King’s Lynn

 

King’s Lynn top scorer Gold Omotayo

The final National League relegation spot has been confirmed with King’s Lynn joining Dover and W*ymouth in the divisional leagues below next season.

Lynn could only managed a 3-3 draw with Eastleigh on Saturday which gives them too big of a gap to Aldershot who live to fight another season.

Meanwhile Maidstone have returned to the top Non League flight next season after clinching the National League South title.

 

Highlights of the 2-2 draw at King’s Lynn Town are now available on the club’s YouTube channel.

If you want to fast forward:

0:22 – Tom Knowles is fouled for an early penalty dispatched by Dale Gorman.

1:51 – Matt Worthington’s straight red card – the referee was well placed but did not give a red until he’d listened to a lot of King’s Lynn players.

3:24 – Charlie Wakefield picks up the ball on the left, cuts inside and bends in a beautiful curling shot.

Watch the rest if you must.

A late equaliser from substitute Charlie Wakefield spared Yeovil Town’s blushes by salvaging a point from the trip to a King’s Lynn Town side fighting for survival in the National League.

Coatesie made the trip to north-west Norfolk for what was the Glovers’ first visit to The Walks in more than 20 years. Here’s what he made of it all….

Having spent the first decade and more of my Yeovil Town supporting life in non-League football I have not had these thoughts too often in the past three seasons, but this was the most non-League of non-League days. For large parts it was a scrappy performance with very little in terms of quality from either side and a referee who seemed desperate to put his hand in his pocket for a card, yet missed some clear and obvious fouls perpetrated by both sides. Luke Wilkinson getting a hand round the throat as he jumped for a corner with the official in close proximity with quite baffling. Add to that the over-zealous stewarding from King’s Lynn – a supporter frog-marched out of the ground for sitting on a barrier, for goodness sake – and a serious risk of starvation whilst waiting for food in the away end – it could almost have been Huish Park!

To start with it looked like it could be a comfortable afternoon after Dale Gorman’s penalty put us ahead after just four minutes, but we failed to press our advantage and we gave King’s Lynn too much encouragement

Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

and they took it. Mark Little has looked unflappable when I have seen him this season, but he was ‘got at’ on more than one occasion and undone by a great pass from Brett McGavin for the first and then by the tricky Josh Barrett for the second goal.

On loan goalkeeper Ted Cann had a bit of a stinker with both goals as which makes me think let’s get Grant Smith back in between the posts. Charlie Lee has said the first-choice keeper is fully fit again although he was not named among the substitutes for this one. I have no doubt Cann will be a highly competent goalkeeper, probably at a higher level than this, but you had to cringe when he spilled Barrett’s shot right at the feet of Gold Omotayo who could not believe his luck to poke home against his old employers.

Thank goodness then for a moment of magic from Charlie Wakefield. The substitute’s 91st minute equaliser was a moment of pure quality which is everything we have seen time and again he is capable of. When he collected the ball on the left (isn’t he supposed to play down the right?) and cut inside, there was only one thing on the star man’s mind and he executed it in some style.

These relegation threatened sides are not going to roll over and let’s not forget we have two more of them to come in our next two matches. Our next opponents, Aldershot Town, gave their hopes of survival a boost with a win over a Boreham Wood side whose league season appears to have been ruined by their FA Cup exploits, whilst our seagull bothering friends down the road earned a point with a goalless draw against Grimsby Town. King’s Lynn were not pretty, but they dragged us down to their level through sheer hard work. We have to make our quality count if we are not going to come unstuck in these next two games.

Mark Little warms up at Chesterfield ? Ben Barrett

Yeovil Town defender Mark Little spoke to BBC Somerset after the 2-2 draw at King’s Lynn Town and said how there’s no sign the side are going to take it easy, in any single match or in the rest of the season as a whole.

The right-back said: “Circumstances altogether, I think it took us six hours to get here, the pitch is horrendous, it’s windy, they’re scrapping for their lives.

“It was never going to be a pretty game of football… it was a battle and we stood up to the battle.”

It was Charlie Wakefield’s last gasp equaliser that saved the Glovers’ blushes, something which Little said he’s chuffed about.

He said: “It’s great for him, Charlie works so hard, he’s desperate to be on the scoresheet every week and it hasn’t been coming off but he’s got his goal today.

