Paddy Davitt King's Lynn player/boss Carl Heggs is confident his men are getting to grips with the Unibond Premier Division.The Linnets were denied second spot by a late Frickley leveller in midweek after Peterborough loanee Kwesi Appiah had opened his account for the club.

Paddy Davitt

King's Lynn player/boss Carl Heggs is confident his men are getting to grips with the Unibond Premier Division.

The Linnets were denied second spot by a late Frickley leveller in midweek after Peterborough loanee Kwesi Appiah had opened his account for the club.

Heggs, however, detects tangible signs of improvement from his raw recruits in the rough and tumble of Northern League combat.

“It reminded me a lot of the Buxton away game when we went 1-0 up and got beaten 2-1 that night,” he said. “We've come a massive way since then. In this league you have to be hard to beat and prepared to roll up your sleeves. I spoke to their manager and he said this is the most difficult one of all the feeder leagues to get out of. There isn't a side who will run away with it and you have to be at it every week or you'll get turned over. Trust me, a lot of teams will go there and get beaten.”

Heggs admits it is vital to maintain Lynn's momentum this weekend ahead of Matlock's re-arranged home league visit.

“We've come to two difficult places and got four points so Matlock is huge,” he said. “I don't care how we get them, but we just get those three points. Of course it feels a bit like we've lost two points the other night but I'm not going to have a go at the lads. I went mad at them against Worksop, I went mad at them against Whitby - not after Tuesday's game.

“It was an awful night weather-wise and that is not an excuse but you couldn't do anything on the ball, get it down, try to pass. For me, it's a point closer to where we want to be. That is how I look at it. I couldn't see them getting an equaliser to be honest. I thought we'd see it out just like on Saturday. We looked so solid and the Frickley centre halves were saying to me they didn't look like scoring from open play as the game wore on.”

Heggs' led the line for the full 90 minutes on his return from suspension and admits Lynn's lack of attacking options could force him into an extended run.

“I think I bumped the average age of the side up by about ten years,” he said. “In an ideal world I wouldn't have played the whole game. I've got no worries on the fitness side but Owen (Story) had a great chance before Kwesi scored. If those two had gone in I would have come off for the final 15.

“One thing I learned about us after the Nantwich defeat is we need that presence - someone to win second balls, otherwise we can't get going. That is no disrespect to the strikers we have here but both Kewsi and Robbo (Anthony Robinson) like to run off a big man. I know I'll win us six or seven free kicks every game just through my experience. I was pleased for Kwesi. It was a great goal and something we work on - me getting the knock downs and Owen hitting the first time ball for Kwesi to spin in behind.”Heggs believes wide players Story and new Farsley signing Ben Muirhead can form a deadly supply line.

“It wasn't really Ben's type of game at Frickley,” said Heggs. “He couldn't get the ball down and play in those conditions and he struggled to get into. Don't forget he has only just met the lads but he will be a good addition and he can work well in tandem with Owen who was top drawer again.

“He's been like that in recent weeks and I think with him he is benefiting from the atmosphere and team spirit we have created. He seems to have responded and grown in this environment. Everybody goes out on the pitch desperate to do well for each other. If someone makes a mistake the others want to help put it right. Hopefully everyone can see now we have a good young side moving in the right direction. I make that two defeats in 12 - with everything that's been thrown at us I'll take that.”

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