by Richard O. Smith
With only a few weeks of the season still to unfold, it looks as though the well trodden familiar weekend routine of pub/pub/football/pub/2 aspirins is certain to continue for some time yet. And, now that the runners have entered the home straight in the race for the GMVC championship, it is at least pleasing to reflect on some resolute performances from the Pilgrims over the last three months.
No evident signs were apparent to signal the change in fortunes the Pilgrims were to enjoy when the long unbeaten run started at Weymouth in mid-December, but it gained momentum over the Christmas holiday period and subsequently never looked back. By the time the return game with Weymouth took place at York Street, Boston were aiming for, and eventually achieving through a 2-0 victory, their eleventh consecutive unbeaten match - a run which was to continue past that game. Weymouth were so bad that when Boston scored in the third minute it was already long overdue.
Though Weymouth fell behind early on to a Stewart Hamill penalty, converted with characteristic ease, this signalled a revival in the visitors play. However, to employ a famous football cliché of our time, the half-time pep talk must have worked wonders. In the second-half Boston were back to their familiar best, and a spectacular diving header by Mossman quashed any aspirations the visitors might have held about stealing a late point.
Certainly Mossman is a useful player but, possibly due to spending the formative years of his career at Lincoln City and Sheffield Wednesday (who both own wide pitches), his crosses are all to frequently over hit and nearly always end up in either the Grammar School or B & Q's car park.
Play in this game and at the visit to Barnet a few days later, was frequently brought to a rude halt by a succession of whistling by the referee whenever anything remotely interesting appeared in danger of materialising.
Almost definitely the referee, a short man on both occasions, had been bullied horribly in his schooldays and it was at this period in his life that he had sworn to take revenge with a desperate vendetta against his fellow mankind and opted to become a referee. Albeit no mean feat, the referee's decisions in both games frequently prompted everyone in the Main Stand to stand up from their seats with greater effect than a national anthem.
Throughout the unbeaten run Boston players were challenging for the ball with increased commitment; commitment can turn a 50/50 ball into a 60/40 ball. This was never more evident than when entertaining Enfield at York Street. Twice Boston fell behind, but twice they equalised, with Paul Wilson flinging himself like a human cannonball forward to produce a diving header for the second, and in spite of Enfield’s Andy Pape acting as a one man impersonation of the Hoover Dam in front of the visitor's goal, eventually Rawcliffe was brought down and Stewart Hamill fired home from the penalty spot, which by the time of the Weymouth game had brought his spot-kicking converting statistic to 10 out of 10 for Boston's Celtic supporting winger - by now the goal must appear as big as the York Street stand to Hamill whenever he coolly strides up to convert another penalty.
Adding to all this was the way that the referee, in both the Weymouth game and throughout the 3-2 victory over Enfield, often got in the way of the ball and became involved in the actual game. On one memorable occasion the referee dispossessed Paul Wilson just when a clear break was on, and the offending referee would have surprised no one had he hit a perfectly timed 40 yard through ball to split the Boston defence.
Action at York Street
in the F.A. Trophy saw both Stafford and Northwich dispatched to be free
to just concentrate on the league. It was left to Wilson and Ward to provide
the goals in the 2-0 victory achieved against a Stafford side whom Boston
appeared to offer the impression that they still maintained plenty in
reserve if called upon to produce it.
With the second round game a few weeks later, and Wembley beckoning, the
Pilgrims nearly offered a demonstration to the two thousand crowd of how
to blow a 3-0 lead. Starting off in sparkling style, the blue touch paper
was lit early on with three first-half goals, but in the second-half Boston
imitated nothing but a damp firework (like the way we keep the firework
metaphor going?), and held on for an eventually deserved, if not always
stylish, 3-2 victory.
Currently it is very pleasing to see things eventually working out well
for Kerr and his side, and as we all know this was not always the case.
Indeed, when Kerr informed the press around Christmas time that Boston
were close to a good side, I thought the only time Boston were close to
a good side was when they occupied the dressing room next door to Kidderminster.
Earlier in the season there was much wrong, and many supporters had grown
frustrated with how the obvious problems were no being addressed while
other more petty tactical and player changes were being introduced; if
a car doesn't work because the starter motor is broken, then there is
no point in changing the wheel. Eventually, though, just as fans had grown
to believe that if Kerr discovered the secret to eternal life then he
would still plug away with a sweeperless five at the back and no wing
play, George did get around to changing the starter motor and off Boston
speeded down the road to success.
Contributions of many players should be mentioned. Vaughan is a player
so ugly that children seeing him play for the first time have to sleep
with the light on that night, but his defensive contribution has been
magnificent, only superseded by Steve Buckley who arrived to lead us to
the promised land (Division Four) and looks very capable of attaining
that goal, whilst Martin Hardy remains as fast and reliable as ever and
thoroughly deserved his call-up for the England Semi-Pro squad.
However, one of the best performances from a Boston player in recent months
has originated from Warren Ward, a player not always championed by this
humble mag. In the win over Weymouth Ward was EVERYWHERE: helping out
in defence, creating in mid-field, getting wide, causing danger up front,
so much so that whenever Mckenna was beaten you expected to see Ward finger-tipping
shots over the bar, catching penetrative crosses and immediately throwing
the ball out to Shirtliffe to instigate yet another raid down the right
flank.
Winning matches depends as much on the ability of the opposition to miss
their chances as upon your own ability to convert yours, and with lady
luck for once pulling an amber shirt down over her shoulders (including
the 0-0 game at Barnet!!), things are looking decidedly rosy. Unfortunately
the proposed visit to Altrincham scheduled for a late February evening
kick-off had to be postponed as, having viewed the Boston players' all
round superior skills in the pre-match warm-up, Altrincham ran-off (alright,
so the game was really called off because of a waterlogged pitch). What
did (and didn't) happen at the away trips to Barnet and Welling is reviewed
elsewhere.