City began the game looking like they were set to carry on the form that saw them beat Merthyr, Newport and Salisbury in their previous three outings but having failed to test Linnets keeper Wilson they almost gifted the Norfolk side the lead after seven minutes. Mark Hervin's attempted clearance failed to go any further than Clarke 30 yards from goal. He controlled the ball before lofting it back towards the unguarded goal only for the desperately retreating Hervin to somehow twist in mid run and push it to safety. And five minutes later City had another close escape. Hayes' speculative 25-yarder took a deflection off Towler to leave Hervin rooted to his spot. It struck the inside of the post and spun across the goal before City could gratefully clear it. This finally seemed to rouse City and, as at Salisbury, Andy Williams became a major influence in the game. A number of teasing crosses from the former Southampton man just failed to find Milsom or Foster before he tried his luck himself, forcing a smart stop out of Wilson from a 20-yard free-kick. A long clearance by Hervin almost set up Foster, he lifted a first time shot over the bar, and the same players acrobatic overhead effort was easily held by Wilson. Three minutes before the break the visitors should have taken the lead when Anderson met a free kick only for his header to fly wide of Hervin's goal.

However, this escape was only temporary as ten minutes into the second period Lynn broke the deadlock. Dakin's right wing cross was headed back across goal by Clarke and Bloomfield turned the ball home from close range. If City were to find a way back into the game it was going to come from down the left flank as Williams and Powell continually pushed forward. It was from the latters low cross that March took the ball of Watts' toe with the midfielder looking certain to score after 60 minutes. A minute later half-time substitute Zabek fired a good chance over the bar as City began to gain the upper hand possession wise but fail to find a way past the King's Lynn backline. When Foster did find room in the box, on 72 minutes, he could only turn Milsom's knock-down high over the bar. City's final chance to grab a point came deep into stoppage time when a William's corner was only cleared as far as Thorne, but his rising shot was turned away by Wilson and the Linnets could make the long journey home victorious.