The spotlight will be on the top end of the pitch on this afternoon when King’s Lynn Town turn their attentions to the FA Cup.

Goals have been in short supply in the National League North: their tally of nine in eight games is the lowest among the division’s top 15 teams and they are the only team in top 10 with a negative goal difference.

Only four players have hit the back of the net and one of them, leading scorer Jonny Margetts, is a doubt going into the clash against Cheshunt.

It leaves Lynn boss Adam Lakeland looking to Gold Omotayo and Bartosz Cybulski. Omatayo has been on the bench for the last three games, while Cybulski has only 30 minutes of football across two substitute appearances under his belt this season – and has been sidelined by a foot injury.

Margetts suffered a back injury during last weekend’s home defeat to Curzon Ashton, and it was all too obvious when he left the pitch how much he was missed.

With the need for an injection of confidence, Omotayo or Cybulski – perhaps even both – need to find their scoring boots in the second qualifying round tie, but they need help: against Curzon, the wide players regularly failed to provide adequate service.

Lakeland is happy with his resources, but after the Curzon game admitted as such.

“I think you look at us playing our two wingers, I think on transition when they've got space, they're both a real handful, but when the opposition, certainly here, take the lead, they get behind the ball, there's not as much space for them to work in,” he said. “And it's difficult and we've got to find solutions to create more chances, score more goals when the opposition are playing a little bit behind the ball. And in addition to that we've got to defend the counter-attacks and transitions better.

“I think with Gold and with Jonny we've got two goal scorers, they are both very different in how they play, but again, I feel like we've played reasonably well, but I do acknowledge that we need to create more clear-cut opportunities than we did.”

Cybulski has returned to training and would have been sent out on loan had Margetts not been injured.

“He's missed quite a lot of football,” said Lakeland. “He's had two scans on a foot that's been sore, and both scans have been clear, and he's struggled to train back-to-back days.  

“We have been looking at him going out on loan because he needs to get up to speed. Obviously with the FA Cup and the injury to Jonny he won't be going out now, that's for sure.

“But I want to see him a bit more resilient and a bit more robust, training day by day because I know that there's a very good footballer in there and we know that he can score goals. But if a player is not training every day, then other players are going to be ahead of him and that's where he's currently at.

“But things change fast in football.”

Fin Whiteley will also be involved after injury, but midfielder Cody Johnson is suspended for a game Lakeland refuses to take lightly.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “We'll be going as strong as we possibly can because the FA Cup is the best cup competition in the world. I know how important it is to any football club, but especially in non league football, a good run in the cup can change a club’s fortunes for years and years, if you do incredibly well.

“I know that King’s Lynn love a cup run and they've had a couple of good cup runs in recent years and we'll be fully intent and determined on progressing next Saturday.

“We know that it's going to be a difficult game, we know we're going to be the favourites, they'll be the underdogs, it's a massive game for them and I'm sure they'll make it very difficult for us, like a lot of step three clubs do.”