The expectation levels at King's Lynn Town continue to know no bounds.

On Saturday, those inside and outside of the Linnets' dressing room genuinly believed there was a strong chance that Evo-Stik Premier Division leaders Skelmersdale United could be put to the sword. History suggests that those feelings should not be described as merely a case of blind faith either.

Under Gary Setchell the men in blue and gold have consistently punched above their weight. Almost non-stop success since the club's reformation, countless scalps in national cup competitions and an incredible ability, after a shaky first-term start, to see off teams that are deemed to be superior on paper.

Relishing an underdog status suits a team that never knows when it is beaten. Players, like Steve Spriggs, have tended to save their finest displays for the big occasion. So that's why hundreds of home fans arrived waiting to see Skem pushed to their limits.

A foray forward inside the first 60 seconds, which saw George Thomson just fail to connect with David Bridges' centre, appeared to have set the tone for another stirring display. One that would lift the roof off the Walks' main stand again. But from the moment Lynn – not for the first time this campaign – were picked off on the counter, something went missing. Danny Mitchley's curling finish via the inside of the far post should have sparked a stirring fightback that we've seen on countless occasions. Captain-for-the-day Bridges went close to making it 1-1. He kept the faith. Yet too many of his team-mates didn't.

And when the second goal went in, there was an almost unrecognisable acceptance of what was coming. A fifth home league defeat of the season. The anger at the award of a soft penalty when Henry Eze was deemed to have fouled Connor McCarthy should have sparked a response. But it didn't.

Mitchley's hat-trick was completed in the second half but he wasn't the only difference. To a man, the visitors were superior. If they didn't win the first ball, which they usually did, they retrieved the second. When they attacked they did so clinically. And their art of defending was completed in a simple yet effective manner, something that went missing for Eze when he tried to usher the ball out of play at 1-0 rather than opt for the safety of row z.

The match-winner's third may have been fashioned far too easily from a defensive perspective but it was finished in a manner of confidence that eventually was sadly lacking from 12th-placed Lynn's play.

The defeat leaves Setchell's side moored in mid-table and if they're not careful that's where they will remain. The standings and results don't lie and the Linnets' overall record of late has been below the lofty standards they strive to achieve and usually set.

A push to finish above a debut Evo-Stik Premier campaign offering of 11th is well within reach. As, mathematically, is a surge for the play-offs. But realistically things have to improve quickly. Because if not, this campaign really is in danger of becoming a disappointment.