Final reflections - A win, three points, convincing performance. Great - but this absolutely must be followed up with results at Barnet and Accrington over the next seven days, or it'll make little difference.

PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP! Hurrah, a Boston win! A hatful (sorry) of chances for both sides, with some great goalkeeping to boot from Spencer and Marriott.

90+1 - Corner for Stockport, but Marriott claims the ball with ease. He's promptly named as Man of the Match by the match sponsors.

90 min - Finks estimates 400 visiting fans, so the home support is around the 1400 mark.

89 min - 5 minutes of added time. Steve Evans starts emitting steam on the touchline.

88 min - Boston could have had it wrapped up, N-Gage one-on-one with Spencer, but the Hatters keeper makes a save. Some great stops today.

88 min - CHANCE! Williams beats Marriott with a tremendous volley, and the Pilgrims stopper watches it sneak wide with a wry smile.

86 min - Phew. Bramble's flick on ends up under Marriott, thankfully it caught Stockport's front line unawares too, and no-one followed up.

83 min - Le Fondre tries to lob Marriott, sending the ball sailing off towards the Haven. He perhaps might have simply laid the ball off to Bramble, who is giving him a right earful.

78 min - SUB: Dinning off, and Tes Bramble on. The Hatters go 4-3-3 to try and salvage a point.

74 min - SUB: Cape Canoville, injured by Dinning's hefty challenge, limps off to be replaced by Richie Ryan.

71 min - Elsewhere - Peter Bore (shudder) scores for Grimsby to put them 2-1 up against Walsall.

70 min - Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnn

67 min - BOO - Carvalho puts Chelsea ahead.

66 min - 1796 fans at the Staffsmart Arena. If I'd have jumped in the car that would have been 1797. Can I live with myself?

64 min - CHANCE! Clarke's corner is met by Talbot, a free header, but he misdirects what is really a glorious opportunity to wrap this up for the Pilgrims.

63 min - Elsewhere, Jimmy H has equalised for Charlton against Chelsea. Ha!

61 min - The hour mark is up, and Stockport make another sub. Murray off, Dickenson on.

60 min - CHANCE! Corner to the Hatters, Keith Briggs sneaks in a header and - again - Marriott saves, this time with his legs!!

57 min - Well, not much is happening. Boston are certainly containing the visitors for the moment.

54 min - Sub for Stockport: Rose for Griffen

51 min - Galbraith has an early shot, a dipping, fizzing drive that has Des squaking with excitement.

50 min - SUB: Holland off, Galbraith on.

KICK OFF - And we're off and underway etc etc.

Sub - Tait is off, for N-Gageusssssssion. Tait, apparently, had picked up a head injury.

Finks - 'Boston's defence looks square, sluggish and slow'.

Elsewhere #3 - Next week's opposition, Accrington, are in the process of being bum-shafted at Meadow Lane, although, surprisingly, no ex-Pilgrim is thus far on the score sheet.

Elsewhere #2 - JJ scores twice for Darlo at Posh (at POSH!!??), and the Imps are beating Shrewsbury. In case you forgot, the Shrews tonked us 5-0.

Elsewhere - You paid HOW much for a ticket?
Arsenal 0-1 Middlesbrough
Bolton 0-0 Watford
Chelsea 1-0 Charlton
Newcastle 0-0 Fulham
Portsmouth 0-0 Wigan
Sheff Utd 0-0 Blackburn

HALF TIME - Well, glancing down below, it looks like this is an absolute thriller. Well, perhaps not, but both sides have had chances aplenty and even if the football has been scrappy, I am starting to regret not jumping in the car and heading across to Lincolnshire for this one.

45+1 min - Yet another chance! Murray beats Marriott with a header, but it flies just wide.

45 min - CHANCE! Griffin forces another smart stop from Marriott. Marriott and Farrell are level on points!

