Whitton boss Paul Bugg paid tribute to his super-subs as they proved to be the difference in extra-time as the Greens eventually ran out 3-0 winners against Grundisburgh.

Elliot Crowe came off the bench to score a super double in the extra 30 minutes to kill off their previously stubborn opponents, with Camillo Douglas also netting a stunning effort.

“We had a conversation during the week and had a game plan to go with pace and the two guys that came on did just that,” said Bugg.

“Elliot’s came on and scored two great goals and well, what can you say about Camillo – what a strike!

“I thought the difference between the two sides was at the end – the fitness.

“0-0 over 90 minutes was a fair result but then fitness-wise there was only going to be one winner in extra-time.

“I always thought that once we got the one, we would go on to to get three or four and that was the case to be fair.”

For Grundisburgh boss Mickey Squirrell, it was a disappointing result.

“It’s a disapointing result and as I expected, it was a typical semi-final,” said Squirrell, three times a winner of the prestigious competition as a player.

“Did we deserve to win it? No. Did they deserve to win it? No.

“I think a draw was definitely the right result and a penalty shoot-out would have been fine.

“They had that little bit of quality when it really mattered to kill us off.

“We hit the post and we had a goal ruled out for offside - and these thin margins always count the most in games like this.

“They’re never very nice and are always helter-skelter.

“There’s not a lot of football played and we have to take it on the chin and move on with the League and Bob Coleman Cup ambitions.”

The result was even more disappointing for club captain Matty Cunningham, who, astonishingly, has now lost seven Suffolk FA Senior Cup semi-finals in his career.

“I feel sorry for the captain, added Cunningham’s vice-skipper, James Carr.

“He deserves to get to Portman Road before he hangs up his boots.

“All the lads are disappointed in the dressing room but we’ll bounce back.”

This competition certainly does seem to have somewhat of a vendetta against Cunningham, as in the same stage of this competition against Whitton in 2012, he gave away the penalty which Kevin Inglis converted – the only goal of the game!