Rob Garratt King's Lynn had mixed emotions after their bumper February began with their first ever point at Clevedon.

Rob Garratt

King's Lynn 3, Banbury United 1

Lynn look in the mood for a Southern League, Premier Division title fight after this comeback win over Banbury.

Ady Fuller fired the Puritans into a surprise early lead from the penalty spot but Jack Defty, Danny Bloomfield and Joe Francis buried Banbury before the break.

Keith Webb's men remain top on goals scored after wins for championship rivals Team Bath and Halesowen left the trio locked on 54 points.

Lynn go toe-to-toe with both clubs in the space of four days before the month is out as the exciting Southern Premier title race boils to a climax.

"I was delighted with the character of the boys," said Webb. "We don't seem to do anything by halves although if I'm honest I felt the penalty was harsh.

"He looked as if he was playing for it but even then I knew we wouldn't be in any danger. Not once we scored the first. It was just a matter of time before we got the second."

Webb saluted Lynn's hard nosed second half approach.

"It's about winning games now," he said. "The performance after the break wasn't the best but for all I say at half-time once they cross that white line, the players are on their own.

"I wanted them to be positive, keep turning the screw and the message was to go and get a fourth.

"That would've killed the game - dead and buried - but I wanted us to do it in a manner where we didn't go gung-ho and end up shooting ourselves in the foot.

"You also have to look at the way Banbury set up. They came trying to stop us by going 4-5-1. Once they did that they had nothing else to come at us with until they put two up top and went a little braver."

Lynn had a horror start when Scott Bridge tumbled under Ben Sedgemore's challenge inside the box and Fuller sent Scott Howie the wrong way from the spot.

Michael Frew's snap header flew wide from Mark Warren's knockdown with the hosts probing for an instant reply.

Frew's point blank header struck team mate Greg Crane as Banbury withstood a growing onslaught.

Defty peeled off his marker to plant a header against the Puritans' crossbar before Andy Wheeler hacked clear.

Lynn's in-form striker shrugged off Mark Essex to crash a volley past Wheeler from Frew's hanging cross - Defty's fourth in five league matches.

Strike partner Bloomfield's recent lean spell ended minutes later when he raced onto Sedgemore's weighted pass to expertly roll past Wheeler.

Wayne Blossom's near post block denied Defty a second after Crane's slaloming run had teed up Frew.

West sprung the overlapping Frew who teased a cross to the back stick, which was stabbed home by Francis five minutes before the interval.

Blossom's header was ruled out for offside in first half stoppage time after Howie parried Baird's initial near post flick.

Bloomfield profited from Defty's aerial prowess on the hour mark but his sharp turn and strike flew wide. Crane's last ditch header foiled Matty Gooderick at the opposite end.

Fuller's free kick slammed Lynn's four man wall on 74 minutes - Bridges clubbing the ricochet off target.

Banbury sub Tom Bryan marked his arrival with a fizzing strike that hit Crane before Sedgemore blocked Stanbridge's piledriver in a late flourish.

King's Lynn: Howie, West, Chapman, Warren, Crane, Camm (Fisk 84), Frew (Turner 82), Sedgemore, J Defty, Bloomfield (Nolan 70), Francis. Subs (not used): Murray, C Defty.

Banbury: Wheeler, Feely (Bryan 81), Kinch, Essex, Baird, Fuller, Bridges, Blossom (Murphy 55), Bridge (Gooderick 45), Gordon, Stanbridge.

Ref: B O'Sullivan. Att: 1,174