www.bostonbuzz.co.uk
The prime
platform for Boston and District sports news
Welcome to a round-up of Boston and District football
For all the latest news,
reports, results and tables from the 2006-2007 season…
Cropley’s Suzuki Boston Saturday League
|
SATURDAY
LEAGUE week-by week reports 2006-2007 |
|||
|
This page brought to you in association with
the advertising support of |
|||
|
|
P J FEATHERSTONE Specialist in the supply and fitting of KITCHENS and BEDROOMS All electrical
and plumbing works also
undertaken Southview
Cottage, Tooley Lane, Wrangle Boston 871114 or 07876 522936 |
||
|
FEBRUARY 2007 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
February 24 Cropley’s
Suzuki Premier Division
Kirton Town rocked the reigning Boston Saturday League
champions Billinghay Athletic with the opening goal on Saturday when Richard
Borrill fired home a 25-yard free-kick. The visitors’ joy, though, was
short-lived, as Billinghay soon got into their rhythm with Tom Dickinson
doing most of the damage for his side in a 5-1 home win. The in-form striker
hit a fine hat-trick while Luke Luther and Sam Miller were also on target
against a troubled Kirton Town outfit. A double strike from Wyberton’s John Reeson helped his
side to a fine 2-0 away win at Spilsby Town. Swineshead found opponents Gedney Drove End a difficult
nut to crack as the visitors turned in a hard working performance. Swineshead
opened the scoring after 38 minutes when Benn Houghton’s shot beat the diving
keeper and flew just inside a post. The second and deciding goal didn’t
arrive until five minutes from time when Martin North finished off a superb
assist from substitute Mark Ledger. Swineshead were indebted to goalkeeper,
Phil McAllister who made at least three excellent saves to keep his side
ahead. Both sides produced a competitive game that was well refereed by K
Steer. Final score was 2-0. Cropley’s
Suzuki Division One
Holbeach Bank and Spilsby Town Reserves produced a
nine-goal thriller before the visitors returned home with three welcome
points. In a physical and fiery game Spilsby opened the scoring after 10
minutes when Pete Sampson’s long throw was flicked on by Glen Hislop for Des
Rook to volley home. It was Rook again who increased Town’s lead five minutes
later when he was brought down in the box and the striker dusted himself down
before converting the spot-kick. The Bank got back into the game when a
deflected shot looped over the stranded keeper before Rook completed his
hat-trick when he fastened onto a flick from Dan Vines. Spilsby then gifted a
goal to their opponents when a back pass left a grateful Holbeach player with
an open goal. Holbeach started much the stronger after the break and they
soon equalised before taking the lead for the first time with a fierce
long-range drive. In a ding-dong game Hislop was felled in the box and Rook
blasted home the penalty to level the scores at 4-4. With just two minutes
remaining Spilsby snatched the points when Phil Roof drove the ball in at the
near post when everyone was expecting a cross. For Town Tom Marshall and
Jamie Opray enjoyed impressive debuts. The Bank went close with goals from
Michael Ayres, Simon Hall, Shane Hughes and Mark Casey. Spalding Town were hit for six when they entertained
Westside Rangers. DJ Wright struck twice for the visitors while the other
goals came from Neal Wheatley, Rick Elsom, Michael Burt and Neil Sinha. Cropley’s
Suzuki Division Two
Fosdyke’s Andy Brown was again among the goals for his
side when they entertained Black Bull United. But it was all to no avail. The
deadly striker hit all three of his side’s goals but The Bull returned home
with all three points after a 5-3 away win. Jonathan Lamyman also grabbed a
hat-trick while Andy McGuire and Gary Ling also got on the scoresheet for
Black Bull. Goals from Adrian Dobrinski and Chris Hilton secured the
three points for Kirton Town Reserves when they played hosts to Spalding
Harriers. Park United hit four goals in their home match against
Mareham United but still finished up on the losing side. Unfortunately for
the home side they came up against the firepower of strikers Michael Johnson
and Johnny Seymour who claimed five goals between them. Johnson hit a hat-trick
while Seymour grabbed a brace. Matthew Pilcher and Daniel Green completed the
scoring in a 7-4 away win. Cropley’s
Suzuki Division Three
Goals from Steve Burdass, Chris Massingham and Dean
Stevens kept Nortoft United on course for promotion when they defeated Old
Doningtonians Reserves 3-1 at home. Nortoft started slowly and were lucky not
to have gone behind after Old Dons missed several decent chances. Nortoft
lost striker Jim Dowse through injury midway through the first half and
substitute Matt Warsop entered the action. Warsop’s impact was instant as he
burst through before crossing for Steve Burdass to fire home at the far post.