“It looks like Charlie Lee has made the best decision ever to leave him out and bring him on at the right time, it makes him look a really good manager.”

It was a feisty game with both teams reduced to ten men, something which Little admits they had to keep on top of.

He added: “We wanted to win the game, we had the momentum, when we came out for the second half, I think we were on top, we were the only side who were going to go on and win it

“The last eight minutes was frantic, there plenty of chances and edge of the seat stuff.

“Credit to the boys for keeping going for 97 minutes.”

The former Bristol City man was asked about the team’s motivation for carrying on with their never give up style and he said that players were fighting to the end.

He said: “We are all playing for our careers, we are all playing to impress the people that are watching.

“Since Charlie (Lee) has come in, we said you can have a nine game season of letting the season fizzle out or we can have a right go and show everyone what we are made of.

“We just want to get as close up the table as we can.

“It’s interesting here, because so many lads are out of contract, near enough 90% of the team are thinking I’ve got another year here, I’ll take my foot off the gas and there’s nothing to play for and I’ll have a holiday until next year

“That won’t happen here, the group of lads are amazing and we’ve got senior lads who are amazing who won’t allow that to happen.”

 

 

Caretaker manager Charlie Lee speaking after the 2-2 draw at Barnet last weekend.

Yeovil Town caretaker manager Charlie Lee spoke to the BBC following the Glovers’ 2-2 draw with King’s Lynn Town and spoke highly (again) of the players character.

Speaking to BBC Somerset after the tie in Norfolk, he said: “I went through every emotion in that one, I don’t know how to take it, I’ll have to sit back, analyse it with the staff and see what we think, 

The first thing we will say is that the boys they don’t know when they’re beaten, they don’t know to give up.”

“To have that athleticism, with 10 men for such a long time, they should be proud of themselves”

The Glovers needed a 91st minute equaliser from substitute Charlie Wakefield to snatch a point, having played the second half with ten men following the 43rd minute dismissal of Matt Worthington.

The boss added: “It’s a brilliant goal, they stayed in the game, we tried about three different formations and brought subs on.

“Charlie has played a lot of games, he’s looked tired this week, we spoke to each other and when you make a change and he comes on does that, I’m just so happy his attitude is like that really.

“It sums the whole group up, there’s a lot of positives from today.

“There’s going to be games like that in the National League, especially when they’re scrapping for safety.

I was just pleased the boys had an unbelievable attitude to it with 10 men, I’m just really proud of them to go and get the goal

Again, like (the 2-2 draw at) Barnet (last weekend), I’d have loved to have to win it late, but it just didn’t happen”

Both sides ended the match with ten men with Linnets’ defender Munashe Sundire picking up a second yellow for a foul on Josh Neufville after 70 minutes to set up a frenetic final 20 minutes.

Lee insisted he did not believe Worthington’s full-blooded tackle on Theo Widdrington was worth a red card from referee Elliot Swallow, who dished out five yellow cards when Yeovil beat Woking 2-0 at Huish Park back in October.

Matt Worthington drives forward.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The caretaker said: “I think everyone (thought it was not a red card), I spoke to their bench and you understand their reaction, it was one of those tackles, I think everyone saw he won the ball.”

“I don’t know really what to say, it’s not a red card, everyone makes mistakes, we will look back at it and I’ll have to see the video, my first thought is that it’s a great tackle.”

Lee said he was looking forward to the challenge of an Aldershot Town/W*ymouth double header over Easter and the players would be working hard… after a well earned day off.

The manager said: “That’s five unbeaten now (six if you include the Somerset Premier Cup, Charlie!), everyone keeps saying we’ve got nothing to play for, but at a time where we’ve got nothing to play for we’ve gone five unbeaten. 

“That just sums up the boys, they’re going to need a couple of days off either side of a working training day to recover.”

If Worthington’s red card is not appealed, he will miss four games including both of the Easter fixtures.

