ON  THE  DAY - THE  TEAM  WITH  THE  MOST  FLAIR  WON

This was a very enjoyable game this afternoon, not least because it puts Canvey one step closer to a game against a big league side in this, the competition that gets fans excited the world over.  But it was also enjoyable in that the football played by both sides was often of the highest standard.  On the day, my opinion is that the best team won.  They got their reward because they were good for the whole 90 minutes and that, after all, is what really counts.

On the coach back to Norfolk tonight, Kings Lynn fans will be bitterly disappointed because a scoreline of two-one looks so close.  But the reality is, that scoreline was just a bit flattering to the visitors and their goal came from an unusual fumble by Ashley Harrison, trying to deal with what was just a very ordinary shot.  TRUE - Kings Lynn played very well.  TRUE - they put Canvey under the cosh for the last 15 minutes.  TRUTH - they never really showed any real flair, they never set things on fire and they never looked like winning the tie.

The first half was all Canvey.  From the off, they took control and with players like Neil Gregory laying off some beautiful balls up front, it was only a matter of time before either Wayne Vaughan or Steve Parmenter would open the scoring.  Fans thought that Parms had actually done it when, on 15 minutes, he hit the upright with a low, hard shot that spun its way goalwards.  There then followed a ten minute spell when The Gulls forced three corners and put Martini under considerable pressure.

Kings Lynn's closest attempt came when Dave Putnam, always a dangerous looking player when he was on the ball, lobbed Ashley from 20yds out but the ball was always going too high.  Canvey's defence was sitting tight and there appeared to be no way through, especially from a line-up of big, physical forwards who were perhaps lacking something in the creativity department.

By the time the game was half an hour old the home fans were staring in disbelief that their team still had not opened the scoring.  There were one or two near misses, six corners to the home side (only two for the visitors) and one or two fluffs by forwards in scoring positions.  But, as Kings Lynn were to find out towards the end of the game, near misses, good saves and 'just over the bar'  don't mean a thing when the final whistle blows.

The goal that got Canvey off the mark came on 34 minutes and was a joy to watch.  Wayne Vaughan kept niggling defenders when they wanted time to make a clearance.  Any mistake and he was ready to pounce.  So when Robinson only 50% cleared a ball, Vaughan was there to punish him.  He collected the ball, rounded the defender and it looked like he was teeing up a shot.  Instead, however, he saw Parms making a run towards the goal and his pass was just about perfect.  Parms hit the ball first time and it was like a bullet hitting the back of the net.

Mick Bodley will be cursing himself that he never got Canvey's second.  A good corner by Steve Tilson left the keeper and his defence in something of a muddle as they all scrambled for the ball.  But it fell perfectly for the defender who had come upfield to add his weight but, sadly, the ball was over the defence, over the bar and almost over the sea-wall.

The ball did go into the Canvey half from time to time, especially when Nwadike decided to shake things up, but this was only rare.  Canvey were defending the far post especially well and so long crosses were being dealt with quite efficiently.  Canvey were also getting the ball out of defence effectively - using the floor more than the air - and attacks were set up with some regularity.

It was just before the half-time whistle that Chris Duffy decided to go goalwards.  He created his own space and then sent through a dangerous looking threaded pass into the path of Wayne Vaughan.  In spite of being impeded by Glen Fuff, Wayno still managed to find enough space to sneak in, control the ball and send in an unstoppable shot.

The second half started with Canvey sending out the message that they wanted this game.  Kings Lynn however, were saying they wanted it as well.  Their game certainly improved and Tommy Wright stepped his game up a notch in an attempt to bring the visitors back into things.  But even though the Linnets attack was up a gear, the Gulls defence was prepared to match it.  This was to become a more balanced half but Canvey always looked the more dangerous.  They were creative with the ball whereas Kings Lynn were workmanlike.

The flair of Wayno, the wizardry of JK and the cunning of Chris Duffy (welcome back, Chris) all worked together to make Canvey look dangerous.  There were near misses again from Vaughan - so unlucky not to have a hat-trick today - and also from Neil Gregory and from Steve Tilson.

Kings Lynn were not going to lie down and die.  They brought on Rowland and Palmer for the last 20 minutes and they injected some more enthusiasm into their teams performance.  The ball was now swinging from end to end and the reward was a fluke goal for Putnam in the 75th minute.  A long, speculative shot that Ashley would normally collect with no bother at all, was all it took.  Ash knocked the ball into the air instead of catching it and then failed to collect it at the second attempt.  Instead it fell into the goal and suddenly, the visitors felt that they might get something out of the afternoon after all.

They stepped up their game yet another notch and Canvey, although fighting hard, were often on the ropes.  But it comes down again to that lack of flair, imagination or creativity.  Call it what you will, even the most diehard Linnet would have to admit, it wasn' t there.

Andy Jones came on for Wayne Vaughan and he looked hungry, but by now the service from midfield was not quite as sharp as it had been,  However, he still managed to worry the defence and shots were going in at both ends of the pitch.  For Canvey it didn't matter so much whether they went in or not.  For Kings Lynn, however, it was vitally important if they were going to live to fight another day.

To make up for his earlier blunder Ashley made some superb saves but, in general, the defence as a whole did well to survive the onslaught.  It came too late to make any real dent in Canvey's impressive armour.  The last move of the game was a corner to the visitors and Martini, in very dramatic style, came up for it.  But bravery isn't enough.  Solid play isn't enough either.  To win in an FA Cup competition you need something special.  I've referred to it as flair.  You may call it magic.  Kings Lynn may (unfairly) call it luck.  But today we had it, they didn't.

Match Report by Merv

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