Rugby Town 1 King's Lynn 0
27th August 2007
The Linnets lost their unbeaten start to the
campaign after a last-minute penalty saw basement
side Rugby seal the points.Keith Webb's team failed to capitalise on a dominant first-half display, before Mark Warren's late handball was punished by Aaron Stringfellow from the spot yesterday.
It proved to be a cruel blow to Lynn in a carbon-copy of last season's Easter meeting between the two sides.
The Linnets made one change from the starting line-up at Yate, with Danny Bloomfield coming in for Matt Nolan, who dropped to the bench.
Hosts Rugby, currently going through a goalkeeping crisis, included ex-Lynn favourite David Staff in their XI.
Striker Michael Frew started the contest nursing a heavily-strapped broken finger on his left hand, picked up during the weekend's victory at Yate.
The game began at a frantic pace, and within the first 15 seconds Lynn's Dean West was on the receiving end of a full-blooded tackle from Mark Edge.
Ten minutes in, Adam Smith played a neat one-two with Joe Francis down the left before seeing his effort cleared off the line.
The Walks outfit continued their assault on the home goal, and John Turner thundered a header inches wide seconds later.
Some slick interplay between Francis and Smith carved open the defence again in the 20th minute, with Bloomfield being denied by the legs of third-choice shot-stopper Simon Lynn.
The Walks outfit continued to dictate matters, and in the 28th minute Steve Melton tried his luck with an ambitious overhead kick from a Smith free-kick.
Two minutes later Turner glanced a Francis centre wide.
Rugby's David Stone was the first name to go into the referee's notebook for a late lunge on West five minutes before the interval.
Such was Lynn's dominance that keeper Scott Howie was a virtual spectator in the sunny surroundings of Butlin Road in the first 45 minutes.
Lynn replaced Bloomfield with Nolan nine minutes into the second half as they went in search of the all-important breakthrough.
The right flank was Lynn's best outlet after the restart, and a dangerous centre from Frew eluded the heads of Nolan and Turner in the 57th minute.
Rugby were always a threat on the break, and it was the pacy Stone who put Akin Aladetown in the clear, only for Warren to save the day with a brilliant last-gasp tackle.
Lynn made their second change on the hour mark when Andrew Fisk came on for Francis, and soon after Steve Spriggs was introduced at the expense of Turner.
The changes saw Spriggs take his place on the right instead of Frew, who moved up front alongside Nolan.
Lynn's first clear attempt of the second period saw Nolan nod a Smith free-kick over the bar.
Smith was again the provider in the 73rd minute when his deep delivery was headed over by Frew.
Howie was twice called upon in the dying minutes before Rugby's late smash-and-grab.
Rugby: Lynn, Stringfellow, Morley, Herbert, Gordon, Breward, Musgrove, Edge (Francis 68), Aladetown, Stone, Staff. Subs not used: Harris, Kolodynski, McGrath, Gearing.
Booked: Stone.
Lynn: Howie, West, Smith, Warren, C. Defty, Camm, Frew, Melton, Turner (Spriggs 62), Bloomfield (Nolan 54), Francis (Fisk 60). Not used: Murray, Lake. Booked: Fisk
Referee: Carl Dunn (Staffordshire). MoM: Charlie Defty.
Stats, Linnets first: Shots on target 1, 3; off target 5, 0; corners 6, 5; offside 1, 4; free-kicks 12, 14.