NARROW DEFEAT TO PLAYOFF CHASING KINGS LYNN

Needham Market's home league campaign drew to a close with a harsh 1-0 defeat to King's Lynn Town. 

While both sides looked lively going forward, there was little of note at either end.

Josh Tomlinson was well placed to block Jonny Margetts' 11th minute shot, with the forward hitting a low tame shot from a tight angle straight at goalkeeper Marcus Garnham ten minutes later. 

Garnham was then well placed to deny Omotayo's close range header on 44 minutes, before Keiran Morphew denied Greg Taylor's effort in the third minute of first half additional time. 

After the restart, a dangerous Tevan Allen right wing free-kick was missed but goalkeeper Paul Jones with Dan Morphew going down after having seemingly been fouled, though referee Nathan Oakes was unmoved in the 51st minute. 

With the Linnets pushing to cement a play-off place, it was Needham who looked the likelier to break the deadlock when Luke Ingram headed away a corner at the near post finding Tevan Allen, the winger then released Ted Collis driving through the visitors' half only for his inviting ball across the face of goal to just evades Ben Hunter at point blank range on 56 minutes. 

Reggie Lambe couldn't quite connect with Jacob Lay's cutback a minute later, before Josh Hmami fired his shot wide from a tight angle just after the hour mark. 

Ted Collis then produced the best chance of the afternoon, rasping a low well curled 30-yard strike towards the far corner only for a deflection to divert it just wide on 62 minutes. 

Margetts meanwhile dragged a half-volleyed shot wide of the bottom corner three minutes later as Needham remained the team in the ascendency. 

Dan Morphew made way for Eddie Barker before Reggie Lambe's shot from Jacob Lay's cross was blocked on 75 minutes. 

Ollie Fraser replaced Lay, while Garnham thwarted a low effort brilliantly at his near post in the 80th minute. 

Two minutes later, Marcus Garnham was on hand to mark his final Needham game with a smart low diving stop to his left-hand side to tip a close range shot away. 

With three minutes left on the clock, Kings Lynn snatched all three points but not before Marcus Garnham flew high to his right to deny ex Marketmen Ross Crane, with Kian Ronan tapping home the resulting low ball across from the byline despite seeming offside.  

Ben Hunter was sent off for a controversial challenge deep in stoppage time as Needham switch focus to a trip to Darlington for the final game of the season on Saturday (3pm).

Club legend Marcus Garnham reflects on his final game for the Marketmen. 

DK: Unfortunately, your last game went in defeat, but a good one nonetheless. 

MG: Yeah, the boys played exceptionally well. You could see we were getting a bit tired towards the end, but we made a good account of ourselves. They're flying, they're full-time. I think second half they came out and were a much, much better side than they were first half, but we matched them for long periods and, yeah, it's a shame at the end they get in and one-on-one they get it in, but that's the way it goes, isn't it? Story of our season, really. 

DK: Yeah, so close to that clean sheet in your final game.

MG: Yeah, close, but not quite close enough, eh? So, yeah, it's been wonderful being here. So, they've got nothing but good memories, so looking forward to the next challenge or whatever comes my way. So, yeah, quality.

DK: You leave here with plenty of highlights. 

MG: Yeah, we've achieved so much together. It's been fantastic.I mean, there's only one season, I think, where we weren't very good in the league, in the league below, but everything else has been perfect. Yeah, it's been brilliant and it's a shame we couldn't stay up this year, but we gave it everything we got. They'll learn a lot from it and, you know, Tom will take them on next year and take a lot of what they've learned this year into next season as well, so that'll be good. So, yeah, I wish the boys all the best and I'm sure they'll go and smash it next year. 

DK: Fitting that you were man of match.

MG: Yeah, I mean, I'm not sure they'd have given it to me if I'd have chucked three or four in, but, yeah, it's nice to finish on a high and contribute and, you know, it's been a tricky season for myself as well as the team. So, yeah, it's just nice to finish on a positive, on a high. 

DK: Can you pick many highlights from your time with us? 

MG: Where do I start? Richard Wilkins getting the sack a few months after I signed that was class, that was a real positive start to my time at Needham. And then Kev came in and just breathed confidence through the whole team, got the best out of me. And then we went on a crazy trophy run, which was ridiculous, which I'll never forget. Then the crazy FA Cup run, then the league, then the Conference North. And then now, here we are today, like, it's been brilliant. I'll never forget it. It's been superb.

DK: Like you said, with the FA Trophy run, Yeovil, and those penalty saves you made, that must be at the forefront. 

MG: Yeah, I mean, even like beating Dartford and things like that here, still making like an important save in the game and things like that, you know. Like that run, everyone contributed something really important each game, which is really good.So, yeah, it's unbelievable. It's been brilliant. 