Old Dons came back strongly and they equalised almost immediately through
Shaun Scott before Nortoft regained the lead just before the break when
Burdass’ shot came back off a post for the lurking Chris Massingham to
despatch the rebound back into the net. The second half was scrappy with Old
Dons still looking the brighter but the visitors couldn’t make their pressure
pay off as several chances went begging again. Nortoft wrapped up the points
with a third goal when man of the match, Burdass set up Dean Stevens to
finish in style. Final score was 3-1. Wrangle United Reserves made the trip to Mareham United
Reserves and they returned home with maximum points following an amazing 11-2
victory. Skipper and top scorer, Jimmy Britton was in unstoppable form
scoring seven of his side’s goals. A strong Wrangle side started brightly
with midfielders, John ‘Boy’ Rutherford and Lloyd Sanderson pulling the
strings in midfield and new signing Nigel Fairweather settling in well in the
heart of the defence. Wrangle opened the scoring when Britton cut inside from
the left before unleashing a searing drive into the top left hand corner. The
hard-working Sanderson went close on a couple of occasions before Britton
made it 2-0 at the interval when he beat the offside trap before netting.
When Mareham did find a way through they were thwarted by Wrangle keeper,
Perry Pagden who saved well on a one-on-one with a rampaging striker. Wrangle
were in dominant form in the second half adding a further nine goal with
Britton claiming five more goals to his personal tally. Sanderson was finally
rewarded for his efforts with a goal and Rutherford also got on the
scoresheet. Mareham struck twice, both goals coming from Lee Tennant, one
effort being a tremendous strike from the halfway line immediately from a
restart. Wrangle’s final two goals came from Leon Bailey, his first for the
club and Ashley Horry. The formbook prediction of a West End Tigers versus
Freiston final was blown to bits as Wainfleet United and Marshalls turned the
tables to storm through to the showpiece conclusion of the competition. Wainfleet United were the visitors to Freiston and they
soon found themselves on the receiving end of the home side’s form, which has
seen them establish themselves as firm favourites for promotion. In the
all-Division Two clash, Freiston missed three clear cut opportunities in the
opening ten minutes as they tried to break down a well organised Wainfleet
defence, which saw their keeper on top form. After withstanding their
opponents’ early onslaught, Wainfleet took the lead with their first serious
attack when a break down the right saw Michael Parnham sweep his side in
front after 20 minutes. The home side equalised minutes later with a goal
from striker, Dean Seiner and they could then have gone ahead when they were
awarded a penalty. Unfortunately for Freiston Aston Chase blasted the penalty
high over the bar. Wainfleet made them pay for the costly miss when they
regained the lead a minute before the break when Royston Wilkinson headed
home. Freiston continued to pressurise the United defence but couldn’t find a
way through and were rocked by a controversial penalty decision which
presented Wainfleet with an opportunity to put one foot into the final.
