King's Lynn 1 Bedford Town 0
29th August 2005
Bloomfield, playing with a heel injury,
netted in the tenth minute to end a run of three successive defeats and
five-and-a-half hours without a goal to ease tension at The Walks.Despite not being fully fit and missing Saturday's defeat, the risk of playing Bloomfield paid off for Linnets boss Tommy Taylor, earning Lynn their first home win of the season.
Bloomfield came in at the expense of Robbie Harris, while the fit-again Adam Jones made his first start of the season in place of Paul Kelly, who was on the bench.
The first chance of the game fell to Jack Defty, whose 18-yard volley was brilliantly turned over the bar by away keeper Ian Brown, in the sixth minute.
From the resulting corner, Cedric Anselin unleashed a 25-yard drive which flew narrowly wide of Brown's left post.
Three minutes later, Defty was the architect inside the box for Bloomfield to sidefoot home from ten yards out.
The Eagles' first attempt saw John Higgs acrobatically deny Ashley Blake's long-range effort with the merest of fingertips.
Both sides were continually guilty of conceding possession as the half came to an uneventful end. Lynn missed a glorious opportunity to double their advantage 12 minutes into the second period when Bloomfield shot straight at Brown with just the keeper to beat.
Bloomfield left the field to a rapturous reception a minute later when he was replaced by Harris.
A brief spell of Bedford pressure followed, and in the 65th minute Rob Miller pierced open The Walks outfit's defence with a telling pass, only for Chris Dillon to fire into the side-netting.
Soon after, Blake crossed for Dillon to head over Higgs' woodwork.
Twenty minutes from time Jones surged down the right, but his powerful drive was just inches wide of the target.
Bedford's Lee Howarth came close to levelling with a drive, and the visitors forced several late corners, but Lynn held on to give goalkeeper Higgs his first-ever clean sheet in the Southern League.
After the game, Taylor confirmed that he was talking to two strikers, one from the Ryman Premier League, and one in the Conference South; while Stewart Roach was no longer part of first team plans.
Lynn: Higgs, West, Camm, McMahon (O'Halloran 90), Cooper, McNeil, Jones, Anselin (Kelly 90), J. Defty, Bloomfield (Harris 58), Smith. Subs not used: Forshaw, McAnally. Booked: McMahon 79.
Bedford: I. Brown, J. Taylor, E. Lawley, R. Miller, L. Howarth, J. James, A. Blake (D. McElroy 75), M. Childs, C. Dillon, R. Howe, C. Rydeheard. Not used: D. Whittaker, J. Gurney, C. Winton, I. Draycott.
Referee: Mr G. Hambling (Blofield). Attendance: 835.
| FACTfile | Shots on Target | Shots off Target | Corners | Caught Offside | Free kicks Conceded |
| Lynn | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| Bedford | 5 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Lynn News Man of the Match - Mark Camm | |||||