Farnborough 5 King’s Lynn Town 2: Ex-Norwich City strike helps put Linnets to the sword
Jamie Cureton was on target for Farnborough in their 5-2 win over King's Lynn Town. Picture: Archant - Credit: � ARCHANT NORFOLK PHOTOGRAPHI
Manager Ian Culverhouse bemoaned his side's defending as King's Lynn Town crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season at lowly Farnborough on Saturday.
King's Lynn's clash at Gosport Borough has been postponed. Picture: Matthew Usher
Despite the Linnets opening the scoring through Ryan Hawkins and closing it via Tom Siddons it was what happened in between that troubled Culverhouse with Nic Ciardini scoring four and the evergreen ex Norwich City star Jamie Cureton chipping in with a fifth.
'That was just absolutely awful and shocking, probably the worst defending I have ever been associated with in my time in football,' said Culverhouse. 'The players have to take responsibility for that and I have to do the same.
'We played poorly with the ball and without it, there is nothing positive to take away from a performance of that nature.
'We were poor and at the moment we are nowhere near good enough to achieve or do anything. Maybe this will be a bit of a reality check, a wake-up call, whatever you want to call it to some people who were beginning to run away with crazy ideas about where we are. On this showing we will achieve nothing.'
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Town made the perfect start as Hawkins collected the ball 25 yards out and drilled a low shot past keeper Jordan Beeney but it was to be a short-lived lead with Ciardini on hand to sweep home following Jake Evan's cutback.
Cameron Norman's low centre saw Keith Emmerson clear with Leon Mettam lurking inches away and home captain Josh Huggins saw a header grabbed by Alex Street as the game opened up.
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Ciardini then put the hosts ahead with a low swerving shot from inside the box which beat Street on his near post. Right on the stroke of the interval Cureton proved that, despite now being 42 years of age, he has lost none of his predatory instincts as he applied the faintest of touches to Huggins's goal bound header to put Boro in a comfortable position.
Things went from bad to worse for the Linnets when, less than a minute after the restart, Cureton won a penalty following Ryan Fryatt's challenge inside the box, after the home striker found space between Lynn's backline. Fryatt was shown a straight red and Ciardini completed the full dose of Town misery as he completed his hat-trick from 12 yards. The same player added his fourth and his side's fifth following more good work from Cureton with 15 minutes remaining.
Siddons' late strike was merely a consolation for the visitors who must have been relieved to hear the final whistle shortly afterwards.
Farnborough: Beeney, Dormer, Jones (Barton), Bellamy (Cunningham), Huggins, Everitt, Emmerson, Evans, Cureton, Ellington, Ciardini (Roberts). Unused subs: Ruzicka, Upward.
Booking: Everitt
Goals: Ciardini 6, 36, 46 pen, 73. Cureton 45
King's Lynn Town: Street, Norman, Blake–Tracey, Fryatt, Ward, Jarvis (McQuaid), Lappin, Parker, Gash, Mettam (Siddons), Hawkins. Unused sub: Gaughran.
Red Card: Fryatt.
Goals: Hawkins 1, Siddons 87.
Referee: Steven Hughes (Brighton)
Attendance: 194