Royston Wilkinson made no mistake from the spot to put his side 3-1 ahead on 65
minutes. With time running out Freiston pulled a goal back with a headed goal
from Gavin Marshall but, by then, it was too little too late. Final score was
3-2 Division One leaders, West End Tigers knew life wouldn’t
be easy against Division Three pace-setters, Marshalls – and so it proved to
be. Marshalls stormed into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Daniel White and
Craig Spooner and it looked as if that would be enough to put the underdogs
through with time running out for the Tigers. Two late goals, however, put
the Marshalls’ celebrations temporarily on hold as the tie went into extra
time. A 35-yard lob from Wayne Beeson put Marshalls back in front and Spooner
added his second goal of the game to put his side through to the final. Final
score was 4-2 James Eley Sports
Cup
Jack Hill struck twice as Croft United made it through
to the semi-finals at the expense of Wrangle United. Kurt Crossley and Scott
Hutchinson were also on target for Croft. Both sides slogged it out on a
heavy surface at the Wainfleet Road playing fields but it was Croft who
finished the stronger in the latter stages of the tie. Croft had struck as
early as the third minute, but Wrangle fought back to level on the half hour
mark when Richard Fenwick scored. The home side struck again two minutes
before the break and it stayed that way until eight minutes from time when
Croft increased their lead to 3-1. The visitors refused to lie down, however,
and they reduced the arrears once more to set Croft’s nerves jangling. Croft
settled the tie with two minutes remaining when they made it 4-2 with a superbly
worked goal. |
|||
|
February 17 Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Fishtoft got off to the worst possible start when they entertained
Swineshead Institute Reserves. Three goals were conceded early on as
Swineshead threatened to run away with the game and Fishtoft were restricted
to long-range efforts from Mark Ryan and Barry Lomax. Fishtoft started much
brighter in the second half and they were rewarded with a goal from Paul
Wroot but their plight wasn’t helped with the controversial sending off of
striker Ady Almond. Swineshead wrapped up the scoring late on with a fourth
goal to run out 4-1 winners. Jack Houghton and Ryan Barker did the damage
with two goals apiece. Tydd St Mary picked up another point in there quest for
survival, but it could, so easily, have been all three. The first half ended
goalless after Tydd striker Daniel Piccaver found Town keeper Ward
in fine form, thwarting him on several occasions. The second half
carried on in the much the same vain with neither side looking like opening
the deadlock. Then on 80 minutes the game sprung into life with Richard
Smith beating three players to set up Piccaver who fired the ball past Ward
to put Tydd in front. With the 90 minutes up, the referee indicated
an additional three minutes of injury time were to be added on. Tydd
looked to have sealed the vital three points as the time ticked away but
their hopes were left in tatters after the referee found further time for one
more Town attack and how costly it proved to be. Tydd were left stunned by
a 95th minute equaliser when a good finish by Town striker, Paul
Ryan hit the back of the net. There were some good performances
again for Tydd but Piccaver edged it as Tydd’s man of the
match with his tireless running up front. A Nicky Syndercombe goal spared West End Tigers’ blushes
and helped keep the town side on course for promotion. Opponents, Holbeach Bank
did their level best to spoil the party in a 1-1 draw. The visitors had taken
the lead early in the second half before Syndercombe levelled the scores when
he outpaced The Bank defence before slotting the ball home. The Tigers were
guilty of squandering countless chances although they were also unlucky when
they struck the woodwork on four occasions. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two Sutterton turned in a workmanlike performance on their
travels to Coningsby Reserves. Although the title-chasing Coningsby side
enjoyed the majority of possession the only chance of note during the first
half came on the half hour mark when visiting keeper, Graham Nicholls pulled
off a stunning save from a point blank header. Sutterton then rocked their
opponents by taking the lead five minutes later when Scott Jackson placed a
free-kick around the defensive wall and beyond the keeper’s grasp. Coningsby
Reserves poured forward after the break and although Sutterton defended well
it was no surprise when the home side levelled the scores after seventy
