BOOM AND ZOOM FOR LYNN!
WHEN Norwich City won back-to-back promotions a decade ago, their players celebrated with a trip to Las Vegas, courtesy of celebrity owner Delia Smith.
At neighbours King’s Lynn Town, they’ve had to settle for a congratulatory zoom call, but after a tense three-month wait to be crowned champions of National League North, gaffer Ian Culverhouse isn’t complaining.
“It’s a bit strange because you’re usually together at these moments,” says the 52-year-old, who made 369 appearances for Norwich and was assistant to Paul Lambert during the Canaries’ exhilarating ascent to the Premier League in 2011.
“After a game, or on the bus home. At Norwich, I think Delia paid for all the lads to go to Vegas for a week, and they still talk about it now. For us, it was a zoom call and celebrity beer! Robbie Back organised it, and it was nice to pat each other on the back – virtually, of course!
“It’s taken a long time and the whole situation has been unbelievable, really. Would we have liked to finish off the season and do things the right way? Of course. But I’m glad it ended the way it did because the lads deserve it. They’ve been brilliant.”
Less glad are rivals York City, who were top of the table when the season was halted only to be overhauled by the Linnets when points-per-game was used to decide the final standings. The Minstermen missed out by just 2.5 points.
“Listen, we’ll take it,” says Culverhouse, whose 1-0 victory over York at the Walks in January ultimately proved the difference between the sides. “But I have great sympathy for York. We’ve pipped them on PPG at the end, but once the play-offs get started they will be a formidable force.
“I said throughout the season that whoever finished above York would get promoted. I didn’t think it would be us, but that’s how it turned out.”
Controversial the promotion may have been, but that should not diminish the scale of Lynn’s achievement.
The Linnets were 14th in SPL Central when Culverhouse – having patched up his differences with owner Stephen Cleeve – returned to the club for a second stint in November 2018.
Ingredients
But a surge into second place and a Super Play-off victory over Warrington Town secured a place in National North. Now, a team forged from the ashes of the defunct King’s Lynn Town in 2010 has overcome part-time status, a tag as relegation favourites and a host of former EFL teams to seize a place at NonLeague’s summit.
“At the start of the season, a lot of people expected us to go down,” says Culverhouse, who also worked with Lambert at Wycombe Wanderers and Aston Villa. “We took a few teams by surprise with the way we played, and the players grew into it. They played with no fear.
“They always say momentum is a powerful force and we certainly had that. It actually reminds me very much of what happened at Norwich.
“Paul and I went in there at a tough time. They’d just lost 7-1 to Colchester and had lost a bit of identity.
“We brought that back, got a few wins. Then results start to pile up, the players and the fans begin to buy into it. Once you get that rolling, it’s very hard for any opponent to stop.
“That’s what we’ve done here. It’s all about riding on the back of results and exploiting the confidence and belief that creates. Add that to a strong work ethic and you’ve got all the ingredients of a successful team. “Personally, it’s massive. That’s six promotions I’ve got now. Two as a player and four as a coach. This is up there with the very best. To take them through back-to-back like this – it’s immensely satisfying.
Confidence
“But this game is all about players and we’ve got a special group here. We really have. There’s no cliques. They’re all in it together. If you’ve got a strong dressing room, you’ve always got a chance – and this is one of the strongest I’ve known.
“You need ability and a bit of luck along the way. But hard work and good spirit will take you a long way.”
As do goals, and the 28 provided by former Stevenage striker Adam Marriott were instrumental in the club’s success. “He’s been brilliant, but so has Michael Gash alongside him,” says Culverhouse. “That front two really hit form.
“At any level, you’ve got to take chances when they arrive. They did. We rolled on that and it gave the whole team a bit of belief.
“But it wasn’t just those boys. We’ve got a few leaders in there and you can rely on the experience of the older ones. They took charge of it and calmed people down whenever it threatened to get a little bit messy.”
Now attention turns to next season, whenever that may start. With money tight and movement restricted, signing players could prove tricky. Would Culverhouse be happy to tackle the National Premier with a squad that played at Step 3 just over 12 months ago?
“I think they can rise again,” he insists. “I really do. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the group but if we can add a bit of quality to that core then it wouldn’t hurt.
“We’ve got a few meetings scheduled with the chairman in the next couple of weeks. We’ll look at targets and find out if they’re viable.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere here, so it’s always hard to recruit. Being at the higher level might open a few more doors for us but we’ll see.
“We’re going into an almost fully professional league, so we’ll need a bit of luck and a bit of help. But I’d always back these boys, that’s for sure.”