DK: That's kind of epitomised us as a team, really.

MG: Yeah, it has, yeah. Everyone's got each other's backs and hopefully they can carry on a bit next year. 

DK: What's the one thing you're going to miss most about this club? 

MG: Being the best-looking in the squad, probably. Having the best body. Best, most charisma. Nah, I'll just miss, like, you know, all the volunteers and the lads, more importantly, but the volunteers, all the people that help out, it's just great. They do so much for little thanks, if any. So I want to thank them for everything they do. And, you know, there's just so many great people that do so much for us. The kids, like, I teach a lot of the kids that are here. They love it here. You know, it's just nice people that run this club, you know. And that are so well intentioned and they deserve to come back at this level again, if they can. So, yeah. 

DK: Throughout your time here, you've mainly been the number one, but this year you've had the challenge of two very able understudies that have came in and given you competition.

DK: Yeah, the young lad, Danny's come in, great lad, fresh out of professional football, a lot of good attributes. And then you've got Blunks, he's come in, he's just a lovely lad himself. And, you know, I've had injuries this year and stuff, which hasn't helped. This is the first time, I think, in years that I've actually been injured and not played, or even mistakes in games. Like, I've probably made the same amount of mistakes I've made this year that I would have made in the past five years, if that makes sense. So, it's disappointing, ut they're just more ruthless the higher you go up, you know. So, you know, it's a shame that we can't continue. But, you know, on to the next challenge and something, you know, hopefully something more, something positive will come out of this season for myself and the lads.

DK: In a way, you could say it's kind of like, not really the perfect, but the next best perfect way to be leaving with the club at the highest point it's ever been. 

MG: Yeah, I don't think there's going to be many other clubs that achieve what we've achieved here. I know Lowestoft did when they were flying many years ago, but yeah, like, imagine being one of the only Suffolk clubs to ever get to this level and compete. No one can take that away from you, that's history, isn't it? So, yeah, you know, I hope I can imagine these boys, you know, work hard in the summer and come back and they'll be fighting fit and raring to go to try and get back up to this level, to play in front of those big crowds and those big stadiums and those nice pitches. And I wish them all the best and I really genuinely hope they do it.

DK: As far as I'm aware, you must have the most clean sheets of most Suffolk keepers at step three and must be a record last year with the amount you kept. 

MG: Yeah, I mean, it's not all down to me, it's down to everyone defending as a team. You know, I do my thing at the end to try and keep the ball out the back and when you've got people like Keiran and Dan playing in front of you, it's quite easy most of the time. Yeah, and you've had Hammy playing right back, Jakey Dye, Tommy this year and last year. Like, they're just great players and good lads as well who, you know, take it on the chin when you tell them what's what, but they also work incredibly hard to improve themselves, which is, you know, testament to themselves and to where we're at. That's what got us to where we need to be. 

DK: Yeah, and like you've said, this team has quite a young core with experience dripped in. 

MG: Yeah, 100%. So, you've got your Dan and Keiran, you've got Ingers who's played three million games for the club, then you've got, from midfield, you've got Hunts who's got unbelievable energy on him, but also a lot of quality on the ball, and you've got Hammy that drops in there. So, you've got so many players that they'll keep a hold of that, you know, will only help the youngsters when they come up into the first team, you know. You've got Barks come along, who's been training with us all season. Did he look out of place? No. Then you've got other young lads who come in. Do they look out of place? No. But that's just, you know, the more experience they get, the more they're exposed to this sort of level, it's only going to hold them in good stead for, you know, their future, wherever they end up, whatever they end up doing. 

DK: You've made no small feat of around about 250, I believe, for the club? 

MG: Yeah, 250. It's been enjoyable. It's been lovely. Every single one, every single game I've enjoyed, probably apart from Brackley at home, when they went 3-0 up after about 10 minutes.

DK: Not Buxton? 

MG: Oh, Buxton. I try not to think about that game. That game never existed. That was horrendous. That was like everything they did hit the back of the net and I was like, great, cheers. Unbelievable. So, yeah, you know, it's been great to contribute to this club and to see it grow. It'd be nice to come back and, you know, six points off you again next year, wherever we end up, and beat you in the trophy, beat you in the FA Cup as well, and celebrate in the clubhouse afterwards. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? 

DK: Who do you reckon would be in goal for us that game then? 

MG: Oh, who knows? You, probably Drew, I reckon. 

Manager Tom Rothery gave his thoughts on Monday's game. 

DK: Not the greatest end to our home league campaign? 