minutes through Richard Grimshaw-Else. Sutterton keeper, Nicholls continued
to deny the home side with some fine stops and a resolute defence ably
supported him. The game, although physical, was played in a sporting manner
and was well handled by referee, Sid Ault. Final score was 1-1. A Jon Lamyman strike was enough to settle the outcome
between Black Bull United and Kirton Town at Fosdyke. Final score 1-0 Park Road Old Boys’ slippery slope towards the bottom of
the table continued after a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Spalding
Harriers. The Harriers were deservedly awarded a penalty after two minutes
when Tim Gilbert brought a player down in the box and the spot kick was
converted. The Old Boys then got into the game and shaded the rest of the
half for possession without any reward. The home side continued on a bright note after the
interval but a defensive mistake allowed the visitors to increase their lead
on the hour mark. Josh Ansell pulled a goal back with a header 10 minutes
later before the Harriers wrapped up the points with five minutes to go when
they netted a third for a deserved win. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Marshalls swapped places at the top of the table with
opponents, Nortoft United after a 6-1 victory at Rosebery Avenue. Marshalls
opened the scoring through Craig Spooner’s sublime chip before Nortoft
rallied to equalise with a stunning volley from Anthony Tiffen. The second
half was pretty much one-way traffic as Marshalls ran riot with Daniel White
putting his side 2-1 ahead after a mazy run. Justin ‘Gerbil’ Reynolds added a
third following a lucky deflection before Gary Frost put the result out of
Nortoft’s reach with a rasping volley. Wayne Beeson’s penalty made it 5-1 ten
minutes later and Craig Spooner completed the scoring five minutes from time
slotting the ball home following good work from Mark Cosgrave. Both sides
contributed to providing a good game played in a sporting spirit. Westside Rangers Reserves recorded a 4-0 home win
against basement side Mareham United Reserves. Matt Lee struck twice while
Mark Haynes and Jonathan East were also on target. Old Doningtonians Reserves and Holbeach United Social
produced an exciting 3-3 draw. The home side secured a point with goals from
George Skafidas, who struck twice and Gary Allen while Holbeach Social
returned home with some reward following goals from Josh Martin, who also
grabbed a brace and Neil Ingram. Target Newspapers Challenge Cup Despite losing 7-1, Friskney, from Division Three
produced a creditable performance against title chasing Freiston from
Division Two. Due to the wet condition of Friskney’s pitch, the Division
Three side sportingly relinquished their home advantage to go ahead with the
tie at Freiston’s ground. After an evenly balanced opening 20 minutes,
Freiston rocked their opponents with a quick-fire two-goal blast inside three
minutes, Ty Fravigar and Dean Seiner putting the Division Two side in
control. Seiner made it 3-0 just before the break and the striker continued
in deadly form in the second half when he completed his hat-trick soon after
the restart. Friskney bravely battled back to pressurize the opposing defence
and they were rewarded with a goal from Perrie Dale after 65 minutes.
Freiston finished strongly, however with further goals from Fravigar, Seiner
and Marvin Wiltshire to make the final score 7-1. Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup After some recent impressive displays in the Premier
Division, Swineshead were left shell-shocked early in their home cup-tie
against Division One side, Old Doningtonians. The underdogs stormed into a
two-goal lead with strikes from Mick Holstead and Martin Fox before
Swineshead pulled a goal back after half hour through Benn Houghton’s header.
Ex-Old Dons striker, Chris Wing equalised five minutes before the break when
he came off the bench for the injured Ben Harris to convert a cross from
Martin North. Swineshead were soon in front after the break when Richard
Stukins ran through from 40 yards before slotting the ball past the advancing
keeper. The tie appeared to be drifting away from The Dons when Benn Houghton
beat two defenders before scoring just before the hour mark and Martin North
completed the scoring after 65 minutes when he drove the ball home from an
acute angle. Final score was 5-2. A Sam Louth hat-trick helped Wyberton dump Kirton Town
out of the competition following a comfortable 5-0 home win. Nigel Vince and
Lee Dakin were also on target for a resurgent Wyberton side. The biggest shock of the day took place at the home of
Premier side Coningsby where Old Leake from Division One were the visitors.
