Linnets' boss Keith Webb insisted it was 'advantage Lynn' after a hard fought Southern League, Premier Division draw against top dogs Bath.

Linnets' boss Keith Webb insisted it was 'advantage Lynn' after a hard fought Southern League, Premier Division draw against top dogs Bath.

Webb's side failed to cut the Romans' six-point lead over their main title rivals on a day when Team Bath leapfrogged them into third place with a comfortable win over Yate.

Matt Nolan's penalty cancelled out Chris Holland's first-half header and Webb is urging his troops to build on that late momentum as the promotion race hots up.

“Bath were absolutely delighted to get a draw,” he said. “I've already told the boys in the changing room, 'you were 1-0 down to the league leaders and look at their reaction'. We've now got to show a bit more belief and confidence in ourselves that we are good enough to push them all the way.

“Even if we'd won there were no guarantees - not with 18 games left. A Bath victory might've been more significant because the gap would've been a big one. In the end I've no complaints with a point - it was a fair result between two very evenly matched teams. When a side comes here on such a great run and get their noses in front early on it could've been easy for us to think there was no way back.”

Webb admitted Lynn missed the inspirational presence of injured captain Mark Warren.

“I felt the occasion affected one or two,” he said. “We got suckered into a game where Bath tried to turn us down the channels - that's where we missed Wazza's organisational skills. Having said that I didn't think they created too many chances. We had the better opportunities, although both sides gave very little away.

“It panned out exactly as I imagined - no quarter given. For long periods it was tense stuff and we had to grind out a result.”

Webb was critical of his side's slack marking in the build-up to Bath's opener.

“I knew set-pieces could be important and it was disappointing to concede from one of those situations,” he said. “We didn't get tight enough to the lad and he more or less had a free run. Big Jack (Defty) hits the post from an identical free-kick in the second half and you start to wonder if it's going to happen. I'd thrown him on to give us some more strength in those areas because I didn't think Michael Frew was affecting the game. The longer it went I was toying with the idea of going three at the back to give Bath one or two more problems, but the goal came at the right time.”

Keith Webb released squad player Frazer Toms after the game.