Paddy Davitt King's Lynn 1, Whitby 1: Lynn chief Carl Heggs is backing ex-Coventry City striker Iyseden Christie to ease the burden on his Unibond Premier hot shot Gareth Sheldon.

Paddy Davitt

King's Lynn 1, Whitby 1

Lynn chief Carl Heggs is backing ex-Coventry City striker Iyseden Christie to ease the burden on his Unibond Premier hot shot Gareth Sheldon.

Heggs revealed the club are awaiting international clearance to complete a deal for the 32-year-old ex-Orient, Mansfield and Rochdale powerhouse.

Christie is currently plying his trade in Malta, having also featured at Conference Premier level for Kidderminster and Kettering in the past two seasons after scoring 70 goals in 230 Football League appearances.

The Coventry-born frontman will not be available for Lynn's Bank Holiday Unibond Premier Division trip to Retford today, where Sheldon eyes his fifth league goal of the opening fortnight.

Sheldon's close-range tap-in cancelled out Whitby skipper Anthony Hackworth's first-half thunderbolt past Lynn debutant keeper Danny Gay.

Lynn set up base camp in the visitors' half on the restart without making the vital breakthrough to clinch their first home league win of the new campaign.

"Iyseden hasn't signed yet but there is a deal in place," said Heggs.

"He's a real, real good centre forward who tried his luck out in Malta, but he hasn't settled so he is coming home.

"I'd loved to have thrown him on here for the final 20 minutes so he could have nicked us a goal because he's a natural goalscorer.

"If one comes in then one has to go. That is life unfortunately with the way things are here, but I've got my eye on another lad in the Conference and we've got another youngster who is due to come training this week.

"The bottom line is we're relying too much on Sheldon to score goals. In the first half Anthony Robinson puts a shot wide from six yards. You have to score those at any level - whether it's Sunday morning or Premiership. They have to be goals and it's driving me insane."

Lynn had strong penalty claims waved away in the final seconds when midfielder Callum Lloyd tumbled after bursting into the Whitby box.

"It's a penalty, full stop," said a frustrated Heggs. "I went up to the ref at full-time and he said he thought it was a penalty but it was too harsh - even though he put the whistle to his mouth. He reckoned he thought it was and then he changed his mind.

"OK, so give Callum a yellow card and we know where we stand, because he wouldn't have fell over on his own.

"Do one thing or the other. Make a decision. Don't wave your hands in the air. What does he think my player did? Jump over a blade of grass."

Lynn fell behind for the third consecutive home league game when Hackworth's sublime strike on the turn flew into Gay's top left-hand corner.

Heggs' side upped the ante after the break with Kettering loanee Ryan Beswick and Owen Story finally pegging the visitors back down either flank.

Beswick's cross-shot dropped invitingly for master poacher Sheldon to sidefoot home inside the six-yard box on 55 minutes.

"You can't keep dominating games and only getting a point," said Heggs.

"It sounds like I'm banging the drum but we are a good young side who are not getting our rewards. It's heart-breaking. I put a hole in the dressing room wall at half-time because I was fuming at the chances we were missing. We've limited Worksop to a shot on target and now Whitby to one shot.

"Teams will come here and look to soak up pressure but we've still got in behind on numerous occasions.

"If we were getting done four and five, I'd think, 'yeah, we're all over the shop' - but that isn't the case."

Midfielder Matty Birley is a major injury doubt for today's Retford test after limping out of the weekend action with an ankle problem. Jordan Smith is suspended while recent signing Jason Smedley is ineligible.

King's Lynn: Gay, Magunda, Martin, Birley (Webb 50), Boyce, Murray, Story, Lloyd, Sheldon, Robinson, Beswick. Subs (not used): Green, McAughtrie, Davey, McAnally.

Goal: Sheldon (55)

Whitby: Campbell, Close, A Gildea (L Gildea 20), Ingram, Hussan, Hansen, Ormerod (Raw 71), Hackworth, Blott (Brunskill 65), Tynon, Charlton. Subs (not used): Dalton, Lyth. Goal: Hackworth (23). Bookings: Hussan, Hackworth, Tynon

Referee: M Chester

Attendance: 871

Watch live updates of King's Lynn's trip to Retford today only on edp24.co.uk/kingslynn