Fallon Davies reports from Docherty Walks…
After a rough run of form for Marine which saw them start their season off without a point and without a goal, a change of formation and a quality performance by the Iron Men helped the Mariners show the rest of the league what they are capable of.
Despite what the full time score may tell you, the game wasn’t always in Marine’s hands. In the thirteenth minute as a lapse in concentration resulted in them breaking shape allowing King’s Lynn to gain control of the game after remarkable footwork by the hosts’ Ross Crane and a great finish, as he rapped the ball into the far left corner of the goal leaving Jack McIntyre with no chance of saving it.
Marine didn’t let the hosts’ early goal affect them as for the rest of the first half they maintained their shape and continued to follow Bobby Grant’s tactics as they sat off and waited for King’s Lynn to make a mistake.
They finished the half without a shot on target but we still got to see quality attacking performances from the front two George Kattah and George Newell, with Kattah making great runs with the ball at his feet into the Linnets’ eighteen yard box.
The Mariners came out for the second half more than ready to get back at it as they seemed to have the majority of possession and when the hosts had the ball they didn’t do so for long.
Jack Doyle whipped in another cross met by the hand of a King’s Lynn man as the ref blew for a penalty, Fin Sinclair-Smith steps up to take and shot bottom left however everyone in the ground went completely silent as the attempt went off one post and onto the other until finally crossing the line for Marine’s first goal of the season.
Marine continued their dominance during the second half as on his first full start George Kattah found himself with the ball in the middle of the park, going one on one with goalkeeper Hollingshead before slotting the ball through the keeper’s legs for Marine’s second.
Marine gained full control of the match in the eighty fifth minute after a great clearance by skipper Josh Wardle found Matty McDonald on the half way line, the midfielder scoring a similar but still spectacular goal to Kattah as he carried the ball down the field while holding off a defender before chipping the keeper and getting a Marine third.
Despite holding a great lead with only a couple minutes to go that didn’t stop Marine from continuing to press as another attack by the visitors saw Sonny Hilton find the ball fall to his feet just inside the eighteen yard box, before smashing Marines fourth and final goal into the back of the net.
Marine (4-4-2): McIntyre, Abankwah, Drysdale, Wardle, Doyle, Hilton (Huby 90′), Whelan, McDonald, Sinclair-Smith, Newell (Darby 78′), Kattah (Hodkin 75′) Unused Subs: Barrett, Butler, McAleny, Potter.
Attendance: 1,206.