44 min - Farrell is overtaking Marriott in the MOTM stakes. It was his good work that forced Briggs to punt the ball out for the corner that culminated with Eldinho's goal, and he again puts over a quality cross that Green gets his head to.

41 min - GOAL! Knew it. Just knew it. How typical. Clarke's corner isn't cleared, and ends up with Tait, who passes to, yep, you've guessed it, Elding who spanks it home!

37 min - Elding has been rather subdued. It's his second 'debut' start for United, as we all know, but has yet to make an impact so far.

33 min - Murray's attempted lob over Marriott flies well wide, but they've created more chances than Boston so far.

30 min - GOAL! Ah. Stockport equalise; Marriott is defeated by a deflected shot from Taylor on the edge of the box. Well, that didn't last long.

29 min - GREAT CHANCE FOR STOCKPORT! Murray's chance to hit an immediate equaliser is thwarted by Marriott, whose left footed shot is struck straight at Boston's veteran, who may or may not have wanted to sign for Stockport in 1974....

26 min - GOAL!! Tim Ryan thumps it home! Did you know Tim Ryan used to support Stockport as a boy, by the way?

25 min - PENALTY FOR BOSTON! Ashley Williams handballs in the box from Tait's header. More good work from David Farrell too.

21 min - Andy Marriott is man of the match so far, no question, although no doubt today's match sponsors (if there are any?) will no doubt still try picking Darlington's Julian Joachim.

20 min - CHANCE!!! Murray, one on one with Marriott, fluffs his chance! Marriott's despairing dive at Murray's feet sees the ball fall to Le Fondre, who le misses le open le net!!

18 min - 'They're not the quickest at the back,' Des observes, his first statement not concerning the whereabouts of Tim Ryan in 1995. Shit sticks, we've been rumbled. Let's hope that doesn't get to the County bench, or we're doomed.

15 min - Des reels off Historical Fact #5684. And we've played a quarter of an hour.

13 min - Did you know: Paul Tait, who has just forced a corner, made his debut for Chester City against Stockport County, the game in which some guy called Dickinson scored twice and became something of a cult figure? Fancy!

12 min - CHANCE! Dinning, again, forces a great stop from Andy Marriott. Corner for County is cleared away.

11 min - CHANCE! Spencer makes a good save to his right from Talbot's (who once almost signed for Stockport) strike! Boston have started well, it seems. Prediction: Boston 0, Stockport 6

7 min - Jesus. Finks now tells us Stewart Talbot almost signed for Stockport County from Rotherham, back in 1991 or something. This man has pub quiz written all over him.

6 min - Dinning blocks Chris Holland's shot after great work from David Farrell! Good chance for Boston. Did you know David Farrell once almost signed for Stockport for £100,000?

4 min - Des Finks, Stockport's commentator, is regaling us with tales of how David Farrell once almost joined Stockport for £100,000. 'His career never really got back on track after that'.

3 min - Le Fondre has an early chance for County, smart stop from Andy Marriott

KICK-OFF!

The teams
Boston: Marriott, Clarke, Albrighton, Canoville, Ryan, Green, Talbot, Holland, Farrell, Elding, Tait
Subs: Barwick, Toner, Croft, Bore, North [Hang on, aren't these Grimsby players??? - sheepish impsTALK Ed, some weeks/months later]

Stockport: Spencer, Briggs, Williams, Owen, Robinson, Raynes, Taylor, Dinning, Griffen, Le Fondre, Murray
Subs: Deasy, Bramble, Bowler, Dickinson, Rose

Preamble - Let's keep this short and sweet shall we? Stockport are shit. Boston are worse. It's going to be great.

Stockport. Stockport. What can I possibly say about Stockport? Well, I know it principally for the congestion every time I go to Old Trafford and for getting lost on the way to a Beck gig last year.

In fact, I was there exactly one week ago - indeed, I broke down in the Texaco garage just off the A6 on the way back from the England game (well, if you call a jammed fuel cap 'breaking down'....)

Related links
Stockport Trust
Hatworks

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