If one player could understand the fans' frustration more than most on Saturday it was centre-back Stuart Wall, who was forced to watch the game from the sidelines.

Wall, 24, had played in King's Lynn's previous 10 league games, but back and groin problems picked up during a challenge with Long Buckby's Russell Dunkley less than a fortnight ago, meant he joined 865 Linnets supporters on the wrong side of the white line.

The pain he felt as he watched his team-mates drop two more vital points was probably similar to that experienced at the hands of Olympic physio Marc Evans – a colleague of the sports lecturer at Maulton College in Northampton – last week.

The former Coventry City Academy star had received treatment every day to overcome his injury which left him close to tears in a week that eventually became a crying shame for Lynn's title hopes.

Wall said: 'My back was fine at first when Dunkley landed on me, but my groin hurt as soon as it happened. It was a huge game, though, so I just played through the pain – you have to.

'A nerve got trapped. A tendon from my spine to my pelvis locked and it tipped my pelvis, which in turn affected one side of my groin.

'Marc had to unlock the nerve to sort it out. I was in agony on Friday when he was doing it, and most of Saturday which is why I couldn't play. I won't lie – I was nearly crying when he was trying to get it unlocked. It wasn't comfortable, but needs must.

'I really wanted to play on Saturday, but I just couldn't. The title was still up for grabs even if the odds were looking stacked against us. But the result and the performance was poor. The Buckby game took a lot of energy out of the players, but you've just got to turn up and perform and some players didn't on the day.

'It was frustrating watching it and disappointing because my team-mates can do better. It was worse because I couldn't influence anything and I think we all felt it watching, especially Setch.'

Wall, who has been hailed as 'Mr Consistent' by centre-back partner and captain Ross Watson, has made more appearances – 32 – than any of Setchell's side's defenders this season.

He hopes to have started running this week and admits it is 'in the balance' whether he features against Cogenhoe on Saturday.

However, the Northampton-based defender is confident he will be fit for Lynn's UCL League Cup final against St Ives Town on Monday, May 7.

'We've only lost two games all season so it's not been a bad season, but the expectations – from the players, the fans and the management – are extremely high,' said Wall.

'The atmosphere after the game at the weekend was very deflated and everyone was disappointed, no one more so than the players. But it was more to do with knowing they hadn't done themselves justice on a chance to give something back to our fans.

'Every single player in the changing room wants to put some wrongs right in the last two games of the season because we want to win some silverware for the fans – they deserve it.'