King's Lynn Town 0 Chorley 0
Adam Lakeland says he has faith in King’s Lynn Town owner Stephen Cleeve after more financial issues were revealed.
Cleeve says he needs £50,000 to pay the bills before the end of June and has asked fans to consider paying an extra £10 on top of the usual entrance fee for the Good Friday game at home to Scunthorpe.
Some fans made their views clear during the opening stages of Saturday’s game, but Lynn boss Lakeland – whose team are one place outside the National League North play-off zone – says he believes Cleeve will solve the problem.
Cleeve used his matchday programme notes to highlight the financial issue, saying he had two deals worth £300,000 in place for next season.
Having spoken to Cleeve, the manager asked that programmes were kept out of the home team dressing room before the game, but insisted he believed Cleeve would find a resolution.
“It's something that doesn't bother me, to be honest,” he said. “It's out of my control and it's above my remit.
“It was like this in January last year when we were bottom of the league and the chairman always finds a way and I have that trust in him. So, it's not an issue for me and it's not an issue for the players and we crack on.”
Lakeland did, however, protect his players.
“I said ‘I don't want you putting any programmes in the home changing room’, because
it's my job to protect the players and I'll do that,” he said. “They don't need to be reading nonsense like that before a game.
“But me and the chairman have that relationship where he speaks honestly and frankly to me and I think he respects that I do the same to him. So, I told him what I thought and he took it on board.
“I have nothing but respect and trust in the chairman. It's the reason why I came down here 20 months ago because he's a really good guy and he's always got the club's best interests at heart and he's put a lot of his own personal wealth into this club and he continues to do so, along with obviously (investor) Joe (Chua). So, he'll find a way because he always does.”
The financial issues are an unwelcome backroom drama to Lynn’s season which is now approaching the final four games, with the play-offs within reach but the team’s destiny out of their hands. The remaining game sees them play away to two relegated teams – Farsley Celtic and Needham Market – and two promotion contenders – current leaders Scunthorpe and fourth-placed Chester.
Saturday’s visitors Chorley are fifth, two places ahead of Lynn, who are behind Hereford on goal difference.
There was little to separate the two – the visitors hit the post while Josh Hmami was denied by a good save, but it was a game in which defences were at their best.
“It was exactly what we expected it to be,” said Lakeland. “We thought it would be a tight game. Set plays were massively important, probably for both teams, long throws for both teams. I felt we played some really good football, in the first half especially. Second half, we didn't really use the ball well enough, maybe a little bit of nervousness, perhaps a little bit of courage to try and play and move the ball when, obviously, you're in a game where the stakes are pretty high.
“But the players, other than scoring, did everything that we asked them to. They've had a good week this week prepping for this game.
“We've just not done enough to win it, but I felt we performed very well against a very good team. Obviously, we wanted to win the game, but I don't think a draw is a disastrous result for us either because it's pretty much as you were.”
King’s Lynn Town: Jones, Crowe, Sass, McFadden, Wilson, Johnson, Taylor, Crane, Hmami, Warburton (Marsden 75), Omotayo. Subs not used: Coulson, Boyes, Margetts, Ronan.
Chorley: Urwin, Henley, Ellis, Wilson, Calveley, Carr (Whitehouse 62), Horbury, Blakeman, Hall (Touray) 90, Clarke, Leckie. Subs not used: Nolan, Moore, Senior.
Att: 1,066
