Young Linnets breeze through in Norfolk Senior Cup

King’s Lynn Town U23s progressed to the next Norfolk Senior Cup with an impressive display at home to Easton on Wednesday night.The Linnets started on the front foot with Fin Whiteley scoring in the fifth minute after good build-up play throughout saw Joao Aguilar provide the assist.Flynn Crosthwaite scored an excellent team goal with Jared Lines providing the assist before Whiteley scored his second with an acrobatic bicycle kick from Anthony Mann’s ball across.Aguilar missed a one-on-one before a superb team press turned the ball over and he soon redeemed himself by adding the fourth.Whiteley missed a chance to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the second half before a good save from Tyler Key and a clearance to match from James Dunn ensured the young Linnets kept a clean sheet against their Anglian Combination visitors who had knocked out Heacham in the previous round.Academy director Alex Cross said: “I thought first half we were superb.”We passed it well and really damaged them and I thought our press was spot-on as well and we scored four good goals. “In the second half it was about managing the game and making sure they couldn’t get back into it.”There was a degree of physicality, which you expect, and we had to be patient. We needed to be right with the press and it was good to see one of our goals come from that.”All of the goals were good. Fin will take the plaudits for his bicycle kick and that was pleasing, but from a coaching perspective the press for Joao’s goal was good and I thought Flynn’s goal was very good from a well-worked move, exactly what we had been looking at on Monday.”

Football Greg Plummer