The week of 5 games in 8 days began on the border of South Derbyshire, at the Moat ground in Swandlincote. After a quick train ride to Burton-upon-Trent, I had a 6-mile walk to the ground. I realised as I walked that I was walking out of Staffordshire and into Derbyshire - was this the Midlands or the North? The route itself was scenic, moving from an impressive walkway across the River Trent, evolving into a string of villages before I approached Swandlincote. The Moat ground had been on my list for a while; back in the late 90s when I started following King's Lynn, I remember them as familiar sparring partners in the old Dr Martens league. Three relegations, three promotions, and a winding-up order later, and here we were!
The ground was a classic, nestled closely between terraced houses, with old turnstiles leading down a dark alley before you came out into the light of an intimate ground. I noticed two things about the ground - like Marine's Merseyside ground, it only had 3 sides for spectators, and to add to the lower league feel, there was a distinctive dip and slope in the middle of the pitch. That may explain the name of the ground!
King's Lynn started in a distinctive turquoise kit, almost fluorescent in its brightness. In true style, we started off brightly, attacking directly down the wings and through the middle. Gresley though, looked a lot tougher than some of the teams we had faced so far, standing up to challenges and looking difficult to break down. The breakthrough came when a speculative ball was dropped into the box from the right side, looping down towards Dunkley, who made no mistake and buried it. The lead took the pressure off, and I was tempted to think we might get a second before half time. It didn't materialise, but I was happy enough with a halftime lead.
The second half was a fast and physical battle all over the pitch. Despite falling behind, Gresley looked determined to get something back and not cave in. Several of the midfielders looked useful and intelligent on the ball. Still Kings Lynn attacked, and it looked like we might quell the fight back. Then late on, Gresley snatched an equaliser, which I have to admit was thoroughly deserved. The crowd cheered them forward and it seemed that the tide was turning in their favour. Kings Lynn looked out of sorts and were misfiring in front of goal, and the home team looked more like scoring. One of their players went clean through and our keeper made a superb stop. At this point I would have been happy with a draw, which would still keep us in the playoff spots at the top. Then in the 89th minute, we pushed forward again, and a corner was curled in before missing everybody - our left back Jordan Yong picked up the ball just inside their area, and smashed it into the net. Fantastic finish, which meant we took another 3 points back from our travels, even if we were somewhat lucky along the way. I set off on the long walk back to Burton in good spirits, looking forward to the next match.
No comments:
Post a Comment