Venue: The Walks
Saturday, 9th April, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Dry and sunny but a bit windy

Pitch: Bobbly

Attendance: 1,148

Scorers: Dale Gorman pen 6 (1-0), Michael Clunan 38 (1-1), Gold Omotayo 45+3 (1-2), Charlie Wakefield 90+1 (2-2)

Bookings:

Yeovil: Lee 45, Knowles 95, Barnett 97
King’s Lynn: Sundire 6Denton 68, Jones 81, Kurran-Browne 85

Sending off:

Yeovil: Worthington 42
King’s Lynn: Sundire 70

Referee: Eliott Swallow


Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Ted Cann

Mark Little (for Adi Yussuf, 87), Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Josh Neufville (for Charlie Wakefield, 80), Dale Gorman, Matt Worthington, Tom Knowles

Reuben Reid, Sonny Blu Lo Everton (for Jordan Barnett, 44)

Substitutes: Alex Bradley, Jordan Barnett, Lawson D’ath, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield

King’s Lynn: Jones, Barrows, Coulson, Denton, Widdrington, Clunan (c), Hargreaves, McGavin, Omotayo, Sundrie, Barrett.

Substitutes: Bowry, Hickman, A Jones, Charles, Kurran Browne.


Match Report

A last minute minute moment of quality from substitute Charlie Wakefield saw Yeovil Town extend their unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw at relegation battlers King’s Lynn Town.

The Glovers took the lead through a Dale Gorman penalty before the hosts pulled one back through Michael Clunan as the first half finished in disastrous style.

Having been pegged back, Matt Worthington was red carded for a strong challenge and then Yeovil old boy Gold Omotayo put the Linnets ahead.

The second half was something of a non-event until Munashe Sundire saw red for his second yellow on 70 minutes and then Wakefield struck a late equaliser.

 

First half

The opening exchanges saw both sides finding each other out but when Tom Knowles broke down the left after five minutes he was body-checked by Munashe Sundire and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Dale GORMAN stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards to put the visitors ahead.

Reuben Reid had an effort easily saved following good work by Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who had been recalled to the starting line-up, presumably after impressing in the Somerset Premier Cup semi-final against Odd Down.

However, having gone ahead, the momentum was with the hosts with Theo Widdrington, the son of manager, Tommy, forcing Ted Cann in to action on 23 minutes.

Matt Worthington had the ball in the net five minutes later having been sent through by Lo-Everton,  but the next action saw King’s Lynn take the lead.

The move which led to the visitors’ equaliser on 38 minutes heralded two appeals for offside. One more convincing than the other, but the one that mattered  looked like it was off when a great pass Brett McGavin found captain Mark CLUNAN the wrong side of Mark Little and he fired past Ted Cann after 38 minutes.

Knowles put over with five minutes of the half remaining, but two minutes later Matt Worthington went in for what at best could be described as a full blooded challenge on Theo Widdrington and was shown a red card by referee Elliot Swallow. He did get some of the ball, but plenty of the player as well. Having been sent off in our opening game of the season against the same opponents, one assumes Worthy simply does not like playing against the Linnets.

Jordan Barnett replaced Lo-Everton with Neufville dropping back in to midfield, but more significantly the dismissal put further wind in to the sails of the Linnets.

Josh Barrett fired a shot over a minute in to injury time and it was the same player who created the opening to put the hosts ahead with three minutes of injury time played. Barrett got the better of Little and fired a shot which Cann spilled for ex-Glover Gold OMOTAYO who prodded Lynn ahead.

The fault for the goal was the goalkeeper’s but it was difficult to look beyond Marcus Duncombe’s comments about the ex-striker for the assist.

Half- time: King’s Lynn Town 2 Yeovil Town 1

 

Second half

With Yeovil down to ten men and the home side ahead, it was no surprise to see the opening 15 minutes not muster any significant chances for either side.
In fact, the only talking point was injuries to Gorman who had a collision of heads on the edge of the box and then on 66 minutes what appeared to be a lunging tackle on Knowles by Tyler Denton.

But referee Swallow decided he would level up the numbers with when Sundire caught Neufville with a late tackle o 70 minutes to earn his second yellow.

Seven minutes later, a corner saw the ball floated to the back post by Gorman and Wilkinson, to this observer, seemed to be grabbed by the throat as he rose. Omotayo’s concern for his former team-mate, immediately calling for the physio, was not matched by referee Swallow.

A second change saw Charlie Wakefield replace Neufville on 80 minutes and the substitute fired a shot over two minutes later.

