Gloucester City 2 King's Lynn 0
23rd April 2005
The Linnets' slim play-off hopes were finally ended on Saturday following this
defeat in their final league trip of the campaign.Tigers captain Neil Griffiths with a brace settled the game and condemned Lynn to their 13th away defeat.
Lynn manager Tommy Taylor said: "The players wasted my time with that performance.
"Only a few of them looked interested and I won't accept that.
"I really did feel sorry for the poor supporters who travelled down there.
"Mentally and physically a lot of that team are not able to play two games a week and that's helped me make my mind up on a few of them for next season."
It was a typical tired and listless end-of-season performance as if the team knew the play-offs were beyond their reach.
As expected, John Higgs replaced Steve Wilson � another player stricken by injury � in goal. Right-back Adam Jones made his first start for eight weeks (his last full game was the Gloucester home match!) in place of Lee Hyde.
Danny Bloomfield and Danny Hammond were rested; while the mercurial Ludo Quistin got a rare start, and Mark Angel made a return to the side after injury.
But Bloomfield barely had time to get the bench seat warm before he was on in the third minute for David Staff, who picked up an ankle knock.
Gloucester exploited Lynn's fallibility on crosses in the third minute, full-back Dan Avery putting a ball into the near post which Griffiths attacked and prodded home.
The visitors then had two good chances which Bloomfield and Angel both blasted over the bar.
In the best move of the match, Jones found himself on the right of the City area but his effort was parried to safety by keeper Matt Bath.
The west country side doubled their advantage on 23 minutes. Dave Wilkinson out in a harmless-looking 25-yard free-kick which Higgs somehow dropped, leaving Griffiths to roll the ball into an empty net.
Soon afterwards Angel delivered a good cross from the left but Sam McMahon half-volleyed it into the ground which allowed Bath to collect it. Bath then turned a Quistin shot onto the post for a corner.
At the other end, just before half-time Wilkinson's corner was allowed to run and hit the base of the post.
A quiet second half saw both sides seemingly content with the result (Lynn perhaps having one eye on the League Cup final), Lynn's best effort being Quistin putting in Darran Hay, who smashed the ball hugely off-target.
Gloucester City: Bath, Smith, Avery (Harris 73), Griffiths (Knight 76), M. Thompson, Burns, C. Thompson, Cox, Addis (Varnham 80), Webb, Wilkinson. Subs not used: Reid.
Lynn: Higgs, Jones, Setchell, Clark, Quistin, Camm, Staff (Bloomfield 3), McMahon, Hay, O'Halloran, Angel (Hammond 49). Not used: Defty, S. Wilson.
Booked: Setchell.
Att: 424.
Referee: M. Lever (Leicester).