King’s Lynn book Carrow Road date
King's Lynn joint boss Kevin Boon believes Town have set up a grandstand finish to the season after hammering Thetford 5-1 to clinch a Norfolk Senior Cup final against Dereham.
Robbie Harris – fresh from firing Town into the FA Vase quarter-finals at the weekend - notched a first half brace before Matt Dixon grabbed Thetford a lifeline just after the break. Jamie Thurlbourne curled a free kick past Mark Bowden on 56 minutes and Danny White put the tie beyond doubt a minute later with stand-in skipper Luke Thurlbourne burying a fifth in the final stages.
Lynn are still going strong in both the UCL league and cup competitions - but Boon will relish a Carrow Road rematch against the Magpies after Town's early season FA Vase triumph at Aldiss Park.
'It has set the season up for us now with getting through to Carrow Road,' he said. 'A cup final at Carrow Road was something we wanted right back when we went to Yarmouth in the first game of this competition. What I think you'll see now is with a game like that and the FA Vase to come, it keeps players on their toes.
'I'm sure they'll be plenty of talk before the game because of what happened when we played Dereham before, but our priority is still the league and then the FA Vase. I think players will now raise their game. Everybody wants a shirt. There is a great buzz around the place.'
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Harris' rich vein of goalscoring form put Lynn in control inside the opening quarter.
'Robbie's first was pure instinct – a ball coming over his head – and that is what he is all about,' said Boon. 'He comes alive in the 18 yard box and I think that is 22 goals for the season now. We did a professional job, even though at half-time we weren't happy because we hadn't got the ball down and played. Setch (Gary Setchell) was a little bit upset because we seemed to want to go long all the time.
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'They gave us a bit of a scare after the break but what could have been a potential banana skin was comfortable in the end. We had a bit of class in the final third and we finished the stronger. We also saw some of the younger lads who showed they could play at this level. Ryan Fryatt looked very cool at centre half and you can see why Norwich City is having another look at him.'
Town's only downside was the half-time injury and illness withdrawals of Steve Spriggs and Danny Buhlemann. Boon also confirmed rested strike pair Jack Defty and Chris Bacon are both carrying knocks.
'Spriggsy still feels unwell with what he had last week. He is on antibiotics but they don't seem to be working and Bully (Danny Buhlemann) felt his knee,' said Boon. 'Bacs and Jack are both going to see the physio on Wednesday night. Bacs has a knee problem and Jack still has pain from the hip he damaged at Cogenhoe but he was happy to sit on the bench here as a bit of insurance.'
King's Lynn: Street, Bexfield, Doherty, L Thurlbourne, Buhlemann (Fryatt 45) McNeil, Spriggs (Livoti 45), D White, Moreira (Barnes 59), Haris, J Thurlbourne. Subs (not used): Defty, K White.
Booking: McNeil
Goals: Harris (3, 24), J Thurlbourne (56), D White (57), L Thurlbourne (90)
Thetford: Bowden, Joseph, Bailey, Richards, Howard, Bolton, Jones (Clayton 74), O'Donnell (Tavares 74), Blake, Dixon, Mann (Fancett 45). Subs (not used): Jackson.
Bookings: Fancett, Howard
Goal: Dixon (47)
Referee: P Burnham (Norfolk)