Early goal enough to hand Gainsborough defeat at Lowestoft

The home skipper Rossi Jarvis found the net on three minutes, and his goal was enough to lift his side out of the relegation places.

Their lead could have been more comfortable had striker Jake Reed not missed a 64th minute penalty.

There was no mistaking the Gainsborough Trinity players – who lined up in a glaring fluorescent yellow kit – described on the team sheet at ‘volt’.

But it was Lowestoft who made the electric start, taking the lead in just the third minute.

A corner from Danny Crow was headed into the net by captain Jarvis from six-yards. It was the midfielder’s first goal of the campaign and set the home side off to a flyer.

Shaun Bammant looked lively in the early exchanges as Lowestoft aimed to impose their authority.

The game was the second in charge for visiting player/manager Dominic Roma, and on 10 minutes, his side nearly found the perfect response through Craig Reid.

The striker found himself with a great opportunity inside the Lowestoft box, but he curled his effort just wide of Ben Killip’s far post.

It was a lively start to the match, in what was the first meeting between the two sides this season.

Bammant was soon in the action again, as his pass found leading scorer Jake Reed, but Jan Budtz was quickly off his line.

Bammant was then booked on 19 minutes after a clash in the air with Josh Lacey. The visiting players surrounded referee Neil Hair after the challenge, but the official settled for a yellow card.

As the drizzle began to fall, captain Nathan Jarman, top scorer for the visitors, fired wide after turning brilliantly in the box.

The away side then had a decent spell of possession with Reid and Jarman looking threatening in the attacking areas.

But the Trawlerboys always looked dangerous with the through ball towards Reed, and at one point forced keeper Budtz to head away from outside his area, somewhat unconventionally.

As the game neared the interval, defender Harry Barker made a great block to deny Jarman for the visitors.

The Trinity players were first out onto the pitch after the break, keen to respond to the first half scoreline.

And they very nearly did, just three minutes after the restart.

A long clearance from Budtz fell for Jarman, but his shot was brilliantly kept out by on-loan keeper Ben Killip.

Lowestoft then had a shout for a penalty as Reed went down under the challenge of Adam Quinn, but the referee was not interested – to the dismay of Crow and Henderson.

The game settled down for about 15 minutes with neither goalkeeper having to make a save.

But on 64 minutes, the referee was again under the spotlight – this time pointing to the spot with Reed again involved.

The striker beat Stephen Brogan to the ball, resulting in the defender committing a foul inside the box.

Reed dusted himself down to take the penalty, but it was comfortably saved by Budtz, with the striker shooting straight down the middle.

As the ball spun over the bar, the resulting corner was cleared by the visitors.

At the other end, Quinn headed over from a corner, after Reid saw his shot saved by Killip.

Andrew Fisk then picked up a booking for the home side after a challenge on Liam Davis, with the Gainsborough Trinity players again surrounding the referee.

And a few moments later on 70 minutes, leading scorer Reed was taken off and replaced by Ryan Jarvis.

As the game entered the final 15 minutes, there was a degree of tension around the ground as to whether Lowestoft could see the job through.

Darryn Stamp was brought on for Gainsborough Trinity, replacing Reid on 76 minutes with Lowestoft opting to throw on Dean Mason in place of Crow.

And the substitute brought something new for Lowestoft, as he won a number of challenges and showed pace in the attacking areas.

The home side continued to hold strong and were thankful for the final whistle, securing the all important three points at a crucial time in the season.

Lowestoft Town team: Killip, Barker, Smith, Fisk, Spillane, Kyprianou, Henderson, Rossi Jarvis, Reed (for Jarvis 70), Crow (for Mason 79), Bammant.

Subs: Deeks, Eagle, Mason, Ryan Jarvis, Putnins.

Gainsborough Trinity team: Budtz, Lacey, Brogan, D’Laryea, Quinn, Picton, Yates, Russell, Reid (for Stamp 76), Jarman, Davis.

Subs: Stamp, Roma, Binns, Karkach, Hedge.

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 530