Magpies see off Terrington to reach County Cup final

John Savage Cup semi-finalTerrington 0 Heacham 3Colby Auker scored twice as Heacham U16s booked their place in the John Savage Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Terrington in an all-West Norfolk semi-final.Auker climbed off the bench to score his brace after Alfred Buhlemann had given the Magpies a 1-0 lead going into the break with a brilliant finish.Heacham will now meet Fakenham in the final at the Football Development Centre on Sunday, April 14, after the Ghosts breezed past North Walsham 11-0 in the other last-four clash.The Norfolk Combined Youth Football League side were deserved winners on the afternoon after Terrington failed to make the most of a strong opening quarter.Terrington’s Kai Mackie and Callum Wright both found themselves in good positions in the Heacham box in the early stages of the tie, only to be denied by Stephen Larman, who had an outstanding game over the 80 minutes.At the other end, Alfred Buhlemann was thwarted by a fine save by Toby Evans while the same player curled a free-kick into the side netting.The all-important breakthrough came 15 minutes before the break as Harvey Pightling clipped a ball over the top and Buhlemann did the rest with a well-executed lob past the home goalkeeper.Heacham introduced Auker for Jayden Poore at the start of the second half and the substitute immediately gave Terrington a different type of headache with his tireless running.The visitors should have doubled their lead early in the second half as Jake Marsden shrugged off the attentions of Finley Brammer and crossed for Auker, but the ball took a bobble as the youngster went to hit it and it turned out to be a comfortable save for Evans.Jamie Wightman saw his header from a Buhlemann corner saved as the Magpies continued to carve out the better openings in a scrappy affair.Heacham doubled their advantage after Buhlemann played in Auker down the left and the Magpies substitute saw his first-time effort loop over Evans and into the back of the net.GCE Hire Fleet Peterborough & District Football League outfit Terrington rarely threatened the Heacham goal in the second half, but that was down to some excellent defending from the visitors who always looked as though they could step up another gear.Heacham’s stubborn rearguard was backed up by excellent displays from Pightling, Charlie King and Thomas Beattie in midfield as the young Magpies made sure of a place in their first-ever County Cup final.The third and final goal arrived a few minutes before full-time after the imperious Larman won the ball and shrugged off the attentions of several players before threading a pass through to Auker to slot home his second.Terrington will now turn their attention to securing a top-three finish in their league, while Heacham will do the same as well as looking to finish the campaign with some silverware when they meet the Ghosts.Terrington: Evans, Suckling, Brammer, James, George, Hyde, Smith, Mackie, Chapman, Wright, Virbrickis. Subs: Davy, Bunting, Stannard, Kirman, Beech.Heacham: Cook, Nguyen, Wightman, Scott, Beattie, Larman, Pightling, Beattie, Poore, King, Buhlemann. Subs: McDonnell, Kyprianou, Osborne, Auker, Robins.