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Match details
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Report
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Stevenage Athletic 1-2 Kings LynnMonday, 17 January 1972
Eastern Professional Floodlit League Referee: Mr J. B. Hazell Attendance: 202 Scorers: West (71) Stevenage team
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Match coverage
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Stevenage Gazette, Thursday, January 20, 1972
Stevenage should never have lost by Alan Watson
Stevenage Athletic 1 Kings Lynn 2
SOMETIMES STEVENAGE supporters have left Broadhall Way feeling disillusioned. Sometimes they have left feeling downright disgusted. But they can seldom have left filled with such disbelief as they did on Monday night.
It was quite amazing that Athletic managed to lose this match. They completely dominated it for the first 20 minutes without scoring, went off the boil for a while, then came back in the second half to storm the Kings Lynn goal.
But they gave away a goal completley against the run of play, and after equalising handed the Linnets a ridiculously soft winner. To cap it all, they committed the cardinal sin of missing a penalty.
And that's why Stevenage lost a Floodlit League game they could have cakewalked. The result was a travesty. Athletic turned on some great football in one of the most enetertaining and exciting matches seen at Broadhall Way this season, and they still contrived to lose - paying the cost of lapsing back into their old ways just at the wrong moment.
So the bad news is that Stevenage chalked up another defeat - their tenth in 14 outings - and they haven't won in five games now.
The good news is that this run can't go on much longer if Athletic produce football of the calibre they produced in this match. After so many dreary performances, Stevenage at last gave their supporters something to shout about.
Unfortunately there weren't too many supporters around to do the shouting - just 202 of them, which must be an all-time low for Athletic.
POWERFUL
Stevenage brought in youth team player Steve Mahoney at substitute, while Alan Saunders, Keith Hargreaves and Steve Gear came back into the side.
Saunders, after his exploits for Knebworth on Saturday, had a fine match. He looked really confident, and his storming runs down the wing sparked Stevenage into a powerful attacking force from the start, though he and Jose Whishaw were guilty of missing chances.
Tony Butcher had his best game since he joined Stevenage, and Charlie West had a splendid match in midfield. He scored, came close with several other efforts, and with Hargreaves and Chris Long kept Stevenage moving.
The back row of Gear, Ray DIngwall, Ron Fogg and Pete Hawkins had their moments of panic, particularly at the beginning and the end of the second half, but generally looked more solid than of late. But poor John Burke will take a long time to forgive himself for the missed save that gave the Linnets their winning goal.
In the early stages, Whishaw had an effort blocked after a Gear-Saunders move out on the right, and Saunders missed a chance in front of goal following a neat cross by Butcher.
Then, after 14 minutes, Gear sent Saunders off on another high-speed run down the right wing. Saunders cut in, lashed a shot that keeper Harnwell parried out, and then clipped the rebound on to the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Butcher chased a through ball from West, but was pushed off it by centre-half Robinson. An indirect free kick was given, well inside the box. The defensive wall lined up on the goal-line, and the ball was teed up for Fogg, who heaved it well wide via a defender. From the corner Long put a header inches over.
STRANDED
Kings Lynn hadn't done much up to now, but they began to work their way into the game. First Bloxham came close with a mighty drive from outside the box, and then Brookes missed a good chance by blasting over after Burke dropped a cross from Radcliffe. Burke and Brookes did exactly the same thing a few minutes later.
Kings Lynn stayed on top at the start of the second half. Just after the interval, there was a terrible mix-up in the Stevenage defence, and Burke wa stranded yards out of position as Bloxham lost control of the ball on the slippery surface. But Burke was in just the right place a couple of minutes later to pull off a grand save from a Stewart shot.
After this, Athletic swept back into control of the game. Hargreaves was desperately unlucky to find Harnwell right in the way of his shot after Butcher caused untold chaos by stabbing the ball into the Linnets' box. On the hour, Hargreaves was in the picture again floating a beautiful free kick over the Kings Lynn wall. Only acrobatics from the keeper stopped Stevenage from going ahead this time.
Yet it was the visitors who took the lead. After 66 minutes Stewart broke away, and pushed the ball on for Rudd. The home defence were still trying to get back as Rudd flicked the ball across for the waiting BANSON to score a straight-forward goal. Burke had no chance.
Five minutes later, the excitement began to mount when Stevenage equalised. Butcher got the ball down to WEST, who lobbed home a tremendous first-time shot from the edge of the box.
But within seconds of the restart BANSON robbed Fogg and tried a hopeful shot from something like 30 yards. Burke stopped it at the post, but the ball rolled away from him and over the line.
EXCITEMENT
Three goals in six minutes ... and the action wasn't over yet. In the 77th minute, a penalty was given for a foul by Kings Lynn player-manager Wright. I don't quite know why it was Whishaw and not West who took it, but Harnwell dived to his left to save a rather weak spot kick.
There was still plenty of exictement still to come - but it was centred around the Stevenage goal. The visitors came dangerously close to making it 3-1 as time ran out.
