By Matt Badcock
Trailing by two goals at half-time to a Hereford side looking to finish the night top of the EVO-STIK South Premier and unbeaten on the road in 53 league games, local reporter Greg Plummer summed it up right.
“Not many mountains in Norfolk, but Lynn have one to climb now,” the Lynn News sports editor and long-time NLP contributor said.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get your hiking boots on and start trekking. Ian Culverhouse’s King’s Lynn did just that as both teams played their part in a thriller at the Walks on Tuesday night.
The excellent Michael Gash struck early at the start of the second half and it was level just after the hour when Ryan Hawkins, on his 23rd birthday, smashed home.
Suddenly we had a ball game as two promotion challenging heavy-weights slugged it out looking for the three points. Chances came and went at both ends, keepers Alex Street and Martin Horsell made vital saves and then, deep in stoppage-time, as the ball pinballed around the box, Toby Hilliard fired in to spark jubilant scenes.
Napping
It had taken Peter Beadle’s Hereford just eight minutes to take the lead when Jordan Liburd slammed in and on the stroke of half-time top scorer John Mills, who had earlier hit the post and seen a one-on-one saved, caught the Linnets’ defence napping to steal in and extend the advantage.
But what a game of Non-League football and, come the end of the night, King’s Lynn had stuck their flag on the Southern League‘s summit.
There seemed to be a feeling around the Norfolk club that they needed to win and it certainly sends out a message in the four-way title race that includes Kettering Town and Weymouth.
“Yes and no,” said man of the match Ryan Hawkins, when asked if the players also felt victory was imperative. “The gaffer just said go out and play. He said we had more luxury to do what we want because they’ve got the four games in hand, we’ve got the points on the board, so he said let your football do the talking.
“We conceded two very sloppy goals from switching off, but he said at half-time if we keep the ball a bit more, the football will do the talking and the next goal is vital. That showed.”
Culverhouse also prefers his players to do the talking to the media after and lets them take the spotlight instead.
From the other dug-out, Beadle was disappointed with Hereford’s second-half showing but acknowledged the entertainment factor the game had produced.
“Tonight’s game – win, lose or draw – was never going to define our season,” he said, with his side holding four games in hand on Lynn and four points behind. “It’s a defeat, we don’t like tasting defeat, it’s not nice. Especially when we’ve come all this way and played so well first half. It’s certainly going to add an hour or two on the way back, it’s going to be a long, horrible journey.
“But the players need to maybe have that to sit and think about the game, what they could have done better, what they did well and analyse it.”
Hereford will still be many people’s favourites for the title because of the games in hand, but Beadle himself acknowledges playing catch up is never straightforward.
Title races need big results like this and there’s just something about last-minute winners under the lights.
King’s Lynn have come under criticism from their own fans for pricing big games this season and it’s difficult to argue in favour of a £15 entry for a Step 3 match. You have to wonder if their biggest gate of the season, 1,181, may have been more had prices been lower. Not that you could grumble at what was served up on the pitch.
Lynn, like Hereford, are a club reborn. Formed in 2010 when the old club who had been as high as Step 2 were wound-up, they’ve had two promotions to reach their current level. Results, and nights, like this show they are capable on the pitch of scaling the heights again.
The charm offensive
The only disappointment at the Walks on Tuesday was a small amount of crowd trouble.
Difficult to see from my vantage point, but as Hereford fans walked through the King’s Lynn support at the end, something sparked off and there were reports of problems outside, although important to state that there were no arrests.
Part of Non-League’s charm is supposed to be how fans mix together, can have a beer and change ends. Around me there were no problems. But, sadly, some people seem to take this game we all love far too seriously.
Passion that can never be Dow-sed
Being a football manager doesn’t always seem like the wisest of life choices. But speaking to many managers over the years, it seems the buzz of winning makes it all worthwhile.
Anyone who has ever seen Alan Dowson in a dug-out will know his passion for getting success.
Asked about the battle of wits on the sidelines and if he’s ever calmed down with age and experience, the Hampton & Richmond boss had a typically illustrative example.
“I love it,” Dowson told me. “We all become a bit like monsters when we get in that dug-out. I get on with most managers in the league. But when you’re in that technical box you do change. You’ll kick your granny to get blinking three points. And not only kick her, you’ll hurt her. That’s what you do.
“I’ve never changed, I’ve probably got worse. I’ve gone grey quicker! On a Saturday night you sit in the bar, have a few beers, enjoy it. You lose, you don’t.
“In our promotion season I remember little Jess (his daughter) said, ‘What time are you going to be back?’ We needed a point here to get promotion.
“I said, ‘If we lose the game Jess, I’ll be back at five. If we get a point I’ll see you Wednesday!’ I meant it!”
Hats off to Antoni Sarcevic who is auctioning the Conference North title medal he won at Chester.
The Plymouth Argyle midfielder contacted the Chester Chronicle off his own back because he wanted to help the club that breathed new life into his career a few years ago.
His performances were huge in their rise to the top of Non-League and it was only a matter of time before the England C man moved into the Football League.
A top gesture from a top young man.
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday
