King's Lynn out of drop zone with 2-1 win at Gloucester City

Adam Lakeland insisted his players enjoy a long overdue victory as King’s Lynn Town moved out of the National League North relegation zone.

Owen Devonport and Jonny Margetts both scored their first goals in Lynn colours before the hosts grabbed an injury-time consolation.

Owen Devonport - put the Linnets ahead at Gloucester (Image: Ian Burt)

It lifted Lynn up a place into the final safe spot, although only on goal difference from Southport, who have three games in hand.

“The lads will have an extra day off because they deserved it because it's been tough the last few weeks,” admitted the Linnets boss.

“It has been difficult, but we’ve stuck together, they’ve worked hard and they've had good attitudes and whilst it's obviously been disappointing we haven't won enough games and naturally you deserve criticism for that, we've only lost one in our last five and that's a mentality and a habit of not losing games of football.

“So they deserve an extra day off on Monday and we'll be back in Tuesday, ready to work again and we've got to work hard now these next two weeks before we go to Alfreton, work hard in improving our fitness levels if we can and just tactically being stronger and just put some solid work into them on the training ground.

“I want them to enjoy this win today because it's been long overdue and I think they've had very, very little luck at times and many things gone against them, but they keep going for one another and for me and for the club and provided they keep on doing that then, as I've said all along, we'll be fine.”

The first half on Saturday was delayed by almost quarter of an hour because of an injury to Gloucester’s Joe Hanks, who sustained a suspected broken nose.

But Lynn got into their stride after the break, Devonport putting them ahead on 58 minutes and Margetts adding the second on 74 minutes.

“I thought it was a super performance,” said Lakeland. “ I felt we didn’t play with enough tempo in the first half – it probably wasn't helped by the stoppage – we hope their player who went off is okay. I think they finished the first half better than us, but I felt the game was there for us and the message at half-time was just continue being solid and organised, but we've got to play with a little bit more purpose and a bit more intend to try and win it and inject a bit more tempo into the game and I thought for second-half we were fantastic.

“Two great goals - Jonny was unlucky when he hit the inside of the post and they blocked one off the line from a free kick and I think them scoring the goal late on makes it look like a closer scoreline than it should have been. We were well worthy of the three points over the course of the 90 minutes and it's obviously an important win for us.

“You’re always pleased when any player gets off the mark. I think Owen’s done very, very well for us in the majority of his games so far, he's given us a focal point up there and it was good to see him having that striker’s instinct there of getting himself in double six-yard box and it's a great little bit of combination play and link-up play between Ben (Stephens) , Jonny and Owen obviously for his goal. And then some more good combination play between Owen and Jonny again where Jonny's hit the inside of the post and he probably felt it was going to be one of those days, but then just off the shoulder, great pass by Kian (Ronan) and it's just a proper goal scorer’s finish where he's helped it over the goalkeeper and I think for both of them to get off the mark it will hopefully settle down now and hopefully they can go on and score a few more.”

Lynn confirmed before the game that midfielder George Morrison's loan from Fleetwood Town has been extended to the end of the season.

Gloucester: Armstrong, McGrory, Hamilton, Ram, Leeeson (Beresford 73), Hanks (Smalley 22), Durrell, Rowe, Pinchard, Wright, Robinson. Subs not used: Dennis, Tolley, O’Boyle. Goal: Robinson 90.

King's Lynn Town: Jones, Ronan, McFadden, Taylor, Coulson, Crowe, Hargreaves, Morrison, Devonport (Cybulski 75), Margetts (Castro 80), Stephens (Hughes 90. Subs not used: Hughes, Rogers, Dixon-Hodge. Goals: Devonport 58, Margetts 72.

Attendance: 1,087