King's Lynn recorded their second Easter win at a sunny Walks yesterday, but it wasn't enough to prevent St Neots being crowned United Counties League champions.

Chris Bacon, Jamie Thurlbourne and Danny White were on target but it was all purely academic as the Saints beat St Ives 4-1 to secure the title and step four football.

'I have to congratulate Dennis Greene and his St Neots side on their title victory,' said Lynn boss Gary Setchell. 'We have pushed them all the way and again I have to say how proud I am of all the members of this season's squad.

'If we secure another couple of wins from our remaining two matches that will give us 103 points and it's a bitter pill to swallow seeing that is still not enough to win us this league.

'When the dust has settled on this season the record books will show that we dropped something like 17 points in away matches and that is where we have fallen short.'

Setchell remains optimistic that good times lay ahead for the Linnets and he said: 'The foundations are in position and with two or three additions to the squad over the summer months I am confident that we can be challenging for honours on all fronts next season.

'We have an excellent crop of young talent here and I have no doubt that some of them will become regular first-teamers.'

One of those youngsters, Tom Barnes, was handed a full league debut but lasted only seven minutes before being carried off with what appeared to be a nasty knee injury.

Lynn struggled in the early stages for any fluency with the better chances falling to the dangerous visiting attacking duo of Tommy Treacher and Simon Mowbray.

Barnes' replacement Bacon rounded the keeper to score the opener in stoppage time and after the break the home side took full control. Thurlbourne produced a peach of a free-kick to beat Hewitt from 30 yards before the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Mitch Griffiths' kick was saved well by Street.

Deep into stoppage time White scored a deserved goal following a neat piece of play by Jack Defty.

• Kings Lynn Town: Street, Bexfield, Alsop, Luke Thurlbourne, Stone (McNeil) Fryatt, Spriggs, White, Defty, Barnes (Bacon) Jamie Thurlbourne. Unused subs: Buhlemann, Johnson.

Booking: Fryatt

• Holbeach Utd: Hewitt, Thompson, Newton, Reid, Elston (Joof) Warfield, Allen, Kennedy, Treacher, Mowbray, Griffiths. Unused subs: Kirk, Lester, Chand, Bishop.

Booking: Treacher.

• Referee: M Connolly (Market Harborough)

• Att: 563