King's Lynn 1 Hitchin Town 2
21st August 2004
THE Linnets are used to playing second fiddle to The Canaries and that trend was continued on Saturday as The Walks outfit lost their unbeaten record.But. this time it was the Canaries of Hitchin in question as Lynn were handed a stark reminder that life in the Dr Martens Premier Division will be far from a cake walk in` months ahead.
Few words could describe Lynn's inept performance as joint bosses Darren Bloodworth and Kevin Boon held a long inquest after the match.
After the game Bloodworth's brutal, but honest. assessment, was: "lit a lot of respects we were ashamed to be associated with that kind of performance.
"People may wonder why Kevin and myself refused to go overboard after our two opening wins - Well the evidence was there for all to see.
"When you hit 10 long balls inside the opening 10 minutes then something is not right.
"Our ball retention was woeful, but the same was true to an extent against Bath and Bedford, and there was very little effort and commitment.
"The goals we conceded were a travesty. We switched off for their first and to get caught from a short-corner routine, which we work on so hard in training for the second, was unbelievable.
Fellow joint boss Boon added: "Too many players thought they could just turn up and the match would be won:
The lads were poor and have been told in no uncertain terms. Call it a reality check if you like, because this will be a kick up the backside for us."
The writing was always on the wall for Lynn, despite Danny Bloomfield giving them a 14th minute lead with a typically crisp finish from the former Norwich City frontman.
Hitchin were always one step ahead of their hosts and clearly wanted the three points more than Lynn.
The Canaries missed three good chances to grab an early lead before Bloomfield's opener and it came no surprise when they levelled matters seven minutes before the break.
Lynn were guilty of ball watching for Hitchin's first while one visiting player was rolling around the floor in agony further down the field.
Gordon Barr passed into the box and Mark Bridge was on hand to fire home. '
In truth, Lynn's performance deteriorated even further after the interval with the midfield largely anonymous as the ball continued to bypass them at every opportunity.
A well-organised Hitchin side grabbed the lead seven minutes after the restart when the dangerous Josh Sozzo drilled across the box for Gavin Jaggard to poke the ball home after Lynn felt they should have been awarded a free-kick leading up to the corner.
Lynn struggled to gain possession and in turn created very few chances in the second 45 minutes.
Their best opening came in the 62nd minute when substitute Lee Stevenson found space down the right and centred for Carl Holmes to blaze over from 10 yards out.
Lynn also introduced Craig Fishlock and Robbie Harris into the proceedings late on, but it was all to no avail, with Hitchin looking the more likely side to add to their goal tally.
Lynn: Wilson, Jones (Stevenson 60), Setchell; Burrows, Hammond, Sutch (Harris 60), Camm, Holmes (Flshlock 83), Battersby, Bloomfield, Angel. Subs not used: Osborne. .
Hitchin: N. Cheek, G. Barr, J. Kidd, P Covington, L. McCulloch, A. Cavell, S. Maynard, J. Sozzo, D. Hay, M. Bridge (R. Case 86), G. Jaggard. Not used: G. Lamacroft, T Galvin,.B. Hussain, M. Baldry.
Referee: Mr PT McCaul (Needingworth).
Attendances: 1,002.
| FACTfile | Shots on Target | Shots off Target | Corners | Free kicks Conceded |
| Lynn | 3 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Hitchin | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 |