MATCH REPORT: MARINE AFC

A week on from the Linnets defeat at home to Oxford City, King’s Lynn returned to the Docherty Walks to face Marine AFC. And the Linnets ran out 1-0 winners in what proved to be a dream start for new manager Paul Caddis.

The game started pretty slow for both sides, with Terry Bondo having the best chance of the game in the opening twenty minutes as his header flashed just wide of the far post.

Ross Crane looked threatening from the first whistle and was a real standout in what was a quiet first half for both sides.

Crane’s first attempt of the day looked to caused problems as he cut in from the right hand side and let fly from the edge of the area. However his effort was claimed by Fraser Barnsley in the Marine goal.

The Linnets defence managed to keep Marine’s attack quiet all game. However they were almost caught out after a ball over the top found Sinclair-Smith, who managed to loop his effort over Chapman but couldn’t quite find the net.

As the first half wore on, Lynn kept searching for an opener. As Jayden Davis produced a fine save from Barnsley in the Marine goal. And Ross Crane once again went close on a couple of occasions. As the first half ended level.

The second half started perfectly for the Linnets, as five minutes into the half, they found what would be the winner. As Ross Crane’s delightful long ball found Jayden Davis, who cut inside and drilled the ball through the legs of the Marine keeper to give the home side a well deserved lead.

The Linnets almost had a second just moments later as a quick counter found Davis in space who layed it off to Crane whose effort flew over the bar. It was a huge opportunity for a second, as the Linnets were beginning to taking control.

As the second half progressed, King’s Lynn kept pushing for that second and in the 65th minute, they were awarded a penalty after Terry Bondo was bundled over in the box.

However Bondo could not convert from the spot after his penalty was struck the underside of the bar and the score line remained at 1-0.

The Linnets play was really well balanced this afternoon and they kept the visitors quiet and as the minutes ticked away, they made sure that the away side were not to come away with a point in what was a fantastic all round performance from the boys

It was a dream start for Paul Caddis in the Linnets dugout, and they will be looking to build on this victory on Tuesday when they face Scarborough away.

As always, thank you to our supporters for your fantastic support!

By Conor Blake