mark Burrows on the hour as Lynn's casualty list mounted.
The Linnets stepped up a couple of gears midway through the second half, Stevenson heading down Fishlock's cross for Harris to nip in front of keeper Kevin Fewell to score and equal Paul Watts' club record of seven goals as a sub.
In an intense spell of home pressure, Fewell turned Staff's free-kick around the post and from a resulting flurry of corners Stevenson's shot from an acute angle was saved and Tom Berry headed off the line from Defty.
Fewell (twice) and Clint Gooding (goal-line clearance) denied the unlucky Staff.
Lynn were rewarded with the fifth goal when Stevenson's effort looped off captain Coyle and into the net.
A defensive mix-up meant Sittingbourne got a consolation in the final ten minutes, sub Jon Neal striking from an acute angle, while a good Wilson save thwarted Marsh.
Lynn: Wilson, Jones, Setchell, Burrows, Fuff, Fishlock, Defty, Holmes, Staff, Watkins. Camm. Subs: Hammond, Harris, Stevenson, Woodrow, Higgs