The injuries turned in to seven minutes of stoppage  time added on and it was as the 90th minute ticked over that WAKEFIELD picked the ball up on the right and bent a beautiful shot in to level the scores.

Full time: King’s Lynn Town 2 Yeovil Town 2

Josh Neufville has been handed his first Yeovil Town start since his return on loan as he lined up against  King’s Lynn Town today (3pm kick-off).

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton comes in for Lawson D’Ath in the other change from last weekend’s draw at Barnet.

Yeovil Town: Ted Cann, Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams, Matt Worthington, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Dale Gorman, Tom Knowles, Josh Neufville, Reuben Reid. Substitutes: Alex Bradley, Jordan Barnett, Lawson D’Ath, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield.

There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since National League new boys King’s Lynn Town racked up a 2-1 win over ten man Yeovil Town at Huish Park in the opening match of the season.

That win was one of just two National League victories the Norfolk side picked up until the end of November which led to the sacking of boss Ian Culverhouse who had overseen a run of eight straight defeats.

Former Southampton player Tommy Widdrington was appointed and broke that run with a 2-1 win over whipping boys Dover Athletic in his first game out.

Since then the Linnets have only picked up one league win – a 3-0 win against W*ymouth – but they come in to the weekend having won three of their last five – including victories over promotion-chasing FC Halifax Town and Bromley.

Their form puts them tenth in the National League rankings over the last six matches as they hunt down Aldershot Town who occupy the final safety spot in the table, three points ahead of King’s Lynn, who have played three games more.


FROM THE MANAGER

King’s Lynn boss Tommy Widdrington has trotted out the cliche that “every game is a cup final” for his side as they look to fight their way out of the division’s bottom three.

He told the Lynn News: “We’ve got seven cup finals now and if we give that sort of energy, effort, enthusiasm and quality at times on a difficult surface then we’ll go close.

“The team are starting to reflect my personality as a group, which means they don’t want to lose.

“We’ve put some wins on the board and have kept adding points every couple of games, so if we continue to do that it will make for an interesting end to the season.

“I need that kind of effort and enthusiasm for every minute of every single game that we have left.

“I knew our season wasn’t going to be defined losing to Chesterfield or at Wrexham, it’s what we do here and I want us to make this a difficult place to come.

Of Yeovil, the boss added: “It’s Charlie (Lee)’s first experience as a manager, but he has loads of football experience and we are expecting a tough encounter.

“We have to make sure we impart our way on them rather than them on us, as we did against Halifax and Bromley, and if we can do that we will give them a good game.

!There are teams in this division we can’t compete with over 44 games, but we can compete with them over 90 minutes when we face them. That’s what we will do with Yeovil.”


TEAM NEWS

Striker Malachi Linton will definitely be missing having undergone an operation on his injured leg this week.

The 21-year-old has been on loan from League One Wycombe Wanderers and turned out in the opening day fixture.

He went off after 15 minutes of the 3-0 defeat at home to $tockport County a couple of weeks ago and has not appeared since.

Boss Tommy Widdrington will also be without centre half Kyle Callan-McFadden who has not featured since the end of November or on loan Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Harry Phipps, who has not played since the defeat at Wrexham at the start of March.

 


A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

There are not a huge number of connections between these two sides from different part of rural England.
But, Swiss-born striker and sometimes mixed martial arts fighter Gold Omotayo is one of them.

The 28-year-old has been leading the line for King’s Lynn this season with 32 appearances albeit with only four goals to show for it.

He was one of the strikers who were brought in during the 2019-20 season, playing 14 times and scoring twice with both goals coming in a 2-0 win at FC Halifax Town in September 2019.

One of his last acts as getting a red card in the return fixture against Halifax three months later.

Having left Somerset, Gold had a four-game stint at Halifax in October 2020 before a brief spell at National League South side Gloucester City and then arriving at Wrexham in October 2021.

He managed three goals for the Welsh side before they became big spenders and in his penultimate appearance he scored twice in a 5-3 win over King’s Lynn, who he then went on to join in the summer.