The home side found themselves trailing 2-0 before they eventually recovered
to level the scores at 2-2 to take the tie into extra time. David Hone and
Lee Croft scored the crucial goals for Coningsby but it was all to no avail
as Old Leake proved unstoppable in extra time. The underdogs hit four goals
without reply to run out 6-2 winners. The goal-scoring heroes for Old Leake
were Rob Staples and Greg Brown who both struck hat-tricks to sink a
shell-shocked Coningsby. Paul Butler struck two goals for Skegness Town Reserves
when they entertained Billinghay Athletic but it wasn’t enough to put the
East Coast side through. Billinghay hit back with three goals to edge through
to the next round. All three match-winning goals came from the one source –
Paul Miekle, who was firing on all cylinders to send Billinghay through to
the next round. |
|||
|
February 10 Six matches were lost last weekend due to the wet
weather conditions – two in the Premier Division, two in Division Two, one in
Division Three and one of the Challenge Cup ties at Friskney (versus
Freiston) which will be now be played this coming Saturday. Cropley’s Suzuki
Premier Division Another tremendous team performance from Swineshead and
another hat-trick for their goal-machine, Benn Houghton. The team on the
receiving end last Saturday were Skegness Town Reserves who went down to a
5-1 away defeat. Richard Stukins, returning after injury, got the scoreboard
rolling with a goal after 15 minutes after collecting a ball from Ben Harris
before steering his shot past the advancing keeper. Ben Harris then turned
goalscorer when he chased down a long pass and forced the keeper into a
hurried clearance that was misdirected into the path of the foraging Harris.
And he made no mistake after 40 minutes. Skegness pulled a goal back two
minutes later after the home side failed to deal with a cross. The visitors
started the second half strongly before Houghton took centre stage with his
three-goal salvo. On the hour mark he capitalised on a defensive error to
score to make it 3-1 and 15 minutes later a Ryan Barker pass allowed Houghton
to rifle home his second goal. The hat-trick was completed with five minutes
remaining following persistent work from Martin North. Final score was 5-1. Two goals in each half gave Wrangle United a comfortable
victory against basement side Kirton Town at their Main Road ground. Both
sides needed the points desperately in their efforts to avoid the drop, but
it was Wrangle who were looking more likely to score and they were 2-0 ahead
by half-time thanks to goals from Richard Fenwick and Gavin Bell. In the
second half Wrangle were awarded a penalty and ex-Kirton player, Danny Keal
confidently dispatched the spot-kick to put the game beyond the visitors.
Paul Chester rounded off a solid team performance with the final goal in a
convincing 4-0 victory. Spilsby Town blew their chance of topping the table when
they went down 3-1 at home Sleaford Town Reserves. Leigh Cuppleditch grabbed
the Spilsby goal. Cropley’s Suzuki
Division One There was a rugby-style scoreline at North Sea United
where Old Leake were the visitors to The Camp. Although the prison side
scored five times through Rob Masters, Rico Richards (2), Mo Boukassi and Jay
Narjee they still finished up empty-handed as Old Leake struck back with
eight goals to return home with the three points. Rob Staples got Old Leake
off to a flying start when he latched onto a goalkeeping error and the
visitors were 2-0 in front after 15 minutes when Greg Brown converted a Ben
Lawson cross. The rampant Leake side stormed into a 3-0 lead after 23 minutes
when Luke Keal’s long free-kick deceived the North Sea keeper. The Camp
pulled a goal back just before the half hour mark before Old Leake restored
their three-goal advantage when Jason Keal drove a 20-yard shot into the net
through a crowded goalmouth. The Camp made the interval scoreline 4-2 when
they reduced the arrears minutes before the break following a free-kick from
just outside the box. North Sea gave themselves a real glimmer of hope early
in the second half when they scored to make it 4-3 before Jason Keal hit his
second goal of the game midway through the half when his 30-yard drive found
the net. Rob Staples appeared to have wrapped up the points with a sixth goal
when he rounded the keeper before slipping the ball home with 15 minutes
remaining. Although The Camp added another to make it 6-4 goals from Greg
Brown and substitute Chris Mitchell put the result beyond doubt. North Sea
had the final say with a goal deep into added time to make the final score
8-5. There were also plenty of goals at Fishtoft where the
home side had a comfortable 6-1 victory against Old Doningtonians thanks to
goals from Ady Almond (2), Chris Marshall, Dec Wilson, Michael Lomax and Pete
Coonan. The heavy conditions made football difficult and Old Dons struggled
on the slippery surface that deteriorated as the game went on. The Dons
rocked their opponents when they took an early lead through Martin Fox before
the home side levelled when Pete Coonan netted. Ady Almond put Fishtoft 2-1
ahead with a low shot into the far corner from just outside the box. Coonan
then set up Chris Marshall for Fishtoft’s third goal and Dec Wilson made the
interval score 4-1 following a Mark Ryan corner. A slick move early in the
second half involving Marshall, Wilson and Michael Lomax put Fishtoft out of
reach with Ady Almond finishing in style with fierce drive into the top
corner. Michael Lomax completed the scoring with a header following a cross
from brother, Barry. Final score was 6-1. Referee Mark Bruntlett had a good
game in quagmire. The Saints are really on the march! Tydd St Mary
recorded a hard fought victory over a young Spilsby Town Reserves —
their first win of the season. Tydd started the brighter and were rewarded
for their good football on 15 minutes when Daniel Piccaver slotted past
the advancing home keeper after a good three-man move. Spilsby soon
hauled themselves level on 20 minutes after Ryan Johnson nipped in to beat
Tydd keeper Jamie Moor to a cross. Tydd regained the lead on the half hour
mark when Paul Smith volleyed in at the far post from a Daniel Fines corner.
