Yet
again poor levels of concentration and defensive
sloppiness was their undoing, with Chris Tullin's
first goal of the season for the Valley only providing
the filling for a Matt O'Halloran sandwich, condemning
Rugby to defeat and consequentially a drop to
14th place in the table.
Both
of O'Halloran's goals came as a result of quick
free-kicks in the second half, after a first period
where Town had successfully frustrated the home
side and despite dominating the game in the last
half an hour of the game, Rugby were unable to
gain the justified reward for their efforts.
The
Town side showed one change from the defeat in
farcical conditions at Butlin Road two days before,
with Aaron Stringfellow returning to the starting
line-up in place of the unavailable Andrew Rigby
on the right hand side of midfield.
Rugby's
Farhad Afandiyev was the busiest of the two keepers
in the game's opening exchanges, although without
ever being really stretched by the King's Lynn
attack - for whom ultimate match winner O'Halloran
was the chief tormentor throughout.
Alex
Notman and Matt Nolan combined well for the home
side after just ten minutes and from the resulting
cross Afandiyev comfortably saved Frazer Toms's
effort.
Predictably
O'Halloran had the Linnets' best chance of the
half when his run on goal was thwarted by an alert
Afandiyev, and then on the stroke of half-time
Afandiyev again was in good form when he tipped
Notman's header over the bar.
Rugby's
clearest goalscoring opportunity had fallen to
top scorer Jason Taylor, but he blasted wide from
close range. Aside from that, David Stone's off-target
strike and a weak free-kick from Matt Gearing
were the visitor's other main attempts of the
half.
The
second period was a more open affair, and King's
Lynn opened the scoring just two minutes after
the restart, when quick thinking from a free-kick
saw Nolan break down the left and his cross to
the far post evaded a number of Rugby defenders
before it reached an unmarked O'Halloran - who
calmly stroked the ball home.
Chris
Tullin's 30 yard speculative cross-cum-shot
from a wide right position then caught home keeper
Shaun Marshall off-guard, flying over his head,
off the upright and into the net to bring the
scores level again.
Unfortunately
this state of parity was relatively short-lived,
and just past the hour mark another sharply taken
free-kick saw O'Halloran released again in the
box - this time by Notman - and the nippy winger
once more took his goal with confidence.
Rugby
pressed forward again in search of another equaliser,
and with Gearing in particular looking threatening,
they found Marshall in solid form between the
sticks - saving well from Danny Hall's free-kick
and from Gearing's own well-hit effort.
Jason
Taylor struck the post from close range after
the ball had fallen to him from substitute Scott
Wells, and in the dying moments of the game skipper
Craig Herbert appeared to have a perfectly legitimate
goal disallowed for a nudge in the back of a King's
Lynn defender.
