Young striker back with Heacham after Linnets trial

Striker Fletcher Toll is back with Heacham after being told that he needs minutes on the pitch to continue his development.

The teenage frontman has been on a three-week trial with King’s Lynn Town – but will be back in a Magpies shirt for the club’s first home game of the season against Fakenham Town on Tuesday night.

Toll appeared for the final few minutes for the National League North Linnets against Royston Town at Garden Walk before a brief cameo at Bury Town a week later.

The 18-year-old played more than an hour of Lynn’s goalless draw with Corby Town on Saturday before being replaced by Tommy Hughes in the second half at The Walks.

Toll, who plundered 31 goals for the Magpies on their way to promotion last season. said: “The manager and chairman have told me that I wasn’t ready for the step up and needed first team minutes.”

The news comes as a major boost to Heacham boss David Griggs, who found himself without Toll and fellow frontman John Flanagan for the club’s first-ever game in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division at Woodbridge Town on Saturday.

Griggs said: “It’s a massive boost for us and everyone at the club. We’ve been looking at other strikers in the last couple of weeks, not knowing if Fletcher would be back, and they were asking silly money to play for us.

“We’d never stand in Fletcher’s way in the opportunity came up with a club in a higher league and he knows that.”

Heacham are now exploring the possibility of putting Toll on contract following Lynn’s recent approach.

It is believed the Linnets decided to run the rule over Toll, 18, after hearing about League One scouts watching him in friendly action for the Magpies.

Toll now remains fully committed to Heacham for the club’s maiden Thurlow Nunn Premier Division campaign.

Another boost for Magpies fans is the news that forward Flanagan, who has scored goals for fun during Heacham’s rise up the league’s, is set to return to action within the next few weeks.