Chorley 0, King's Lynn Town 1 ​Magpies hit by late double-whammy

As a tight contest was drawing to a close level, the Magpies were awarded a free-kick 20 yards out in the 88th minute, which was taken by Billy Whitehouse.

His well-struck shot crashed against the underside of the bar and bounced beyond the line into the sidenet of the goal – as photographic evidence later showed conclusively.

The Chorley players turned away in celebration but referee Dale Baines unaccountably failed to award the goal despite wholesale protests which resulted in Magpies’ manager Andy Preece and his assistant Chris Anderson. receiving yellow cards.

To add insult injury, the visitors then won the match a minute later.

The Chorley boss was incandescent with rage in his post-match interview: “It was disgraceful on the part of the match officials. You’ve got to get those decisions right. The ball has clearly hit the side-netting inside the goal. The linesman has got a great view and there’s just no excuse for missing it. I’m gutted for the players. They were just so good against a very talented side.”

It may have taken the Magpies most of the first half to get to grips with a team accomplished in their passing and quick movement on and off the ball. Matt Urwin in goal made several crucial interventions, including a full-stretch tip-over from a Gold Omotayo short-range header.

But the second half was a completely different story as Chorley seized control and it was Linnets’ keeper Tommy Dixon-Hodge’s turn to take centre-stage.

He saved brilliantly from Whitehouse and Jack Sampson and even more impressively as he beat out a stinging drive from Chorley substitute Marco Rus who made an outstanding contribution in a full second-half debut with a series of darting runs and clever control.

But he ought to have had no chance to save when Jon Ustabasi fired wastefully over from 10 yards, a clear chance created by Rus’s clever pass and resultant pin-point low centre from Adam Henley.

Rus’s introduction just before the break followed a serious injury to Connor Hall who sustained a suspected collar-bone fracture in a goalmouth challenge. This was a double setback for the Magpies who had already lost defender Harvey Smith to injury after just eight minutes.

Home fans in a fine crowd of 1100 were on tenterhooks as Chorley threw everything at the visitors in the closing stages but there was to be a real sting in the tail after the disallowed 88th minute ‘goal’.

Within a minute, the Linnets broke at pace and a cross from the right was met by Omotayo, rising highest at the far post to power a header beyond Urwin and snatch victory.

CHORLEY : Urwin, Henley, Smith (Leather, 8), Wilson, Whitehouse, Calveley, Sampson, Ustabasi, Nolan, Finney, Hall (Rus, 44). Unused subs. Tomlinson, Shenton, Johnson.