King's Lynn 4 Dartford 1
22nd November 2003
Caretaker boss Darren Bloodworth's vow that the side would play the ball on the floor bore fruit in an electrifying passing display.Bloodworth and director of football Kevin Boon had made the bold decision to drop influential midfielder Paul Raynor - who had just declared his interest in the vacant managerial position - who had been an ever-present so far this season.
But the midfield responded well, playing with more fluidity as Jack Defty and Richard Woodrow ran the show.
Bloodworth and Boon said it was the best 90-minute display of the campaign.
Bloodworth said: "With the two little lads up front, we wanted to stop hitting long balls up to them, because they'll never get them.
"The movement and passing was very good, but it's nothing more than you expect with the players we've got.
"Mark Camm's performances the last three games have been superb.
"The longer we go on the more frantic we become, but the goals lifted us early on."
Boon singled out Defty, Woodrow in his first 90 minutes for a while and Carl Holmes, and said: "The decision on Paul could have backfired, but the lads repaid our faith in them.
"Jack and Paul will never play it together as they're similar players. Paul wasn't happy but accepted the decision.
"We won't just play the same team week in, week out, we'll play to our strengths."
The Walks outfit surged into a 3-0 interval lead with a scintillating first-half show.
Lynn's passing and movement was a joy to watch, and Defty could have had a hat-trick in the first 20 minutes.
Only three minutes in, he robbed a defender just outside the box, but the soaking wet conditions prevented a goalscoring chance as he slipped trying to pass.
Defty and Holmes produced saves from a busy O'Hara, but Robbie Harris opened the scoring with a tap-in on 10 minutes after Defty was denied and squared the ball to the Lynn forward.
Holmes had a volley blocked as the away side defended desperately.
Great interplay ended with Harris playing in Woodrow on the edge of the box to slot past O'Hara midway through the opening period.
Another superb build up saw the game all but settled on 35 minutes, Harris again providing, this time David Staff shrugging off two defenders and lashing into the top of the net.
The visitors took until four minutes after the break to manage their first effort on target came, Steve Robinson having a 20-yarder saved by Steve Wilson, who enjoyed a quiet day between the posts.
The Linnets' fourth came with the move of the match on 64 minutes. Woodrow on the left switched play over to Mark Camm, who found Defty, the midfielder waltzing through the Darts' penalty area to slam the ball into the opposite corner.
Dartford replied five minutes afterwards, a rare mistake by skipper Glen Fuff letting in sub Paul Sykes, who muscled his way clear before rifling past Wilson.
The match had petered out by this stage, but there was time for Linnets sub Chris Bacon to hit the side netting from 18 yards, while Mark Burrows was brilliantly thwarted by O'Hara and Paul O'Brien cleared Defty's follow-up off the line.
Late in the game James McManus came on for his first team debut.
Boon added: "As everyone can see, he's got two good feet and a good first touch.
"He should play a part in the first team on a regular basis by the end of the season."
Malcolm Ndekwe missed out as he was still bed-ridden with flu before the weekend. Lynn: Wilson, Jones, March, Burrows, Fuff, Defty (Glarvey 90), Camm (McManus 81), Holmes, Harris (Bacon 62), Staff, Woodrow. Subs: Raynor, Nobes.
Dartford: O'Hara, Tingley, Osborne, Tedder, Marriner, Robinson, Kwashi (Cunningham 83), O'Brien, Martin, Hassett, Ansell (Sykes 31). Subs: Potter, Longhurst.
Referee: C. J. Francis (Little Downham). Att 618
| MATCH STATISTICS | Shots on Target | Shots off Target | Corners | Caught Offside | Free kicks Conceded |
Bookings |
| Lynn | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 12 | |
| Dartford | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | Sykes 78 |