King’s Lynn Town, also known as the Linnets, have endured over a century of ups and downs in their rich and turbulent history. King’s Lynn was initially known as Lynn Town, who were formed at a meeting on the 30th of August, 1881. The club’s name was later changed to King’s Lynn in 1953.The Founding Years (1882-1910)King’s Lynn were incredibly successful in their first few years as a club, winning the Norfolk Senior Cup in 1883 – a competition they’d go on to win three more times across the next seven years. This success acted as a foundation to football in the East Anglian area as a whole, and in 1897 they became founding members of the Norfolk + Suffolk league, being crowned champions in the 1905/06 season. The club’s success continued following the First World War, as they went on to win four consecutive league titles between 1921 and 1925. During this time, they also spent a season in the East Anglian league, where they finished as runners-up in the 1908-09 season, losing out to Norwich City’s dominant reserve team who picked up 29 points from a possible 34, scoring 75 in the process.Counties Leagues + Records (1935-1960)In 1935, the club became founding members of the Eastern Counties League. Although they’d leave in 1946 to join the United Counties League, they’d return to the ECL two years later.During the 1949/50 season, King’s Lynn set a new attendance record for the league, with 8,387 watching the local derby against Wisbech Town. Later in that season, they’d break their own attendance record during an FA Cup tie against Exeter City, with 12,931 spectators. The Linnets completed the league and cup double in the 53/54 season, subsequently getting promoted to the Midland League. Four years later, they’d transfer to the Southern League, becoming members of the South East Division. The club reached the Second Round of the FA Cup in their opening season in the league, eventually losing 3-1 to Brentford. However, the club’s success kept going, as they reached the Southern Division of the Premier League heading into the 1959/60 season. They’d reach the Second Round of the FA Cup once again, beating Aldershot Town 2-1 in the First Round before falling to a 4-2 defeat against Reading.Cup Success (1961-1970)In the 1961/62 season, King’s Lynn reached the FA Cup Third Round for the first and only time in their history. Having beaten Chelmsford and Coventry City in the first two rounds, they were drawn away to first-division Everton in the third round, where they’d go on to lose 4-0 at Goodison Park in front of a crowd of almost 45,000. Despite the success of the unprecedented cup run, the Linnets’ league form didn’t match, and they were relegated to the Southern League Division One, although they returned to the Premier Division in the following season.Lynn would go on to win the East Anglian Cup in four consecutive seasons between 1964 and 1968, featuring teams such as Chelsea, Norwich City, Gillingham and Ipswich Town.League Turbulence + Folding (1980-2009)Following the 1979/80 season, King’s Lynn was transferred to the Northern Premier League, where they’d remain for the next three years. They’d pick up silverware in the 1982/83 season, beating Burton Albion 3-2 in the President’s Cup final. King’s Lynn returned to the Southern League in the following season, and won the East Anglian Cup again the year after. However, the club’s fortunes took a drastic turn, as they were relegated to the Midlands Division at the end of the 1986/87 season.They’d spend the next nine years in the Midlands Division, gaining promotion back to the Southern League Premier Division in 1996. They were relegated once again in the 01/02 season, but returned two years later after winning the Division One East title in 03/04. They won the League Cup in their first season back in the Midlands Division, and reached the play-offs in the following two years, but lost on both occasions. Heartbreakingly, despite their promotion to the Conference North in the 07/08 season, they were demoted a year later on the basis of ground-grading issues. Subsequently, the club was forced to fold mid-way during the Northern Premier League season due to financial issues.Phoenix Club + Recent History (2009-present)After the folding of King’s Lynn FC, phoenix club King’s Lynn Town FC was created in 2010. The team was admitted to the Premier Division of the United Counties League, where they finished second in their first season. This came with an FA Vase run, where the Linnets bowed out in the semi-finals after a 6-2 aggregate defeat to Coalville Town. They finished as runners-up again in the following season, and were promoted to Division One South of the Northern Premier League. They won the league in their first and only season in the division, earning promotion to the Premier Division of the NPL. The club was transferred to the Southern Premier League in 2015, and won the Norfolk Senior Cup in the 16/17 season after beating Fakenham Town 2-0 in the final. The club qualified for the league play-offs after a second-place finish in the following season, but lost 2-1 to Slough Town in the play-off final after a 3-0 win against Weymouth in the semi-final.The Linnets were placed into the Premier Division Central for the 2018/19 season, where they once again finished as runners-up and qualified for play-offs. After defeating Stratford Town 3-1 in the