There was then a mad five minutes when the referee was tested to the
limit as some horrendous tackles flew in from both sides. Once
order was restored Tydd increased their lead when Piccaver beat two players
before pulling the ball back for Richard Smith to coolly fire into the empty
net. Spilsby started the second half well and when Tydd
keeper Moor dropped a cross into his own net they were back in the game. With
the home side pressing for an equaliser Tydd were finding space behind them
and Paul Smith had a golden chance to put the game out of sight when he
rounded the keeper only to fire into the side netting. Man of match for Tydd
was Richard Smith who led by example. Cropley’s Suzuki
Division Two Black Bull United fell victim to the finishing power of Mareham
United striker Johnny Seymour. Although the Bull scored twice away from home,
Seymour’s predatory instinct in front of goal proved to be the difference
between the two sides as he hit all three of his side’s goals in a 3-2
victory. Steve Kerslake was again on target for Sutterton when
they entertained Spalding Harriers in a closely fought contest on a heavy
surface. The decisive goal came after 35 minutes when Carl Duncan’s 25-yard
shot came back off a post for the lurking Kerslake to bundle the ball home.
Both sides were fortunate to have reached the interval with 11 outfield
players after an ugly skirmish but thankfully the referee brandished only
yellow cards to quell the situation. Spalding Harriers enjoyed the majority
of possession after the break without really creating any clear-cut openings
while at the other end Carl East’s effort went narrowly wide and Carl Duncan
struck an upright for the second time during the game. The match was marred
late on when a visiting player protested too vehemently about a penalty
decision that didn’t go his way. Referee K Steer handled a difficult game
very well Cropley’s Suzuki
Division Three Goals from John Tomlin and Jimmy Brittain secured three
valuable points for Wrangle United Reserves when they made the lengthy
journey to Holbeach United Social. Samuel Laird replied with The Holbeach
goal but it wasn’t enough to prevent the home side going down 2-1. Simon Hyland was among the goals for Park United
Reserves when they travelled to Old Doningtonians Reserves. Hot-shot Hyland
struck twice to help sink The Dons in a 3-1 away win with Tim Billingham also
being on target. Target Newspapers
Challenge Cup round three Division Three title chasers, Marshalls made it clear
from the kick-off that they were determined to match Division One side
Westside Rangers blow for blow. Marshalls controlled the opening 25 minutes
with some constructive football in demanding conditions as the experience of
midfielders Melson and Leggatt were proving influential. The youthful energy
of recent signing 16-year-old Ryan Mason complimented the midfield’s
prompting. Both goalkeepers were called upon to pull off some important saves
in the first half but just when it looked as if the first period would finish
goalless, a poor clearance from the Marshalls defence resulted in Rangers
opening the scoring just before the break. Marshalls returned for the second
half in an even more determined mood and their efforts were rewarded with an
equaliser when Melson’s free-kick was fastened onto by Craig Spooner and his
impressive low drive found the net. Westside turned on the pressure for a
while afterwards but Marshalls stood firm. The all important winning goal
came in the final minutes of the game when following a corner, Daniel White
shot home at the second attempt to put Marshalls through to the semi finals.
