Linnets boss relieved with FA Cup win

Adam Lakeland admitted his side weren’t at their best despite Tommy Hughes bagging the winner as his side edged past Cheshunt in the FA Cup.Lynn were frustrated by their lower-league visitors for long periods of this afternoon’s Second Qualifying Round tie at the Walks until Hughes produced a sublime finish to send his side through.Reflecting on Lynn’s 1-0 win, Lakeland said: “I think we should start by giving them a lot of credit because I thought they made life incredibly difficult for us, especially in that first half, the last 20 minutes or so.”But we expected that the FA Cup. It’s very rarely straightforward in these early rounds we were the favourites, they are the underdogs with nothing to lose.”I thought they were excellent but I think a lot of how they were able to grow and get on top in that first half was down to us.”We made some really poor decisions with the ball. We kept playing short in front in our half and just invited them to keep coming up the pitch, pressing us, intercepting passes and putting us under pressure.”We only had ourselves to blame for that. We started well and had two or three really good little passages of play where we got in and their goalkeepers made a couple of good saves and were unlucky off a couple of our corners but after that we went a little ittle bit flat, played too much in front of them and didn’t play with enough tempo or purpose. “I felt we were fortunate to be level half time if I’m honest and the players were made well aware of that. “But I felt the second half we came out, we did the basics of the game a lot better. We passed forwards quicker, we had more willing runners to go beyond them, we stretched them and put the ball in the box more, won more first balls landed on more second balls and just through doing the basics.I didn’t think at any point in that second half they looked like scoring and, despite being underwhelming today, we should have scored four or five six goals.”Things have gone the wrong side of the post, poor finishing and good goalkeeping but the most important thing today is that we’ve progressed.” The defining moment came midway through the second half as Hughes produced a moment of magic by lobbing Edwards from just inside the box.Lakeland praised Lynn’s matchwinner, saying: “He’s a good player. He’s got so much quality and ability and to be fair to Tommy with Cody (Johnson) suspended today we’ve played Tommy as the deepest midfield player and that’s not his natural position. “I’m asking him to do a role there that isn’t natural to him and you know he showed that quality when he was able to get higher up the pitch.”I think when we brought Sam on and pushed Tommy a little bit higher, he had some better moments again. “It was a good goal and getting that first goal and getting our nose in front today was going to be so important and yeah I’m pleased for him to score.”King’s Lynn Town: Jones, Ronan, McFadden, Wilson, Sass, McCammon (Whiteley 88), Hmami, Hughes, Barnes (Walker 71), Crane (Cybulski 90), Omotayo. Subs not used: Coulson, Boyes.Goal: Hughes 68.Cheshunt: Edwards, Miles (Akolbire 82), Da Silva (Murphy 86), Orafu (Muyembe 88), Furlong, Sutton, Oti, Thomas, Wood (Wynter 74), Granville, Bisall (Vasilou 73). Subs not used: Braney, Jefcoate.Att: 622.