King’s Lynn Town somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of a possible victory when they lost 2-1 at Weymouth.

The Linnets were desperate for a good result to get the back on track after successive and heavy defeats in the National League.

And with 15 minutes remaining and the score at 1-1, it looked like they had steadied the ship. A win was in their sights when Adam Marriott was upended in the area, but the striker’s effort from 12 yards was comfortably saved by the keeper.

Heads remained up – the match was still Lynn’s to win after they had dominated throughout.

But then came another moment of indiscipline for the Linnets when, in the 81st minute centre-half Rory McAuley, who had talked himself into the referee’s notebook in the first half, went in again. McAuley had made a marauding run forward and went over on the edge of the area. It was as players from both sides decamped from the home area that McAuley had a coming together with a home player. The referee consulted an assistant and off went McAuley - the second red in successive games for Lynn.

Lynn boss Ian Culverhouse then made a triple changes – Sonny Carey on for Marriott, Simon Power for Cameron King and Ross Barrows for Ryan Jarvis. None had time to break sweat before Barrows was adjudged to have handled a cross – and it was Weymouth who had the opportunity to go ahead from the penalty spot, through Tom Whelan. And they took it.

It was a self-inflicted defeat and galling given Lynn had performed so well over the piece.

In a first half of few chances they managed to go in a goal down, Cody Cooke netting at the far post after keeper Archie Mair failed to deal with a cross on 38 minutes.

The lead lasted until seven minutes into the second half, when Jarvis slipped the ball in to Michael Clunan in the area and he in turned rolled it across the six-yard box to Marriott, who slipped it past the keeper. It was the least Lynn deserved, but they will be kicking themselves that they ended up with nothing to show for their efforts.

Weymouth: Bycroft, Camp, Jordan, Wakefield, McCarthy (Whelan 77), Leslie-Smith (Hoey 62), Robinson, Brooks, Cooke, Harfield, Shields. Subs not used: Benfield, Santos, Anderson.

Booked: Leslie-Smith, Wakefield, Bycroft.

Goals: Cooke 38, Whelan 85 pen.

King’s Lynn Town: Mair, Jones, Smith, Jarvis (Barrows 83), McAuley, Brown, Clunan, Richards, King (Power 83), Marriott (Carey 83), Southwell. Subs not used: Barker, Kelly.

Booked: McAuley, Richards, Brown, Clunan.

Sent off: McAuley.

Goals: Marriott 52