Finally, having "knocked" referee Mr. J. B. Hazell for his handling of Hitchin's Amateur Cup tie, I feel obliged to say that he did a good job of work in this match.
Stevenage should never have lost by Alan Watson
Stevenage Athletic 1 Kings Lynn 2
SOMETIMES STEVENAGE supporters have left Broadhall Way feeling disillusioned. Sometimes they have left feeling downright disgusted. But they can seldom have left filled with such disbelief as they did on Monday night.
It was quite amazing that Athletic managed to lose this match. They completely dominated it for the first 20 minutes without scoring, went off the boil for a while, then came back in the second half to storm the Kings Lynn goal.
But they gave away a goal completley against the run of play, and after equalising handed the Linnets a ridiculously soft winner. To cap it all, they committed the cardinal sin of missing a penalty.
And that's why Stevenage lost a Floodlit League game they could have cakewalked. The result was a travesty. Athletic turned on some great football in one of the most enetertaining and exciting matches seen at Broadhall Way this season, and they still contrived to lose - paying the cost of lapsing back into their old ways just at the wrong moment.
So the bad news is that Stevenage chalked up another defeat - their tenth in 14 outings - and they haven't won in five games now.
The good news is that this run can't go on much longer if Athletic produce football of the calibre they produced in this match. After so many dreary performances, Stevenage at last gave their supporters something to shout about.
Unfortunately there weren't too many supporters around to do the shouting - just 202 of them, which must be an all-time low for Athletic.
POWERFUL
Stevenage brought in youth team player Steve Mahoney at substitute, while Alan Saunders, Keith Hargreaves and Steve Gear came back into the side.
Saunders, after his exploits for Knebworth on Saturday, had a fine match. He looked really confident, and his storming runs down the wing sparked Stevenage into a powerful attacking force from the start, though he and Jose Whishaw were guilty of missing chances.
Tony Butcher had his best game since he joined Stevenage, and Charlie West had a splendid match in midfield. He scored, came close with several other efforts, and with Hargreaves and Chris Long kept Stevenage moving.
The back row of Gear, Ray DIngwall, Ron Fogg and Pete Hawkins had their moments of panic, particularly at the beginning and the end of the second half, but generally looked more solid than of late. But poor John Burke will take a long time to forgive himself for the missed save that gave the Linnets their winning goal.
In the early stages, Whishaw had an effort blocked after a Gear-Saunders move out on the right, and Saunders missed a chance in front of goal following a neat cross by Butcher.
Then, after 14 minutes, Gear sent Saunders off on another high-speed run down the right wing. Saunders cut in, lashed a shot that keeper Harnwell parried out, and then clipped the rebound on to the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Butcher chased a through ball from West, but was pushed off it by centre-half Robinson. An indirect free kick was given, well inside the box. The defensive wall lined up on the goal-line, and the ball was teed up for Fogg, who heaved it well wide via a defender. From the corner Long put a header inches over.
STRANDED
Kings Lynn hadn't done much up to now, but they began to work their way into the game. First Bloxham came close with a mighty drive from outside the box, and then Brookes missed a good chance by blasting over after Burke dropped a cross from Radcliffe. Burke and Brookes did exactly the same thing a few minutes later.
Kings Lynn stayed on top at the start of the second half. Just after the interval, there was a terrible mix-up in the Stevenage defence, and Burke wa stranded yards out of position as Bloxham lost control of the ball on the slippery surface. But Burke was in just the right place a couple of minutes later to pull off a grand save from a Stewart shot.
After this, Athletic swept back into control of the game. Hargreaves was desperately unlucky to find Harnwell right in the way of his shot after Butcher caused untold chaos by stabbing the ball into the Linnets' box. On the hour, Hargreaves was in the picture again floating a beautiful free kick over the Kings Lynn wall. Only acrobatics from the keeper stopped Stevenage from going ahead this time.
Yet it was the visitors who took the lead. After 66 minutes Stewart broke away, and pushed the ball on for Rudd. The home defence were still trying to get back as Rudd flicked the ball across for the waiting BANSON to score a straight-forward goal. Burke had no chance.
Five minutes later, the excitement began to mount when Stevenage equalised. Butcher got the ball down to WEST, who lobbed home a tremendous first-time shot from the edge of the box.
But within seconds of the restart BANSON robbed Fogg and tried a hopeful shot from something like 30 yards. Burke stopped it at the post, but the ball rolled away from him and over the line.
EXCITEMENT
Three goals in six minutes ... and the action wasn't over yet. In the 77th minute, a penalty was given for a foul by Kings Lynn player-manager Wright. I don't quite know why it was Whishaw and not West who took it, but Harnwell dived to his left to save a rather weak spot kick.
There was still plenty of exictement still to come - but it was centred around the Stevenage goal. The visitors came dangerously close to making it 3-1 as time ran out.
Finally, having "knocked" referee Mr. J. B. Hazell for his handling of Hitchin's Amateur Cup tie, I feel obliged to say that he did a good job of work in this match.