Jake Newman scored a magnificent hattrick to grab the headlines but all huge credit will have to go to attacking midfielder Nathan Tshikuna for being the supply line for all three goals.

This game had been brought forward from Tuesday owing to both clubs being out of the FA Cup and having no league fixture, making the journey to Kempston was probably easier for visiting fans on a Saturday than it would have been in midweek. Both clubs made five changes to respective starting line ups for the game, Rovers drafting in Hateley Mercer and Adam Moussi for their first starts for the club and handing a debut to young goal keeper Thomas Wyant.

It proved to be an eventful day for the rookie shot stopper, as six minutes into proceedings, he spilled a cross at the feet of Tom Siddons, who attempted to go around the prone keeper. In his endeavor to recover the ball, Wyant pulled Siddons to the ground and the referee had no choice other than to award the penalty. Wyant redeemed himself with a strong save low to his right hand side as Siddons failed to convert the spot kick. Less than a minute later and Wyant was on hand again to palm away another Siddons shot. The visiting keeper was called into action for the first time on the quarter hour as a Mercer cross fell to Jake Newman, who hit a stinging shot that required tipping over. With twenty minutes on the watch, King’s Lynn thought they had scored when they retrieved the ball from George Boland, with what appeared to be a clear foul, the through pass was played to Siddons who may have beaten Wyant this time, he did not beat the flag. Midway through the half, Kyal McNulty was lucky to avoid going into the referee’s notebook for a scything challenge on Eion McQuaid, no card was given and the free kick was comfortably dealt with by McQuiad. Just before the half hour mark, Rovers took the lead. Nathan Tshikuna played a long ball down field, Jake Newman held off the defender and unleashed an early low shot from the edge of the area, just out of reach for Alexander Street and into the bottom corner. Liam Fryatt earned himself a yellow card shortly after the goal for a high and late challenge on Moussi. King’s Lynn were awarded a second penalty as a long ball over the top saw Wyant rush from his line to meet it, in doing so, he clattered into Toby Hillard. Cameron Norman stepped up to take the spot kick this time; and he duly converted low to the right of Wyant, who got half a hand to it. Wyant was cautioned for the foul that led to the penalty.

Toby Hillard was replaced at half time and there was real concern among King’s Lynn staff as the midfielder appeared to have sustained a concussion in the clash that led to the second penalty. Thankfully, he was ok and no serious injury was sustained. Luke Heneghan and Nathan Tshikuna both had speculative efforts early in the second half, but it took until the hour mark for Rovers to re-take the lead. Tshikuna played a through ball to Newman in the right hand channel. Newman cut back inside onto his favoured left foot and hit a low arrowed shot across goal and into the far bottom corner. Ten minutes later, Siddons was bearing down on goal for King’s Lynn only to be denied by Wyant as the keeper bravely went in at the attackers feet to claim the ball. The flow of the game seemed to be slightly disrupted by the substitutions made by both sides, but a flash point occurred with just five minutes remaining when sub Ben Shepherd tackled Cameron Norman, appearing to win the ball, Norman reacted and shoved Shepherd. Shepherd pushed back. The referee stepped in quickly to defuse the situation and play was able to continue without any further cards being shown. Rovers made the game safe in the eighty eighth minute when some tricky wing play from Tshikuna allowed him space to pull the ball back to Newman, who bundled home from close range at the second attempt for his second hat-trick of the season.

Rovers go into the hat for the second round of the Southern League Cup for the first time in the club’s history, albeit only in the second season to have played in the competition. The next game for Kempston is in a week’s time against Isthmian League Division One South side Hythe Town in the FA Trophy at Hillgrounds. Before then, the Supporters Club hope you can join them for their quiz night in the clubhouse Friday night, 7pm.