King’s Lynn Town 0 AFC Fylde 1
Ex-Linnet Joe Rowley returned to haunt his former club as AFC Fylde took control of the National League North title race by winning the top-of-the-table clash against Lynn at The Walks.
Rowley scored the only goal of the game early in the second half as the league leaders dented second-placed Lynn’s automatic promotion aspirations in front of a crowd of 1,853.
It was Tommy Widdrington’s side third home defeat of the season – but this loss is the one that will hurt the most with so much at stake between the two teams.
The Linnets now find themselves five points behind the Coasters, who have two games in hand, with just eight games of a gruelling campaign to play.
With defender Aaron Jones returning from injury, manager Tommy Widdrington shuffled his pack from the 3-0 victory over Spennymoor Town on Saturday.
Jones came in for Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain at right-back while there was also a recall for Kyle Callan-McFadden for Tai Fleming in the heart of the home defence.
AFC Fylde – unbeaten in the league away from home since October going into the game – named two former Linnets in their starting line-up as they made three changes from their weekend win at Alfreton.
Defender Pierce Bird – sold to the north west outfit from Lynn last season – and Joe Rowley took their place in the Coasters’ team to face the Linnets.
Lynn felt aggrieved in the opening few minutes after Ben Stephens was pole-axed at one end pitch, only for the visitors to be awarded a free-kick seconds later after Rowley was flattened by Callan-McFadden.
The home side missed a golden chance to open the scoring in the 13th minute.
A ball over the top from Adam Crowther found Ben Stephens who shrugged off the attentions of Emeka Obi before squaring the ball to Josh Barrett whose shot was saved by Chris Neal.
The visitors were denied a clear sight of goal in the 20th minute thanks to a timely tackle from Aaron Jones on Luke Conlan after a dangerous ball in from Rowley on the right.
AFC Fylde’s Nick Haughton saw his shot deflected behind for a corner while Michael Clunan volleyed over at the other end following a dinked cross in from Barrett.
The fingertips of goalkeeper Tommy Dixon-Hodge came to Lynn’s rescue soon after before a Harry Davis header was brilliantly cleared off the line by Clunan from the resulting corner.
Both sides continued to trade punches as Gold Omotayo saw his header flash across the visitors goal.
Theo Widdrington was shown the first yellow card of the evening for a late challenge on Danny Philliskirk as Lynn began to lose a little bit of control towards the end of the first half.
The home fans were lifted by an early chance in the second half as Jacob Jones delivered a cross from the left but Omotayo was beaten to the ball in the box by Davis.
With Lynn chasing some momentum and a goal, Fylde were content on slowing the game down at every opportunity.
The opening goal arrived 13 minutes after the restart as Danny Whitehead played a defence-splitting pass through to Rowley who finished with ease past Dixon-Hodge.
Lynn threw Aaron Cosgrave into the mix as a replacement for Barrett but it was Stephens who came within inches of bringing the hosts back on level terms when his effort from outside the box whistled just wide of the target.
Lynn huffed and puffed but created little in the way of clear cut chances as the Coasters saw the game out with relative ease.
King’s Lynn Town: Dixon-Hodge, A Jones, J Jones, Crowther, Coulson, Callan-McFadden, Widdrington, Clunan, Barrett (Cosgrave 61), Stephens (Hughes 70), Omotayo (78). Subs not used: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fleming.
Booked: Clunan, Widdrington.
AFC Fylde: Neal, Obi, Rowley (Charman 73), Philliskirk, Haughton (Hatfield 85), Conlon, Barrett (Pike 56), Cybulski, Whitehead, Davis, Bird. Subs not used: Malone, Delfouneso.
Booked: Bird, Haughton, Davis.
Scorer: Rowley 58.
Attendance: 1853.
