A second half goal from Adam Marriott was enough to give King's Lynn Town a 1-0 win at the MGrouo Stadium this afternoon.

In a game that saw both keepers and defences in fine form a single goal was always likely to decide things and Marriott's strike 15 minutes from full time decided a very close encounter.

Although the game  was a constant battle City drew three saves from veteran Linnets’ keeper Paul Jones inside the first four minutes when Ewan Clark, Jacob Roddy and Josh Ashby all pressed him into early action. The visitors then started to play their way into the game and had the ball in the net for a disallowed effort after 15 action-packed minutes.

Both sides moved the ball neatly, probing for openings rather than going at it hammer and tongs, but the hard-working visitors were quick to deny City any space and close down the returning Alfie Potter and Zac McEachran in particular as they stifled City’s flair players.

The crucial moment of the first half came after 37 minutes when a stray pass missed its target and was picked up by keeper Jamie Pardington to concede a free kick eight yards from goal. Fortunately the heel of Darnell Johnson blocked the low drive and then Roddy and Charlie Wiggett threw themselves across the line to beat away the follow up.

There was a similar moment to open the second period, this time Pardington plunging to the rescue twice in as many seconds and the on-loan keeper then made a third good save to keep things level at the hour mark.

Alfie Potter, in the wars, wadding up one nostril and blood shirt two sizes too big, tested Jones just after the hour but then the vital breakthrough went the way of the away side when Ty Fleming trundled forward from the back and when tackled the ball ran kindly for Marriott who finally found a way past the exposed Pardington.

The Hoops threw men forward to try and retrieve something, there were optimistic penalty shouts for a foul on sub Isaac Westendorf  as time ebbed away, but in the end the visitors were, literally as well as physically,  in the pink.

CITY

Pardington, Clark, Johnson, Wiggett, Francis (Wilson 54), Roddy, Ashby, Scott, Potter (Westendorf 67), McEachran (Campton-Sturridge 77), Parker

SUBS
Treml, Burroughs, Humphrey-Ewers, Maragh

ATT: 518

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Darrell Fisher