Both sides contributed to providing an exciting cup tie played in a good
spirit. Two goals from Steve Favell helped West End Tigers into
the last four of the competition when they saw off the challenge of Fosdyke
in a 5-2 scoreline. The other match-winners were Nathan Padley, Jamie Hurling
and Paul Vaughan. Division Two side Fosdyke had given themselves a mountain
to climb with a poor first half display and although Andy Brown had levelled
the scores at 1-1 The Tigers scored three more times to lead 4-1 at the
break. Fosdyke played much better after the break but it was far too late by
then. |
|||
|
February 3 Cropley’s
Suzuki Premier Division
A combination of a fantastic team display and with a
five-star goal scoring performance from their red-hot marksman gave
Swineshead a storming home victory against league leaders, Croft United. Star
striker Benn Houghton began his demolition job as early as the 14th minute
when he ran onto a pass from Ben Harris before rifling past the advancing
keeper. Houghton showed a clean pair of heels again just after the half hour
mark when he burst past a static Croft defence to shoot home from 18 yards.
Croft gave themselves a glimmer of hope just before half-time when they
fastened onto a loose ball to fire home from fifteen yards. Houghton got his
side off to the ideal start after the break with his best goal of the
afternoon when he cut in from the right flank before firing home an
unstoppable shot into the top corner. Hot-shot Houghton put the result beyond
doubt after 70 minutes when Ben Harris again set up the chance for the
striker to claim his fourth goal of the game to make the final score 4-1.
Croft threw men forward during the final stages but couldn’t breach a
stubborn home defence, in which goalkeeper Tim Houghton produced a vintage
display Cropley’s
Suzuki Division One
Spalding Town swapped league positions with opponents,
Old Doningtonians after their travels last Saturday. A goal in each half
secured three valuable points for Spalding Town while Old Doningtonians are
still struggling to get their season on track again. Paul Ryan netted Town’s
opener in the first half and Tom Cherry added goal number two with ten
minutes remaining. Finals score was 2-0. Spilsby Town Reserves are another side who were also
looking to jump-start their season when they entertained Westside Rangers and
there were a few bright moments during the goalless first period before a
major collapse after the break put paid to any brief hopes. No fewer than
eight goals found their way into the Town net without reply for an 8-0 final
scoreline. Tydd St Mary chalked up their second point of the season
with a 3-3 home draw against Fishtoft thanks to goals from Paul Smith, Andrew
Cooper and Andrew Bennett. The visitors struck first with a goal from Nathan
Taylor who turned before shooting low into the net but Tydd stormed back with
two quick replies to lead 2-1 at the break. Fishtoft brought the score level
in the second half when Mark Ryan’s corner was flicked on by Dec Wilson for
Glen Smith to head home at the far post. Ady Almond was then hauled down in
the penalty area to earn a penalty for Fishtoft and Chris Marshall converted
from the spot before Tydd added their final goal to make the final score 3-3. Old Leake made leaders West End Tigers fight all the way
for their three points at the Community Centre. The home side scored through
Adam Swannack and Rob Staples but The Tigers replied with three goals of
their own to run out 3-2 winners. Cropley’s
Suzuki Division Two
League leaders Freiston were well beaten at home when
visitors Kirton Town Reserves went away with all three points. Freiston
forced the pace during the first half and should have been well ahead by the
break had it not been for some excellent stops by the Town keeper. The home
side had to be content, however, with just their solitary goal scored by
James Messenger after 20 minutes. The same player also missed a great chance
just before half time but the squandered opportunity was to prove a very
costly one. Kirton punished their opponents after the break with three
quick-fire goals inside 15 minutes to lead 3-1. Although Freiston tried
desperately to get back into the game the Town defence stood firm before an
well executed fourth goal put the result beyond doubt with 15 minutes
remaining. Kirton’s match-winners were Simon Collins (2), Cliff Langham and
Chris Hilton. Sutterton found themselves in the unfamiliar position of
being 2-0 ahead after 25 minutes of the away fixture at Park Road Old Boys.
