King's Lynn Town 2 Hereford 1

King’s Lynn Town produced a battling second-half display to earn a vital home win. 

An out of sorts Linnets – missing four key players - trailed at the interval, but turned it around after the break with goals from substitute Ken Charles and an own goal.  

The lack of depth in manager Tommy Widdrington’s squad was clear to see – academy player Paulius Falcao was one of the subs as the manager looked to make up for the absences of the injured Theo Widdrington, Jordan Ponticelli and Ben Stephens, as well as suspended central defender Adam Crowther. 

Oxlade-Chamberlain started at right back, with Aaron Jones switched to the holding midfield role. 

Paul Jones was called into action on six minutes, palming away Jack Holmes’s 35-yard free-kick. 

The visitors had the better of the early exchanges, and it was perhaps no great surprise when they went ahead on 12 minutes. Aaron Jones was at fault, heading back towards his own goal from the edge of the area but only finding Tyrone Barnett, who quickly brought the ball under control and slotted it past Paul Jones. 

Jamie Melhadoo almost doubled the lead four minutes later with a deflected shot that Jones did well to tip over. 

Cameron Hargreaves had the perfect opportunity to level it on 21 minutes when he was on the end of a sweeping Lynn move, but his effort from 25 yards, with the Hereford defence at sixes and sevens, went past the left post.  

It was hard going and when that happens, every loose ball is analysed and multiplied – and Lynn were being frustrated in their efforts to get back into the game. 

Aaron Jones’s difficult afternoon took a turn for the worse when he was booked for a late tackle on Marco Rus. 

Gold Omotayo saw a reaction header from Oxlade-Chamberlain's long throw go the wrong side of the post as Lynn gradually worked themselves into the game. 

Kane Thompson-Summers could have made it an awkward half-time team talk but his free-kick was deflected just over Josh Coulson. 

One result from the interval was a change in formation, with Aaron Jones back in his familiar right-back slot and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. 

Lynn started the half well, but long and loud appeals for a penalty when Jack Evans manhandled Omotayo in the area three minutes in fell on deaf ears. 

Holmes absolutely shanked a shot at the other end which would surely have put Hereford two up. 

The miss was to prove costly – on 62 minutes Josh Barrett swung in a low corner from the left and Charles was there to knock it home from close range – his second goal in his last three appearances. 

A similar routine just two minutes almost put Lynn ahead: Barrett’s corner met by the head of Omotayo but his effort cleared before it had crossed the line. 

It was all Lynn now –with Charles’s addition to the forward ranks causing Hereford all sorts of problems. 

Oxlade-Chamberlain's drive was pushed out for a corner and when the ball came out Cameron Hargreaves fired it goalwards and his effort took a big deflection off Jordan Thompson before creeping over the line. 

Omotayo should have added a security goal but got his feet tangled a yard out and Hereford cleared. 

Evans fired across goal on the stroke of 90 minutes, but Lynn held out. 

 

King’s Lynn: P Jones, A Jones, Callan-McFadden (Charles 59), Coulson, Denton, Scott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hargreaves, Clunan, Barrett (Walker 89), Omotayo. Subs not used: Fleming, Falcao, Blair. Goals: Charles 62, Thompson 82 og 

Hereford: Eve, Evans, Haynes, Thompson-Sommers, Storey, Hanson, Barnett, Holmes (Pendley 69), Thompson, Melhadoo (Latty-Fairweather 72), Rus. Subs not used: Campbell, Rowe, Dinanga.  Goal: Barnett 12 

Att: 898