Some other

  • Tai Fleming – Yeovil Town – scholarship (2018-20), King’s Lynn (2020-2021)
  • Kwesi Appiah – Yeovil Town (2012-13), King’s Lynn (2009)

Yeovil Town caretaker manager Charlie Lee has a selection headache going in to this weekend’s trip to National League relegation battlers King’s Lynn Town.

The Glovers’ boss has choices to make in goal with first-choice Grant Smith fit again after a groin injury up against on-loan West Brom youngster Ted Cann, who has played the last four National League fixtures.

Caretaker manager Charlie Lee speaking after the 2-2 draw at Barnet last weekend.

Up front there are further choices with strikers Josh Neufville, Olufela Olomola and Adi Yussuf all among the goals in the midweek Somerset Premier Cup win over Odd Down vying to take the place of Reuben ReidTom Knowles or Charlie Wakefield, who started last weekend at Barnet.

Speaking on Thursday, Charlie said: “We’re going to have to decide between us. There’s players who if they are starting to look tired will have to sit out and give the players who are firing their chance.

“There’s going to be rotation in the next few games because there’s going to be a short break for the next two (games against Aldershot Town and W*ymouth over the Easter period).

There’s definitely players who are fighting for a place on Saturday, so we’ll see how it goes in the next two days in training.

“Whereas three games ago, the team picked itself, now we have a few more players who are fit and fighting for a place so we will see what happens Saturday.

Smith has not featured since the 2-0 home defeat against Grimsby three weeks ago, whilst the manager said he took Olomola off with 20 minutes remaining against Odd Down.

The manager said: “Fela came off on Tuesday with a sore groin but I don’t think it’s too serious. As for the weekend, we’re not too sure but we’re hoping he’ll be fine.

“Grant is there. He’s fit and it’s good to have him back. Ted is doing well, so that’s a good problem to have.

That leaves only central defender Max Hunt, who is on his way back from an ankle injury, and on-loan Middlesbrough defender Jack Robinson, who has featured for two months.

Lee expects both to be back in full training next week.


Lee is not expecting an easy ride at the weekend with King’s Lynn Town having beaten promotion pushing FC Halifax Town and Bromley in their last two matches on home soil.

But, he promised that, despite being sat comfortably in mid-table in the National League, his side would not be giving their hosts an easy game.

He said: “They might think we are a team they want to play being in mid-table, but we are going to make it really hard for them.

“We have to give every team we play now everything to the best of our ability.”

“(King’s Lynn) are one of the league’s in-form teams and they have had a really good last five games and beaten some good teams.

“Playing teams fighting for survival is not easy, but the boys know that.”


There was much praise for the efforts of the young members of the Glovers’ side which turned out in the Somerset Premier Cup semi-final against Bath-based Odd Down on Tuesday night.

Defenders Jake Graziano and Ollie Haste and midfielder Toby Stephens all started the match, with striker Fin Skiverton, the son of legendary defender, Terry, Callum Deemer and Korey Andrews all appearing as substitutes in a strong line-up with eight of the starting XI having played for the first team this season.

Charlie Lee said: “It was a really positive evening, all the boys performed really well.

“The ones who have been involved with the first-team had a great attitude to it and the young lads who came in performed superbly.

“It was a great win, a great evening and all part of keeping that unbeaten run going.

All six of the youngsters have turned out for the club’s Under-18s with Haste and Stephens both presently on loan at Southern League side Barnstaple Town and Skiverton Junior playing for Street in the Western League Premier Division, one above Odd Down.

Alex Bradley. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

There was also praise from the manager for Alex Bradley who was handed the captain’s armband for the fixture.

Lee added: “He played like a leader, he got a tackle in the tenth minute that was probably a red card and he was struggling.

“It was an impact injury, so it is not something for the long term but he could easily have come on, but he played a proper captain’s role.

“To show that respect to the club and competition tells you where the players are at the minute.”


Striker Adi Yussuf is observing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan meaning he is unable to eat or drink between dawn and sunset.

The Tanzanian striker returned after a spell on international duty and played his first minutes in the win over Odd Down in midweek.

Adi Yussuf. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Charlie said: “He will get all the help we will give him. He won’t ask for help, we will offer it. He had it all played when he was allowed to take on fluid.

“He doesn’t want it to become a problem, he knows what to do in every day and all the players are doing that. It’s a tough ask, but Adi is up for the job of doing that.