Linnets boss happy with performance despite defeat

King’s Lynn Town slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Kettering on Saturday - thanks to a last-minute goal from a player rejected by the Linnets only a matter of months ago.

Ryan Fryatt – who joined the Poppies after being released by Lynn in May, having helped them to promotion – headed the only goal of the game seconds before the final whistle – although it all meant little to Ian Culverhouse.

The Lynn boss saw plenty of positives, despite the defeat, as he prepares his team for their National League bow against Yeovil in two weeks’ time

“I thought we were very good between both boxes, but not good enough to create anything really,” he said. “But really pleased with the way we handled the ball and some of our movement in the first half was very good, especially in midfield and the rotation in there. We have got to peak on October 3 so good things have come out of it.”

Culverhouse was without strikers Adam Marriott and Michael Gash. Marriott was watching from the stands and will train this week and, if all goes well, feature in the friendly at St Albans next weekend as he recovers from ankle ligament damage. Gash is ill and is definitely out for the opening stages of the campaign. Midfielder Cameron King was also missing because of a knee injury.

Their absence tests Culverhouse’s assertion that he has strength in depth and quality to cover every area of the pitch, and while Lynn drew a blank, in Dayle Southwell and, later, Jamar Loza, he does have options down the middle.

“The players out here I have good faith in them,” he said. “We have to find different combinations and different ways of playing without those players and we will do. We have got really good weapons, we saw glimpses of that today when we got around the back of them. Now we have just got to flood the box a bit more because in midfield today we had three ball players and no one running no beyond the centre forward. But we have got players to do that so we have lots to work on – still two weeks to go and we will be ready.”

Culverhouse finally got to see his two Norwich City loan players in action: goalkeeper Archie Mair replaced Alex Street for the second half while Simon Power, returning after his short stint last season which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, started and played an hour, with Culverhouse keen to see him and Loza formed a two-pronged wing threat.

“It is only Simon’s second 45 and again you saw glimpses of what they can do and having those two in those areas we have got to get the ball into them as often as possible because they will cause the opposition problems,” said Culverhouse. “Archie has had his first taste of it – he will give great competition for Al in there and that is what we need; we need competition all over the pitch and they will bring the best out of each other.”