https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcV5xYnTcYo&t=45s

    

A good weekend for some of our Norfolk Clubs.

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/heacham-downham-and-fakenham-all-win-9276818/

A converted penalty for Kettering ends Lynn's unbeaten run, as they go down 1-0 at Latimer Park,


Elsewhere, Scarborough lose and Banbury draw.


https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/linnets-suffer-first-defeat-in-national-league-north-9276068/

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/four-some-heacham-go-top-of-first-division-north-9275592/


https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/depleted-downham-defy-the-odds-in-the-fa-vase-9275595/

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/ex-boss-full-of-praise-for-linnets-9275259/

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/fa-cup-reaction-as-linnets-face-bedford-town-replay-9274545/

I must admit that I was scratching my head five minutes into our home game against Alfreton on Tuesday after a poignant and well-observed minute's silence to honour Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Looking around the stadium the crowd seemed very sparse, and my fears were justified when the attendance was announced at just 714.
The last time we played Alfreton in the league at home was also a September fixture, in 2019. The result was a 3-2 victory to the Linnets, but the major difference was the crowd, as 1,203 enjoyed the spectacle.
Everything else was very similar; both games were played midweek, the match in our championship season was our ninth game of the season and before that game we had amassed 19 points from eight games whilst this season we have now taken 20 points from the same number of fixtures.
So where did the missing 489 fans disappear to?  
Boston United achieved a gate of 1,450 on the same night and were bottom of the table at the time, so surely a top-of-the-table team cannot be worth half the gate as one at the wrong end of the table?
I have discussed this with many fans and have been given numerous answers: “Lynn fans are fickle, we need to promote the game more, the Champions League was on TV, energy prices” ... the list went on.  
Do Boston fans not have Champions League in Lincolnshire, are energy prices different there as well? I accept we can do more to promote the games and it is something we are working on, but I do not believe that whatever efforts we made would have brought in another 500 fans.
To put it bluntly, after deducting the VAT, referee’s expenses, medical costs, and other match day expenses from the Alfreton gate we have just £4,204 to cover all wages, training and travelling costs for September (this being our only home league fixture this month).  
To put it another way, once the coach to Chester and hotel is paid, we have already spent our entire gate income (excluding the FA Cup) for September.  I am sure some fans will say increase the commercial offering, and that is what we are doing. Indeed, we had six potential companies at our last game being shown what was on offer and we have a brand new scoreboard going into the stadium. It would be a tall ask though, to ask any commercial department to cover the entire club’s wage bill every month. If fans want a successful club, then they need to support it, as otherwise as an ex-Lynn player said to me this week, the club could only be self-sufficient if it played at step 3 or 4. 
Forgetting the financial implications, I feel sorry for the players and the manager who deserve a much bigger stage for their exciting brand of football. Comparing the two teams in 2019 to today’s team, only three players remain; Michael Clunan, Tyler Denton and Aaron Jones, and I remember chatting earlier this season to Chris Henderson about which team would come out on top if we played each other and from memory the result was inconclusive and only Chris was drinking!
Our FA Cup journey starts on Saturday, and this means the return of Gary Setchell, Pedro and other ex-Lynn players. It has all the ingredients of a great cup tie; Bedford will certainly believe that they can spring an upset  Gary has told me he is looking forward to meeting a few old faces in the Blue and Gold bar after the game and I am sure it will be one of those games that could be full of FA Cup drama and will live a long time in the memory.  We have reduced the prices for the game so adult entry is just £15, concessions £13 and children can sit for just £5, so we have done our bit.
I know that King’s Lynn fans love a cup game and usually come out in their droves at this special time of the year; now is the time to get behind your club and show your support as everyone on and off the pitch needs it.