King's Lynn Town boss Lakeland on Gold Omotayo signing

Omotayo was a surprise summer signing for many, but the Linnets boss had already tried once, and failed, to get the 30-year-old back on loan last season, when firepower at The Walks was lacking.

The summer presented another opportunity and this time Lakeland got his man – but not without a fight.

Gold Omotayo (Image: Grace Chestney)

“I tried to get him last season to be honest, when he was available, potentially for loan,” he said. “He obviously went to Kidderminster and stayed in the National League. But I've been trying to get him all summer. It took quite a while and a lot of hard work and support from the chairman, but I was pretty clear - I felt that he'd be somebody who could really complement Bart (Cybulski) and Jonny (Margetts).

“Obviously he is well known at the club and supporters should be excited by him coming back and hopefully for our players and our supporters, it just shows our intent, that we want to be better this year and we obviously want to be a lot more positive and try and win a lot more games of football. I think it's good business for us.”

Last season’s disappointing campaign, when Lynn finished 18th, is now behind them and Lakeland has a full pre-season to build a team to challenge at the top end. The new signings are, he believes, a signal of intent.

“I think you naturally get that when you bring good players in to your football club, but we've needed to bring quite a lot in,” said Lakeland.

“I think that's eight now that we've brought in so far, we're still looking for maybe one or two.

“We've been pretty clear right from the off that we need to be better this season. We underachieved last year as a team and probably as a football club on the whole, but that's gone now.

“There's been a lot of hard work gone into the recruitment to try and improve the team, but there's also a lot of hard work going on at the stadium, to make improvements around there as well and just to hopefully start the season with a new energy and a freshness and one that everybody in the town can be positive and get behind.”

Cybulski earned Lynn victory at Trafford Park on Tuesday, his first coming minutes after Wroxham had taken an early-second half lead through Ryan Miles. Lynn won 4-0 at Deeping Rangers last weekend and Lakeland was happy how the early stages if preparation for the new campaign have gone.

“I’m happy with certain aspects of our game,” he said. “Probably the most pleasing was how much of a threat we looked when we did have chances to break in the game, mostly off corners, but I thought we looked quite a threat at times.

“Obviously we had quite a lot of possession, but I think you have got to give credit to them. They were well organised and competitive and made it difficult for us. We created some chances, didn't quite manage to capitalise on a few, the keeper made a couple of good saves, but the main thing you want is just the minutes in the players and to come through unscathed and we managed to do that again, so another good night for us.”

King’s Lynn Town (first half): Paul Jones, Kyle McFadden, Paulius Falcao, Tom Wilson, Freddie Sass, Ben Isaacson, Tommy Hughes, Josh Hmami, Trialist, Ross Crane, Gold Omotayo

Second half: Pat Boyes, Kyle McFadden, Ted Johnson, Greg Taylor, Kian Ronan, Ben Isaacson, Josh McCammon, Cameron Forde Brown, Trialist, Jonny Margetts, Bart Cybulski.