King's Lynn 2 Histon 1 (aet)
30th March 2005
The Linnets booked their place in a two-legged final as they came from behind to
win for the first time in nearly a year on Tuesday night.But it took Tommy Taylor's troops an extra 30 minutes to see off a much-changed Histon side from the one that beat Lynn in the league last weekend.
Substitute Ludovic Quistin netted the all-important winner in the second period of extra time after Gary Setchell – with his first goal in open play for the club in nine years – had spared Lynn's blushes with a late equaliser in the 88th minute.
After the game Taylor said: "We didn't play well but we won the game. We were absolutely useless in the first half.
"Histon did well, but we gave them their goal by allowing them to cross the ball into our box."
Histon fielded a team of mainly reserves and fringe first team players, while Taylor opted to hand most of the Lynn side their third start in five days.
The Linnets were in full control for the first 35 minutes with Mark Angel at the heart of every move.
Danny Bloomfield (twice), Robbie Harris, Danny Hammond and Angel himself all missed chances to give Lynn an early lead before The Stutes took the lead against the run of play.
Histon's Nathan Knight Percival knocked over a hopeful cross in the 38th minute and Lynn's defence was nowhere to be seen as Craig Hammond stuck out a leg to tuck the ball home.
Lynn's heads immediately dropped and it was clear before the break that it was always going to be a battle to get back into the game.
It was Histon who should have increased their advantage after the restart with Louie Farrington forcing Wilson into a smart save.
Former Linnet Ian Cambridge then fired wide before both he and Hammond failed to take a gift after Wilson had spilled the easiest of catches.
A tired-looking Lynn outfit showed little after the break and 15 minutes from the end a healthy crowd of 571 breathed a huge sigh of relief when Cambridge's header curled wide of the post with Wilson well beaten.
Lynn's only possible lifeline looked to be from a set piece and that proved to be the case when Setchell levelled from Angel's corner.
Bloomfield then struck the post in the first period of extra time before Histon keeper Lee Huyler pulled off fantastic stops to deny both Darran Hay and Bloomfield again as a penalty shoot-out crept ever closer.
The winner arrived in the 108th minute when Bloomfield's glancing header was superbly saved by Huyler before the ball fell to Quistin who drilled home his first goal for the club from 18 yards.
Quistin's final duty was to dash from the ground in his kit to get the last train home.
Lynn: S. Wilson, Harvey, Setchell, Clark, Hammond, Camm, Staff (Hay 59), Defty (Quistin 57), Harris (Blake 64), Bloomfield, Angel. Not used: Higgs and J. Wilson.
Histon: L. Huyler, D. Toombs (D. Baldock 105), E. Okay, M. Webster, D. Coe, W. Goddard, Erhan Okay (A. Bensuad 97), L. Farrington, C. Hammond, I. Cambridge, N. Knight Percival. Subs not used: P. Peachey, P. Leete and T. Beck.
Referee: Mr IR Searle (Bishop Stortford).
Attendance: 571.