King's Lynn Town head to Tonbridge Angels on Saturday for an FA Trophy fourth-round tie - CHRIS LAKEY spoke to manager Tommy Widdrington ahead of the game
Tommy Widdrington will be hoping striker Gold Omotayo has turned a corner after breaking his scoring duck at King’s Lynn Town – and silenced his detractors at the same time.
The summer signing scored his first league goal, at the 18th attempt, in the midweek defeat to Notts County.
Omotayo had been under obvious pressure, but it was an all-round performance that delighted many home fans: the job now is to ensure he gets the service to prove the goal was no flash in the pan.
“I keep saying, it is alright blaming the strikers for not scoring enough goals, but if you don’t service them, then you can’t expect them to score goals, and you give him that sort of service he will score goals,” said Widdrington, after watching Omotayo power in a header from Michael Clunan’s pinpoint cross – the end of a move which began with Ross Barrows’s excellent diagonal ball and a perfect first touch from right-back Aaron Jones.
It has been impossible not to notice the grumbles around Omotayo, but he certainly redeemed himself against County.
“I hope a lot of people get off his back, if you like,” said the Linnets boss.
“The style of football that he has been part of does not suit him. Now it does, because we want to service the guy. The guy is robust, he is big, he is a nuisance, he is technically not bad but he is a handful and if you have a handful then use it.
“We need to service him better, we need to give better service in the box to him. It isn’t about pumping balls forward to him, that’s not what I want. I want balls put into areas where he can either effect a chance on goal himself or create and help other people get chances.
“I thought he was excellent again tonight. Forwards always get judged on goals, that is just the nature of the beast, but how many balls did he head out of our own box today? Corners against and free-kicks against, when he went back. He ran his trollies off and put himself in great positions in the first half for us to be able to go in leading the game.”
And that’s the crux for Widdrington – Lynn were ahead at the break, but three quick goals soon after it put County in control. A fourth ended any hopes of a comeback, although Clunan’s late free-kick reduced to the deficit and left Lynn on the wrong end of a scoreline that perhaps didn’t reflect the game.
"We just have to dust ourselves off,” said Widdrington. “Change of scenery on Saturday, a different competition. I wish it was a league game if I am being honest. I want to get a bit of momentum going, because I think we are very close to spanking somebody and I would rather that be in the league than anything else.”
Tonbridge play one level below Lynn, in the National League South, but aren’t in the best of form – they are 19th in the table and last weekend’s win over Hungerford ended a 10-match winless run. However, they have reached the fourth round after beating Canvey Island and National League Torquay United so will be after another scalp this weekend.
Widdrington said: “They will fancy their chances against us. While they are not very high in their division, they are only one below us so they are going to fancy their chances, but we need to go and show the quality we have shown (against Notts County) in spells and we have got to work between now and then on making is better defensively.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here