King’s Lynn Town boss Adam Lakeland faces his former club this weekend when Curzon Ashton head to The Walks.
Revenge may well be somewhere in Lakeland’s mind given the atmosphere at The Walks when the teams met in January when the visitors waltzed off with the points after a 4-0 win that really did reflect their superiority on the night.
Lakeland wasn’t building a team to win the league then, he was building one to stay in it: the spectre of relegation followed them around, although the Curzon defeat was the last for 11 games as Lynn picked up enough points to ensure safety. But it was a night when the atmosphere and post-match reaction bordered on the hostile.
Lynn’s fans weren’t entirely on board the survival bus then, but the subsequent great escape coupled with the good start to the current campaign has changed things. Not all is nice and rosy – a few fans were less than enamoured with the Bank Holiday Monday home defeat to Peterborough Sports, and made their feelings known; both management and supporters caught up in the immediate emotions after the final whistle.
But proof that Lakeland and assistant Sam Walker, who came with him from Curzon, has a good core of support was evident in last Saturday’s win at Radcliffe and the midweek goalless draw at Scarborough Athletic. Sitting third in the National League North table helps – and Lakeland is convinced the fans have played their part.
“The supporters always travel well and it doesn’t go unnoticed,” he told the club's official channels after Tuesday’s draw. “You can see the way they clapped the lads off at the end that they appreciated their efforts.
“It’s another good point for us – that's three unbeaten on the road and we look forward to the next game.
“I’m sure the supporters will be out in their numbers and we’ll be looking for another positive result.”
Lynn fans will be expecting a very different performance than the last time the teams met, but Curzon defender Devon Matthews knows what they will be facing from his former manager.
“It’s a cliché but it’s just another game,” he said. “We know what type of teams he likes to build, they will be athletic, they will work hard so we know what to expect on Saturday. We’ve just got to match them. We will go there on Saturday and be positive and we’ll go for the win again.”
The difference between the teams is wafer thin – Curzon are a place behind, and both teams have the same goal difference, but Lynn have scored one more goal.
Lynn will still be without Kian Ronan, but Cody Johnson is available despite being sent off a Scarborough.
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