semi-final and Alvechurch 3-0 in the final, a 3-2 win against Warrington Town in the super final confirmed Lynn’s promotion to the National League North, formerly known as the Conference North.The 2019/20 season was forcibly abandoned halfway through due to the global COVID pandemic, with Lynn two points behind leaders York City. However, the National League’s governing body ruled that the league would be decided on a PPG (Points Per Game) basis, which saw the Linnets declared as champions, gaining promotion to the National League. Their first season in the fifth tier of English football came with a fantastic cup run, as they defeated League Two outfit Port Vale 1-0 in the First Round, courtesy of a goal from Sonny Carey, before being knocked out by a 6-1 defeat to Portsmouth. Unfortunately, their league successes were limited, with the club only surviving relegation alongside Barnet due to the liquidation of Macclesfield Town and points deduction given to Dover Athletic, both of which caused by severe financial issues from the COVID pandemic. The following season ended in similar fashion, with the Linnets losing 1-0 in the FA Cup First Round at home to Walsall. Last season’s fate caught up with the club, and they were relegated back to the National League North, confirmed after a hectic 3-3 draw at home to Eastleigh in the final home game of the season. King’s Lynn reached the proper rounds of the FA Cup for the third consecutive year, with a mesmerising 1-0 win away to Doncaster Rovers in the First Round before losing 3-0 at home to Stevenage. The club came close to re-promotion, finishing second behind AFC Fylde and reaching the play-offs, but were knocked out in the semi-final by a 4-1 defeat at home to eventual winners Kidderminster Harriers.The second season back was a stark contrast, as the club dropped down the table due to the loss of a number of first-team players in the summer transfer window. With a number of managerial switches during the season, the Linnets eventually finished in 18th, five points clear of relegation.In January 2024, the club announced a strategic investment and partnership deal with the Singapore-based Turn Sports Investment.Timeline – 1879 Established alongside other clubs such as Lynn United, Lynn CEYMS and Lynn Star. – 1897-1935 Founding members of the Norfolk & Suffolk League, and brief appearance in the East Anglian League. – 1900-1901 FA Amateur Cup runner-up. – 1935-1936 Founding members of the Eastern Counties League. – 1937-1939 Appearance in the East Midlands League. – 1946-1947 Joined the United Counties League. – 1948-1949 Returned to the Eastern Counties League. – 1949-1950 Eastern Counties League runner-up (on goal average). – 1952-1953 Eastern Counties League runner-up. – 1953-1954 Eastern Counties League champions & League Cup winners. – 1954-1955 Joined the Midlands League. – 1958-1959 Joined the Southern League’s South Eastern division in a transitional season. – 1962 Relegated to Division One. – 1963-1964 Southern League Division One runner-up. Promoted to the Premier Division. – 1971 Relegated to Division One. – 1979-1980 League structure re-organised to Southern & Midlands Divisions, removal of Premier Division. Placed in Midland Division. – 1980-1981 Transferred to the Northern Premier League. – 1983-1984 Transferred to the Southern League. – 1984-1985 Southern League runner-up. – 1987 Relegated to the Midlands Division. – 1995-1996 Southern League Midlands Division runner-up. Promoted to Premier Division, despite a 2-point deduction. – 2002 Relegated to the Eastern Division. – 2003-2004 Southern League Eastern Division champions. Promoted to the Premier Division. Changing of league structure, introduction of play-offs. – 2007-2008 Southern League Premier Division champions. Promoted to the Conference North – 6th tier of English football. – 2008-2009 Demoted to the Northern Premier League because of ground-grading issues. – 2009 Club wound up by High Courts due to debts owed to HMRC. – 2010 Phoenix club, King’s Lynn Town FC, placed in the United Counties League Premier Division. – 2012 Promoted to the Evo-Stik Division One South. – 2013 Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Southern Division champions. Promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. – 2014 King’s Lynn Town Reserves promoted to the Eastern Counties League Division One having won four successive titles since the club was reformed. – 2016 The club was sold to local businessman, Stephen Cleeve. – 2016-2017 Norfolk Senior Cup champions. – 2018-2019 Premier Division Central champions. Promoted to the National League North (formerly known as Conference North). – 2019-2020 National League North champions, declared on a PPG (Points Per Game) basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoted to the National League – 5th tier of English football. – 2020-2021 Defeated Port Vale in the First Round of the FA Cup, subsequently knocked out by Portsmouth. – 2021-2022 Relegated to the National League North. – 2022-2023 National League North runner-up. Knocked out in the play-off semi-final by Kidderminster Harriers. – 2022-2023 Defeated Doncaster Rovers in the First Round of the FA Cup, subsequently knocked out by Stevenage. – 2024 Announcement of partnership deal with Singapore-based investors Turn Sports Investment. Written by Caspar WarbyEdited by Aiden Cummins
