TRIUMPHANT boss Steve Appleby thinks Wisbech Town’s 4-1 hammering of their fiercest rivals could be the start of something special.

Fenmen fans were in dreamland on Saturday as they watched their side demolish King’s Lynn Town in a pre-season friendly at The Walks.

But Appleby remained composed in victory - urging his side to use their performance as a benchmark for a title challenge in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division.

“Saturday was a bit of proof of what we’re capable of,” he said.

“My team talk at the end was ‘lads this is the start, you’ve set your standards and now you’ve got to go on.’

“In the league we all know when we go to some spit and sawdust place when there’s one man and his dog, we’ve got to put in a performance like we did at Lynn.

“That’s how you win leagues - not beating good teams at big stadiums in front of big crowds when it’s easy to get up for it.”

Ex-Linnets Chris Bacon and Dubi Ogbonna came back to haunt their former club on Saturday - and both were on the scoresheet within 10 minutes.

Rogan McGeorge scored his first Fenmen goal on the stroke of half time, before Ogbonna slotted home his second in the 79th minute.

Steve Spriggs’ late consolation could do nothing to halt the transfer of bragging rights back up the A47 to Wisbech, who play one level below Lynn in the non-league ladder.

Appleby said: “There was local pride at stake and there’s no doubting that fact.

“The players and I love being involved in games like these - it’s what we’re involved in football for.

“But it will be the supporters who are singing from the rooftops and obviously we’ve got the bragging rights at the minute.

“That said, it doesn’t mean anything to me, it’s just another step towards our first league game. I just thought it was a fantastic occasion and I hope we do many more.”

Linnets manager Gary Setchell, a former Wisbech boss, refused to panic after the defeat, but he did admit he was disappointed with his side’s display.

He said: “Things didn’t go our way, we made silly mistakes, we didn’t play as well as we’d like and we were under par.

“Wisbech played very well and you have to take your hats off to them, but that’s as far as it goes.”

Appleby added that he hoped both clubs would go on to have “great seasons”.