The visitors opened the scoring after 10 minutes when a loose ball fell
kindly for Carl Duncan on the edge of the box and the striker wasted no time
in dispatching the ball firmly past the diving keeper. Sutterton doubled
their lead 15 minutes later when Steve Kerslake capped a fine move by
slipping the ball past the advancing keeper. Park Road reduced the arrears
five minutes before the break through Darren Gilbert. In the second half the
home side took control of the possession and they levelled the scores after
65 minutes when Doug Wisbey scored. Sutterton continued to pose a threat and
they regained the lead with Kerslake’s second goal of the game with five
minutes remaining. The Old Boys threw everything forward during the dying
moments of the game and they salvaged a point with a controversial equaliser
in the seventh minute of added time. Adam Smith was the late, late scorer. Black Bull United and Wainfleet United provided an
exciting eight-goal encounter at Fosdyke. The home side took the lead in the
first half before Wainfleet levelled the scores just before the break through
Royston Wilkinson. The same player was on target once again early in the
second half when he converted a pass from Lee Johnson. Johnson then turned
goalscorer when he put Wainfleet 3-1 ahead before Black Bull staged a
fight-back. The home side struck twice to level the scores at 3-3. It was
Wainfleet’s deadly duo who had the final say, however, as both players,
Wilkinson and Johnson, netted again during the final ten minutes to make the
final score 5-3. Wilkinson’s final goal completing a fine hat-trick Cropley’s
Suzuki Division Three
Goals from Andy Willows and Josh Martin secured the
three points for Holbeach United Social in their 2-0 home win against
Westside Rangers Reserves. Freiston Reserves hit seven goals at Carrington against
Park United Reserves thanks to strikes from Troy Ayton (2), Scott Francis,
Mark Taylor, Jamie Button, Kelvin Whyler and Lee Hoff. Mareham United Reserves couldn’t repeat their heroics of
seven days earlier as they went down 3-1 at home against Old Doningtonian
Reserves. Andy Barnett grabbed two of the Dons’ goals while George Skafidas
hit the other decisive goal. Mareham replied through Daniel Keuneke. James
Eley Sports Cup round three
Nortoft United from Division Three, put up a tremendous
fight against Premier outfit Coningsby before bowing out in a penalty shoot-out.
Coningsby took an early lead before Anthony Tiffen levelled the scores. The
visitors again went ahead and looked like sneaking through in normal time but
the battling underdogs had one last surprise up their sleeve when Chris
Massingham levelled the scores in the 90th minute to send the tie
into extra time. There were no further goals in extra time so it was left to
the stress-busting shoot-out to settle the outcome and the Premier side
proved more clinical from 12 yards Mr
Trophies Fishtoft Cup semi -finals
Spilsby Town and Wrangle United produced a thrilling
encounter at Ancaster Avenue that was a credit to the local football scene
and it was just unfortunate that the outcome had to be settled by the dreaded
penalty shoot-out. Wrangle drew first blood when Dave Robinson pounced on a
loose ball to score from close range before Spilsby brought the scores level
10 minutes later. The United midfield was working extremely hard to try and
neutralise the home side and after a ball was only partially cleared
Wrangle’s Sundeep Singh claimed his first goal for his side when his searing
volley from 25 yards flew into the top corner. Wrangle’s joy was short-lived,
however, as Town responded with an equaliser right on the stroke of
half-time. In the second half Wrangle substitute John Tomlin put his team
ahead once again when he followed up a rebound from a Jimmy Brittain
piledriver. Spilsby repeated their earlier feats of the game with another
equaliser to send the tie into extra time. The additional period saw Spilsby
take the lead for the first time in the game with a header from a corner but
Wrangle battled back with a Richard Fenwick header to make the final score
4-4 and take the tie into a penalty shoot-out. The home side kept their nerve
during the spot-kick lottery to squeeze through to the final. Spilsby Town’s opponents will be Skegness Town Reserves
who also needed a penalty shoot-out to make the final. Billinghay Athletic
were eliminated at the final hurdle as Skegness Town set up a local derby final
with rivals Spilsby Town after the tie finished 1-1 after extra time. Tom
Dickinson scored Billinghay’s goal. |
|||
|
|
|||