TR: No. As I said to the players, I thought we were really good today. I thought we played really well. I thought we worked really hard. I thought we were the better team, personally. I'm sure they'll have a view on it. I thought we were really good but unfortunately, again, that does sum up our season. The goal we've given away and the chances that we kind of created but didn't take. I just think this season, that has kind of been the story of the season. It always looks like we are vulnerable to conceding if we don't take a chance or we don't get ahead. And again, sadly, that is what's happened. 

DK: It would have been brilliant to have kept a clean sheet for Marco's last game. 

TR: Yeah, of course. Like I said before the game, obviously it was important for Marco, his last home game. That is important but he's also got a job to do. But yeah, it would have been really nice for him to finish with a clean sheet. He had a good game, didn't he, overall? So, shame but unfortunately, like I said, that is kind of how the season's gone for us. We haven't kept enough clean sheets and we haven't scored enough goals. That's why we're fourth from bottom. 

DK: On the other end of the pitch, we were unlucky not to really score an opener ourselves.

TR: Yeah, I genuinely thought it was a good performance. I thought the lads played really well. I thought we worked hard.I thought we nullified them and I thought we had a lot more of the ball. I don't know what possession terms would be but I thought we had a lot more of the ball. The first half, I thought we had the better of the game without creating too much.Whereas the second half, I thought we had the better of the game and created some good moments. Nothing really clear-cut and Dan felt he was pulled down from a set-piece for a penalty. I'm trying to think of other instances where we had a couple of good crosses that went flashing in the box.A couple of little half-chances. Teddy had a nice strike from distance and Reggie was unlucky from a cross where it broke and he tried to get his shot off. We had a few moments but again, nothing really clear-cut, did we? 

DK: One of the other key moments, I know the game was pretty much dead and buried at that point, was Hunts' red card.

TR: It looked really harsh in lifetime, hadn't it? As always, I can be proven wrong but the decisions we've been on the end of this season, I don't think we've had a decision all season. So, Friday's game, even though we're not talking about Friday's game, Friday's game, obviously we've seen the footage now, Teddy was definitely brought down. It was definitely a penalty.That was at 0-0. Instead of that, Teddy gets sent off. We're down to 10 men at 0-0 so we could be 1-0 up. We could have 11 v 11 still and today, it doesn't affect the game. I thought the yellow card on Teddy in the first half for the challenge that he made, I thought it was a perfectly good challenge. I don't think there was anything wrong with that. He gets a yellow card for that and then Hunts at the end, the referee said he's gone over the top of the ball. I didn't see that personally. I thought it was a very hard challenge. I didn't think he was above the ball at all. He didn't go studs up. His foot was down but like I said, I'll have to see the video but it's very hard to get stuff like that overturned, sadly. I definitely didn't think it was a red card live. Definitely not.Again, it comes down to consistency. Because he booked Teddy, I'm not a big fan of appealing for other players from other teams to get yellow cards or red cards but you just want consistency.At the end of the day, Teddy was booked in the first half five minutes before the foul on Jake. The tackle on Jake, I don't mind it. I think it's a hard tackle. I think he's got the ball and man. I don't mind it but if the referee's not going to allow the tackle that Teddy made and give a yellow card for that, I can't see how that tackle then on Jake isn't a yellow card because actually the lad was more out of control. It was more aggressive and it was more of a foul even though, like I said, I still don't think it was a foul.I personally like those sort of tackles. I would like that still to be in the game but largely that is coming out of the game and that showed again today. 

DK: Will we be missing Hunts for the trip to Darlington? 

TR: We shouldn't be, no, because it's seven days, isn't it? So, we should be okay. Obviously, Teddy will be out. Jamie's struggling with his knee which is why he was an unused sub today. Seth sadly turned his ankle playing for the reserves on Saturday so he's going to be in doubt. Obviously, we've got Tommy Smith is out with his ankle. I can't see him being available Saturday. We've got quite a few bodies injured at the moment so we'll have to train Thursday to see who's available and who's ready and we'll probably have to ask a couple of players just to help us out and be a last resort on the bench maybe if required but we'll get the best squad that we can available for Darlington.Simple as that. That's all we can do, isn't it? It's just last game of the season. Go out on the high as much as possible. As much as this season has been a failure, we've got relegated, there's still many, many positives to take out of it and one of them is the lads' attitude and their commitment to finishing the season correctly because at no stages there's been a downing of tools or a lack of effort. I think anyone at the game today can see that. Anyone at Friday's game would have seen that and I think they've shown that all season after we've been relegated and before we've been relegated.I think we haven't lacked effort and intensity, we've just lacked a little bit of quality at times and sadly that's why we are going to be relegated.