Saturday 8 October 2016

Boston United (08-10-2016)

Boston United 0 - 0 Worcester City (National League North), Saturday 8th October 2016

Bus in Sheffield £3
Train (Sheffield-Nottingham) £13-60
Train (Nottingham-Boston) £16-10
Entry £13
Tea £1
Programme £3
Total £49-70


Let me take you back. It is 1999-2000 and it is my first away game with King's Lynn, before I started ground-hopping or even taking photos. Back then I made the short journey to Boston by coach, and saw an incredible and dramatic win over then league-leaders Boston United. We triumphed 2-1 thanks to an unlikely goal from the halfway line from Dave Robinson, our key central defender. 

As it had been over 16 years and I had no photos of the ground, I wanted to return before the club move to a new proposed ground outside the town. As a bonus, I planned to meet up with some family at a pub pre-match for food and a catch-up. Boston is an intriguing place, with an ethnically diverse community in a geographically isolated town at the end of a cul-de-sac. Today I reached the town by train from Nottingham, on a branch line taking in Sleaford and Swineshead Bridge. This added to the intrigue as I had never travelled there by train so was curious about the route it took over the flat landscapes of South Lincolnshire.


After the aforementioned lunch, and a mini-exploration of the town, I headed into the ground. Today was a Conference North game (sorry - Blue Square!) so should be a decent one. In fact it began auspiciously, with Boston's Joe Burgess being stretchered off after an early injury. After a fairly lengthy period, the game slowly got going. The two sides exchanged blows in a physical encounter but no-one could quite find the breakthrough. Boston scored an offside goal, before their Liam Agnew screwed wide from a decent position. At the other end, Worcester were threatening, with both English and Hughes firing half-chances wide. There were an incredible 7 minutes injury time added at the end of the first period.

Boston really should have wrapped up 3 points in the second half. They saw a lot of the ball but could not make the advantage count. At different points, Rollins, Smith, and Adams all fired over, mainly after neat build-up play in and around the box. Chippendale's late free kick was caught well by the away keeper Ryan Boot. It had been a half-decent game but one of those frustrating days when nobody can convert. In spite of this, I was delighted to have revisited Boston for another match, all those years on from my first. As I left the town on the train the sun was beginning to set and I had a sense of satisfaction that I'd got this one in before the nights really started to draw in.


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