Home, sweet home for Linnets

Ian Culverhouse got what most managers want in the FA Cup - a home draw. He just won't want it to be quite as tough as the last one.

The Linnets' reward for a 2-1 home win over Peterborough Sports is a game against Walsall, currently 18th in League Two.

It says a lot for the visitors that they pushed Lynn all the way - but it also says quite a bit for Lynn that they came from a goal down to win on home soil for the first time this season and swept the cliched banana skin to one side.  

Lynn knew they’d been in a fight – the face of opposing manager Jimmy Dean told the story as did his assertion that he didn’t want his team to be labelled “brave losers” - but knew they would.  

It was all level at the break in a half when his team rarely got a kick, but they produced a much-improved second-half performance – but just couldn’t take their chances.  

A quick tale of the tape shows Lynn going behind on 18 minutes through Michael Gash - on his return to The Walks after his four-year spell was ended in the summer - but his successor, Gold Omotayo, levelled on the stroke of half-time with his first in Lynn colours. 

Lynn lost midfielder Joe Rowley, who was stretchered off with his right leg heavily strapped, on the hour mark, but within a minute the hosts were ahead, Ipswich Town loanee Brett McGavin sliding the ball into the far corner. 

It proved to be the winner, but Dean will take a while to forget the misses by Jordan Nicholson - one of which owed much to the brilliance of Luis Fernandez’s goal-line clearance - and Richard Jones. 

But don’t believe the luck was with Lynn because at the moment, if there was no such thing as bad luck, then Ian Culverhouse would have no luck at all. 

The Lynn boss lost central defender Dan Bowry to injury during the week so he joined a row of the main stand occupied by sidelined players.  

Rowley will clearly be out for some time – but he was due to go back to parent club Chesterfield on Monday anyway. 

It leaves Culverhouse hoping some will return for the trip to Torquay next weekend when league thoughts occupy minds. 

But he will be happy his side came through Saturday’s banana skin: patience was the order of the day in the first half as the visitors resolutely defended their lead. But when they went behind, the search for a leveller made it uncomfortable for Lynn. 

Skipper and man of the match Michael Clunan summed it up. 

Gash’s goal 

“As soon as it went to the back stick – he has made a career out of that – and it landed to him and he did what he does best.  

Overall performance 

 “I think we probably made more hard work of it than we needed to, but the main goal today was to get into the hat and it was mission accomplished. It was quite early on, Gashy’s goal, so we weren’t going to panic. We have been down plenty of times this year so we are almost used to it, I think when we went in front 2-1 we almost panicked we looked like a team that has not been in front for a while. We probably didn’t manage the game as well as we should have done, but we got through it on the end. “ 

Omotayo’s equaliser 

“I think he needed to get off the mark – we have had a lot of corners in the last 10 games and not been much threat from them but it was a great delivery from Brett (McGavin) and Gold managed to get his head on it. We probably need to get more balls in the box for him and a bit more service but I’m pleased he was on the scoresheet.” 

King’s Lynn Town: P Jones, A Jones, Callan-McFadden, Fernandez, Barrows, Coleman, Sundire (Linton 45), McGavin (Gyasi 83), Rowley (Barrett 60), Clunan, Omotayo. 

Goals: Omotayo 45, McGavin 61 

Peterborough Sports: Moat, Bazeley, Warner Eley (Herd 65), Fryatt, Jones, Lawlor, Sembie Ferris, McCammon (M Jones 90), Gash, Jarvis (Srevenson 53), Nicholson. Subs not used: Elsom, Miles, McGowan, Moreman. 

Goal: Gash 18 

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