King’s Lynn Town suffered a bloody nose after the team’s no-show at Alfreton
The Linnets were soundly beaten by a team whose style of play, Lynn boss Adam Lakeland believes, stands alone in National League North.
“They have a very unique way of playing, they’re the best in the division at it, gets them in the play-offs every year,” said Lakeland.
“This is a really hard place to come, especially off the back of their performance and result last week at Southport. It’s a very physical game, they’re a big side, they put it in your box every time the ball’s off the pitch and probably the hardest thing I felt for us was we conceded a really early goal and that just enables them to dictate the speed of the game, and it suits them, slowing it down every time the ball’s off the pitch.
“You need a referee who’s going to try and inject a bit of life into the game and I don’t think that happened.
“And the times when did have the ball, I don’t think we used it particularly well. I thought we started the second-half better, but then we went and conceded a criminal second goal – just individual errors. It started on the halfway line – Billy Whitehouse has gone past two or three of our lads like they weren’t there in the corner. If you make mistakes like that, you deserve to concede goals and lose games.”
Lynn rarely troubled home keeper George Wills, who had just two shots to save – a Josh Hmami free-kick that was straight at him and then an injury-time save from sub Tom Wilson. By then, the damage had been well and truly done for a visiting side who were unrecognisable from the team that opened with a convincing home win over Warrington seven days earlier.
“It was far too easy,” said Lakeland. “I don’t like seeing us being passive and that’s exactly what we were at times today. I think just individually, collectively we were inexplicably really, we were off it. We had a good result last week, we knew today would be different. We had a full week to prep. Everything we’ve done has been geared around how they will play. And we just didn’t stand up to it today.”
Alfreton are effective – their backline is like the land of giants – rather than aesthetically pleasing – although manager Billy Heath will simply point to the three points on their tally as the proof that his way works.
“They make you defend your box, they play the second ball very well,” said Lakeland. “I knew when I watched their game back from last week that the changes they made, that with probably 25, 30 minutes to go they were miles better at Southport and were the better team for the last 25, 30 minutes. We anticipated that would be how they would start today – so absolutely nothing that they’ve done today in terms of the way they set up the way, the way they played, surprised us. The lads were given all the information, knew exactly what to expect and we’ve conceded really poor goals. We were second best all over the pitch, so it’s disappointing but we can’t have any complaints.
“We didn’t lay a glove on them. It is just a bad day at the office, we couldn’t really get anything going.
“We had a good start last week. We’ve been punched really hard in the nose today.”
Lynn have a chance to right the wrongs of the weekend on Tuedsay night when they entertain Rushall Olympic.
King’s Lynn Town: Jones, Sass, McFadden, Taylor (Ronan 67), Coulson, Crowe (Wilson 78), Jones, Hughes (McCammon 67), Hmami, Crane, Omotayo. Subs not used: Boyes, Walker.
Alfreton: Willis, Clackstone, Newall, Cantrill, Hunt, Anson, Fewster (Salam 78), Lund (Perritt 78), Whitehouse (Abbey 90), Moyo, Waldock. Subs not used: Day, Wiley. Goals: Moyo 13, Waldock 56, Fewster 62
