Gloucester City 0, King's Lynn 2: After being bullied out of a number of games this season, King's Lynn have finally shown that they can scrap with the best of them.

Gloucester City 0, King's Lynn 2

After being bullied out of a number of games this season, King's Lynn have finally shown that they can scrap with the best of them.

Away to a Gloucester City side who hadn't won at home since October 3, the Linnets controlled play for 90 minutes to come away with a hard earned 2-0 victory.

“I'm more delighted with the performance today than I was last week against Yate,” Lynn boss Keith Webb said.

“It was a totally different game and it wasn't an easy place to come to by any stretch of the imagination. They came at us, made the game difficult. It is a tight little pitch and we had to battle and roll our sleeves up and keep well organised and we did that.

“We had to take the chances when they came along, and they were very few and far between, but having said that the whole team, the whole squad, worked their socks off and scrapped to get a result, and when you're going hoping to get promotion you've just got to do that.”

Michael Frew demonstrated his rich vein of form by giving the Linnets the lead with a cheeky backheel from a corner on 26 minutes, and Andrew Fisk killed the game off with his second goal in as many games with less than 20 minutes to go.

Frew caused the Tigers' defence problems all afternoon and could have opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes.

A cute ball over the top by Dean West sat up for Frew wide in the Gloucester box, but the angle was too acute as he blasted his volley across goal.

Frew and strike partner Matt Nolan created no less than six half chances out of nothing within the first 20 minutes, and it was no surprise when the Linnets took the lead.

Fraser Toms' right wing corner was flicked at goal by Steve Melton and well saved by Gloucester debutant goalkeeper Ray Johnston. The ball was scuffed across the face of goal and Frew, facing away from goal, simply flicked the ball into the corner.

Just five minutes into the second half Frew nearly doubled the lead with an audacious effort from the half-way line. The ball bounced up to about waist height and Frew, spotting the goalkeeper on the edge of his area, unleashed a stinging volley that Johnston had to throw himself full stretch into the air to bring down.

His performance drew the praises of his manager, who said: “Michael's come in and he's working a lot harder for the last two games.

“Both him and Matt Nolan up front were causing a lot of problems for the Gloucester defence today. If he keeps working like that he'll be ok for me.”

In the middle of the park Gloucester were fighting hard, but couldn't break down the pocket-sized duo of Fisk and Mark Camm, while Greg Crane was oustanding at the back.

“The players that I've brought in I know are good players, and it'll take time for them to gel and it will take time for them to get it right and get used to the pace of the game, but they're coming on,” Webb said.

Fisk's goal was certainly out of the top draw. Jack Defty, on as sub, held the ball up well and fed West on the right wing overlap.

West's cross was touched back by Camm, and Fisk side-footed a slide-rule volley into the top right corner from the edge of the box.

The goal was the sucker punch for the Tigers, who seemed content with damage limitation from then on. They couldn't even muster a consolation goal, drawing two good saves out of former Norwich 'keeper Paul Crichton in stoppage time.

Gloucester City: Johnston, Reid, Stonehouse, Mustoe, Thompson, Tomkins, Sykes (Harris, 75), Webb, Cox (Tustain, 45), Welsh, Wilkinson (Wilson, 64). Subs (not used): Harris, Noakes, Matthews. Booked: Tomkins (15).

King's Lynn: Crichton, West, Blois, Warren, Crane, Fisk, Melton (Cooper, 90), Camm, Nolan, Frew (J Defty, 59), Toms (Notman, 85). Subs not used: O'Halloran, McAnally. Booked: Toms (20). Goals: Frew (26), Fisk (73).

Referee: M Amphlett (Kidderminster)

Attendance: 284

t Tonight the Linnets face another away game in their epic seven-game February, as they travel to bottom side Northwood (7.45).

Everybody appeared to come through Saturday's game unscathed, and there's the prospect of Sam McMahon returning to the squad from injury too.