Clevedon Town 2 King's Lynn 2
Clevedon got their sixth consecutive Southern League draw this afternoon as they drew 2-2 with league leaders, Kings Lynn, on a chilly afternoon at The Hand Stadium, maintaining their unbeaten home record in five matches against the Linnets.
In a match that was high on effort but lacking in finesse or clear goal scoring chances it was the visitors who took the lead in the first attack of note when poor marking in the penalty area allowed Jack Defty to seize on a knock down from a right wing cross and put the visitors ahead. Clevedon took time to get into the game against opponents who started well and with great drive and determination, but who seemed to rest on their laurels too much as the match progressed. Mitchell Page did well to seize on to Kris Leek’s superb pass and knock it past former Bristol Rovers ‘keeper Scott Howie, but his touch was too strong and the ball harmlessly ran out play for a goal kick. Kris Leek then shot narrowly wide, and Mitchell Page headed just over from Danny Haines free kick but in honesty neither goalkeeper was required to make any real saves in the opening exchanges.
Kings Lynn full back Ben Chapman upset the home fans firstly with a cynical challenge on Kris Leek, and he then needlessly barged into the same player minutes later to give the referee an easy decision to award a penalty. To the fury of the home fans the referee, who had a weak and inconsistent match throughout, failed to take the players name on either occasion and set himself up for a difficult match. Kevin Davies stepped up to take the penalty, only Clevedon’s second of the season, and sent it just wide of the keeper to equalise for the home team. Steve Cook was then caught by an unfortunate challenge and had to be taken to hospital, apparently with a stud hole between his toes, Matt Prosser replacing him on the pitch. The only other clear chance of the half fell to Kings Lynn’s Jack Defty who somehow contrived to hook the ball wide from right in front of goal after poor defending. The half time whistle blew with the score at 1-1 and the home supporters frustrated by the referee and a linesman who appeared confused by the offside rules with his premature flag waving.
The second half started with the visitors pushing forward and in the 52nd minute they took the lead when Danny Greaves pulled off a great save from Greg Crane’s header but only succeeded in palming the ball towards the alert Michael Frew who headed it back into the net. Despite Clevedon pushing forward in search of another equalizer, they failed to produce many clear chances but it was Kings Lynn’s tactics that upset the home fans as they seemed to try and frustrate their opponents with their constant complaining and cynical actions, with numerous players supposedly going down injured after innocuous challenges only to spring up again quickly... This gamesmanship backfired though as it only seemed to inspire the home side, and instead of pushing forward to try and secure their victory it simply spoilt any flow to the league leader’s game and was ultimately to cost them dearly. With Clevedon really putting on pressure in the final ten minutes, the home side secured a corner on the right and Scott Hendy rose to meet Danny Haines centre and power home an equalizer in the 85th minute. It could have been worse for the Linnets when two minutes later Kevin Davies sent in a superb curling shot which struck the base of the post with the keeper beaten, and there was still time for Matt Prosser to hook another shot just wide before the final whistle brought proceedings to an end.
So Clevedon gained their sixth consecutive draw and Kings Lynn secured a point that was enough to keep them on top of the table, on goals scored, but while their own gamesmanship and professionalism clearly helped get them there, you couldn’t help but think it also helped to deny them the victory that would have given them a two point gap. From the Clevedon viewpoint it was another example of their never say die
spirit and just what can be achieved with a small but beautifully formed playing squad! One absurd statistic is that just one visiting player was booked on the day but four from the home side, despite, shall we say, several opportunities for the referee to give a more balanced reflection of events...
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Davies | 1(p) | |
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 5 | Hendy | 1 | |
| 6 | Trought | ||
| 7 | Sylvester | ||
| 8 | Cook | ||
| 9 | Symons | ||
| 10 | Page | ||
| 11 | Leek | ||
| 12 | Prosser | 8 | |
| 14 | Bassett | 9 | |
| 15 | Brigham | ||
| 16 | - | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 02/02/08 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | King's Lynn |
| Venue: | The Hand Stadium Davis Lane Clevedon North Somerset BS21 6TG |
| Half Time: | 1 - 1 |
| Full Time: | 2 - 2 |
| Attendance: | 212 |
| Match Report: | Steve Small |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
| Match Sponsor: | - |
| Match Ball Sponsor: | - |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |
