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Welcome to a round-up of Boston and District football
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April Reports 2005-2006 |
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Report for matches played on Saturday April 29 Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Two goals from Scott Hutchinson and another from Lee Orrey were enough to give Croft United all three points when they entertained Boston Town Colts last Wednesday. Town replied twice through Leroy Medina but the visitors — including several talented youngsters — pushed their hosts all the way before unluckily returning home empty-handed after a 3-2 defeat. Croft then travelled to Kirton Town on Saturday to
record another victory when they returned home with a 5-0 win under their
belts. Adam Broome hit two of the Croft goals while Gavin Bridge, Lee Orrey
and Kurt Crossley completed the scoring. Referee P Pycock had a fine game in the middle. Coningsby and Spilsby Town shared the points in a 1-1
draw. Both sides were forced to field weakened line-ups so the two of them
would have been reasonably satisfied with the outcome. Spilsby had five
players missing due to a previously organised weekend trip to the Nou Camp at
Barcelona and their places were taken by reserve players. The replacements
didn’t let their side down, however, and they enjoyed their fair share of
possession during a goalless first half. Town were rewarded with a goal early
in the second half when Liam Papworth headed home a cross from Viv Jeffrey.
Coningsby were on level terms 10 minutes when Ian Dunn found himself unmarked
and his header found the back of the net. Coningsby went close when they
struck a post following a mix-up in the visiting defence and then the lively
Dunn struck the crossbar with another header. Spilsby almost snatched victory
in the last minute but Phil Roof scuffed his shot in front of goal and the
chance went begging. Billinghay Athletic recorded their second win in five
weeks at the North Sea Camp when goals from Wayne Biggadyke and Tom Dickinson
secured three vital championship points. Wayne Biggadyke had opened the
scoring in the first half before Tom Dickinson added another in the second
period. North Sea reduced the arrears with five minutes remaining when Andy
Wilkinson scored to make the final score 2-1. Wrangle United moved off the bottom of the table
following a 3-2 away win at Wyberton. The home side, struggling to raise a
team prior to the game, managed to get 11 men onto the field but were then dealt a huge blow when they
lost a player through injury after 20 minutes and were forced to play out the
rest of the game with 10 men. Wrangle made hard work of their advantage but
eventually took the lead when Luke Brittain fired home from Gavin Bell’s low
cross. In the second half Wyberton clawed their way back into the match with
an equaliser following some sloppy defending before Richard Fenwick netted
from another Bell cross to put the visitors 2-1 ahead. Wyberton battled back
again and they drew level with a hotly disputed goal as Wrangle vainly
appealed for a handball decision that never materialised. It looked as though
it wasn’t going to be Wrangle's day when Richard Fenwick somehow missed a
glaring opportunity in front of an open goal when well placed six yards out.
Luke Brittain popped up with a dramatic late winner right at the death when
he converted yet another cross from the hard-working Gavin Bell to earn
Wrangle three valuable points in their quest to avoid the wooden spoon.
Brittain has been a revelation for Nigel Birtwistle’s side after being
converted to a striking role. The Wrangle goal-poacher has now scored six
goals in three games as their newly-found front man. The game at Swineshead, where Boston Town Colts were the
visitors, had a real end-of-the-season feel to it as both sides struggled to
raise their game. The winning goal came on 25 minutes from the unlikely source
of full-back Steve Graham who stayed forward following a corner and when the
ball came back into the area the delighted defender knocked the ball home at
the far post. Swineshead then hung onto their slender lead in the second half
to take maximum points with a 1-0 win. Cropley's Suzuki Division One Fishtoft enjoyed a much better week than the previous
one, starting with a 2-1 away win at Old Doningtonians. Fishtoft had led at
the half-way stage and although Martin Fox equalised for Old Dons with a
20-yard volley the visitors secured victory with a winning goal 20 minutes
from time. Fishtoft followed up that excellent result with an
equally impressive display at home to Gedney Drove End. A Declan Wilson goal
was enough to give Fishtoft victory and end any hopes Gedney had of grabbing
the title. The visitors pushed hard for an equaliser and Fishtoft had to
weather some intense pressure towards the end but they held firm to hang onto
the three points. Amazingly this victory was Fishtoft’s “double” over
promotion-seeking Gedney. Two goals from Stacey Blythe helped Holbeach Bank to a
4-2 home win over Swineshead Reserves. Mark Deans and Graeme Hunt were also
on target for the Bank. Sutterton were unable to raise enough players to travel
for their unenviable visit to title certainties Sleaford Town. By Friday
night the bottom placed side knew that they would be drastically short of
players so called the game off. The league management committee will now be
expected to award the three points to Sleaford Town. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two In the day’s only Second Division match, Park United
went down 2-1 at home to Spalding Harriers. Adam Gallimore grabbed the Park
goal. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Liam Pitts grabbed two goals for Old Doningtonians Reserves
in their 3-2 home win against Mareham United Reserves. Pete Lunn was also on
the score-sheet for Old Dons. Mareham replied through Lewis Cartwright and
Richard Hall. Wrangle United Reserves called off their scheduled home
game last Saturday against Holbeach United Social. Wrangle, who have been
suffering of late with availability of players, called off the game on Friday
night in order to give the Holbeach side plenty of warning to prevent players
from make an unnecessary journey. The likely outcome will be the inevitable
award of the three points to the Holbeach side. Another game that didn’t take place was the match at
Billinghay Athletic Reserves where East Region School of Sport were due to
play. The town side’s mini-bus was involved in an unfortunate accident a few
days earlier and the team was unable to travel. The management committee will
decide the outcome of the match once all the facts have been studied. Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup final Billinghay Athletic and Spilsby Town served up an
exciting goal-feast for the crowd at Tattershall Road in the final of the
Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup. Even
though it took an hour for the game to really liven up, the final 30 minutes
followed by half-an-hour’s extra time
turned out to be a fascinating battle. Spilsby had taken a first half
lead through Lee Cuppleditch who netted a perfectly placed header from a
Graham Blades cross. Billinghay’s Mark Wheatley substituted himself when an
old Achilles injury flared up. And his replacement, Adam Weston, levelled the
scores on the hour mark. Billinghay looked to be heading for victory when Tom
Dickinson put his side ahead with just 10 minutes remaining. But Spilsby were
far from finished. They grabbed a dramatic equaliser in the dying minutes to send the match into extra time when Viv
Jeffrey levelled the scores at 2-2. Billinghay twice led in extra time
through Michael Ward and Paul Miekle but Spilsby cancelled them out on both
occasions with a Liam Papworth goal and another Viv Jeffrey strike. So with
the scores locked at 4-4, the dreaded penalty shoot-out faced both sides. Man
of the match, Steve Scott denied Spilsby on two occasions and then had the
audacity to step up to fire home the winning penalty for Billinghay. For
Town, Lathan Tuplin had a commanding game in midfield. Boston League
stalwart, Tony Appleby, presented the trophy to Billinghay Athletic. |
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Report for matches played on Saturday April 22 Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Billinghay Athletic took another step towards the
championship with a midweek win at Spilsby Town. A goal in the opening minutes
and a second clinching effort in the closing stages of the game settled the
outcome. Billinghay’s match-winners were Sam Miller and Jon Machin. The
reigning champions followed that win with another victory at Tattershall Road
on Saturday when they defeated Boston Town Colts 3-1. Town’s Manager, Tony
Lyon fielded five 15-year-olds in
his line-up and no doubt the experience will be beneficial to the youngsters.
The Colts’ goal came from Saif Elliott while Billinghay’s scorers were Craig
Gosling, Adam Weston and Tom Dickinson. Coningsby and Croft United clashed in the league just
five days after they met in the Fishtoft Cup final. Amazingly the outcome was
exactly the same with Coningsby coming out on top following a 2-1 victory.
Lee Croft was Coningsby’s hero with both of his side’s goals after the
visitors had taken a first half lead. Coningsby then travelled to Swineshead at the weekend
and came away with a 4-0 victory. Even the Coningsby camp admitted that the
four-goal difference was somewhat flattering. Swineshead had their fair share
of possession but just couldn’t find the net. Several Swineshead chances went
begging during the match and Chris Hollyoake struck the crossbar with a
free-kick. Coningsby, on the other hand, made the most of their chances with
their sharp-shooters being Lee Croft (2), James Wayman and Sam Taylor. Three
of Coningsby’s goals came in the final seven minutes. North Sea United moved off the foot of the table for the
first time this season when they took maximum points against Kirton Town. The
Camp held a 1-0 lead at half-time and they added another two goals before
Kirton finally replied five minutes from time when Neil Featherstone squeezed
the ball home. North Sea’s goals came from Dan Gee, Brett Mooney and Jim
Russell. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One The game that everyone had been waiting for turned out
to be a bit of a non-event with Sleaford Town easily out-gunning fellow
promotion hopefuls Gedney Drove End with a 7-1 home win. Town’s goals came from
Steve Morley (2), Craig Wells (2), James Hickey, Neil Richardson and Robin
Holderness. Gedney’s only reward came in the form of a Steve Barnes goal. Two goals from Mick Holstead helped Old Doningtonians to
a 3-1 home win against Holbeach Bank. Bob Holstead weighed in with the other
Old Dons’ strike. Fishtoft endured a bad week when losing both their
games. First they returned home empty-handed after suffering a narrow midweek
defeat at Old Leake with Ricky Southwell and John McGarrel earning their side
the three points. Fishtoft replied
through Ady Almond. Fishtoft then went down to a 4-2 home defeat at the
hands of Spilsby Town Reserves. The visitors were mightily relieved to get a
win under their belts after suffering four defeats on the bounce. They
started well with Dan Vines heading against the foot of a post following neat
build-up play involving Anthony Slater before Fishtoft opened the scoring
when Declan Wilson capitalised on a poor defensive clearance. The home side
continued on top before the break creating three good chances which brought
the best out of new signing Dan Fox in the Spilsby goal. The visitors passed
the ball much better after the break and they were rewarded with an early
equaliser through a rare headed goal from Anthony Slater. Fishtoft responded
in positive fashion and they took control of the game but Town’s back four
stood firm with Ashley Pawson marshalling his defence superbly. An
unfortunate mis-kick from keeper Dan Fox presented the home side with an open
goal which they took to lead 2-1. Spilsby’s response was instant with Anthony
Slater popping up again with his head to convert a long throw-in. Fishtoft
struggled from thereon and the lively Slater could have added further goals
when clean through on goal on more than one occasion. Substitute Ben
Willerton finally put Town ahead for the first time when he netted with a
powerful left foot drive before Dan Vines completed the scoring with another
fierce shot from 25 yards to make the final score 4-2. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two Wainfleet United pushed Coningsby Reserves nearer the
drop last Saturday when they recorded a 3-1 away win. Matt Crowson, Royston
Wilkinson and an own goal did the damage for United. Chris Wilson was on
target again for Coningsby Reserves. Holbeach St Marks twice held a lead against Spalding
Harriers at home before the visitors bounced back to snatch a deserved draw.
Shaun Middleton and Scott Gardner were on target for St Marks. West End Tigers celebrated the presentation of The
Division Two Trophy with a 3-1 home win over Park United. Steve Adcock scored
the visitors’ goal. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Woodhall Spa United clinched the title with a 3-1 away
win at Wrangle United Reserves last Tuesday night. Jack Draper who scored
twice and Reece Maltby hit the championship winning goals. Boston Saturday
League chairman Roger Gell went along, armed with the trophy on the
off-chance that Woodhall were triumphant. They didn’t let him down with a
comfortable victory and the trophy was presented to the jubilant Woodhall
camp after the match. East Region School of Sport played some good football
during the first half of their home clash against Old Doningtonians Reserves
but once their opponents had levelled after the break, the home side lost their
way. Teddy Williams had given East Region a slender half-time lead with a
well taken goal before Old Dons stormed back after the break with three goals
to take maximum points. Billinghay Athletic Reserves were on song with a 5-0
home win against Holbeach United Social. The home side’s scorers were Alan
Bayliss, Ed Creasey, Simon Creasey, Rick Harrod and Mark Barber. Friskney ended their season on a high note with a 3-0
away win at Park United Reserves. Club secretary, Pete Holland was struggling
to raise a side on Friday night and he was forced to include himself in the
line-up with just 10 other players available. With nothing to lose, Friskney
competed well and took the three points thanks to goals from Daniel Fletcher,
Perrie Dale and Ed Scarborough. |
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Report for matches played on Saturday April 15 Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Billinghay Athletic took a significant step towards
retaining their title last Wednesday night when they won 4-1 at Wyberton. Sam
Miller proved to be Billinghay’s match-winner claiming a hat-trick while Tom
Dickinson was also on target. But Billinghay’s title celebrations were momentarily
halted last Saturday when they were unexpectedly held to a 1-1 draw at
Wrangle United. It had looked promising for the reigning champions when they
opened the scoring inside the first quarter of an hour when Pete Dickinson
found the net. And they continued to enjoy the majority of possession
afterwards. Wrangle held on grimly and managed to survive for the remainder
of the first half without conceding again. Wrangle saw a bit more of the ball
after the break and they were rewarded with an equaliser when Luke Brittain
latched onto a loose ball before rounding keeper Steve Scott and scoring from
a tight angle with the visiting defence appealing in vain for an offside
decision. The setback stung Billinghay into action and they forced Wrangle
back but the latter held firm and their confidence grew as the game wore on.
Billinghay thought they had won it late on when Wayne Biggadyke’s goal-bound
effort was somehow clawed away by Wrangle keeper Martin Sutton. There was
still time at the other end for Wrangle to have snatched a surprise victory
but Luke Perkins blazed horribly wide with the goal at his mercy. Wyberton, meanwhile, had a woeful Saturday when they
crashed 7-0 away to Croft. The home side, minus the services of several key
players including striker Lee Orrey, were still too strong for their
opponents. Kurt Crossley certainly made up for Orrey’s absence with an
impressive goal-scoring display, hitting four of his side’s goals. Croft’s
other goals came from Scott Hutchinson, who was pushed forward into a
striking role, Steven Murphy and Adam Broome. Kirton Town have kept themselves among the points. After
a midweek draw at home to Boston Town Colts — where Matthew Crunkhorn was on
target for Dale Atkinson’s side in a 1-1 scoreline — Kirton picked up another
share of the spoils last Saturday when they travelled to Skegness Town.
Substitute Jamie Cox opened the scoring for the visitors at Skegness after 70
minutes before home striker, Paul Butler responded almost instantly to rescue
a point for the east coast side with an equaliser two minutes later. Kirton
could have probably taken all three points but chances went begging. Neil
Featherstone went close on several occasions. Boston Town Colts were unable
to build on their well earned point at Kirton when they were unable to fulfil
their Saturday fixture at Spilsby Town. Saturday work commitments left manager,
Tony Lyon with no option but to postpone the game North Sea United picked up another point when they drew
1-1 with Swineshead. Jim Stone was on target for the prison side. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Gedney Drove End are continuing to put pressure on
fellow-title chasers, Sleaford Town, with an 8-3 home win over Old
Doningtonians. Neil Armstrong hit a hat-trick for Gedney while Dave Wilson
bagged a double strike. The other goals came from Danny Goddard, Garth Baxter
and an own goal. A single Nathan Lee-Farrah strike was enough to earn
Swineshead Reserves all three points when they entertained basement side,
Sutterton. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two In the game at Freiston — where so many chances were
created — it was a major surprise that no more goals were scored other than
the three which did find the net in a 2-1 away victory for Wainfleet United.
Both keepers were kept busy although Freiston squandered the two best
openings in the opening exchanges when Troy Ayton and Scott Francis were
denied an opening goal. Wainfleet took the lead on 25 minutes when a long
pass eluded the home defence and Matt Crowson burst through to score.
Freiston levelled just before the break when Danny Brewster’s superb run was
rewarded with a fine finish. The visitors regained their lead when Crowson’s
astute ball juggling culminated in him scoring a smart goal. Wainfleet then
had a shot cleared off the line while at the other end a Scott Francis' shot
came back off a post. Final score was 2-1 to the visitors. West End Tigers celebrated their championship-winning
season with a 2-1 away win at Coningsby Reserves. Carl Wilson hit the
Coningsby goal but the Tigers weren’t to be denied and they took the three
points with two replies. Two goals from Park United’s Alec Richardson gave his
side a 2-1 away win at Mareham United. The visitors also had Chris Clarke
dismissed into the bargain. Darren Vinters replied for Mareham. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Billinghay Athletic Reserves and Park United Reserves
shared the spoils following a 2-2 draw. Steve Wilcox and Jason Blyth earned
Billinghay their point with the home side’s goals while Tim Lymer and Neil
Steadman replied for Park. Woodhall Spa United took a big step towards promotion
with a thumping 8-0 home win over Wrangle United Reserves. They faced a
reverse fixture at Wrangle last night (Tuesday) to decide whether they finish
as champions. The scheduled fixture at Graves Park saw Kirton Town
Reserves without a game when East Region School of Sport decided to go ahead
with their weekend tour of Scotland. Mr Trophies Fishtoft Cup Coningsby were triumphant in the Fishtoft Cup final over Croft United on the night of April 13 at Boston Town’s Tattershall Road ground. Despite conceding a goal inside the first minute they recovered to lift the trophy following a 2-1 victory. Croft got off to a storming start when Kurt Crossley carved out an opening for Scott Hutchinson to convert his cross after just 10 seconds. Coningsby replied just before the break with a well-worked goal and then struck with the winning goal 10 minutes from time. |
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Report for matches played on Saturday April 8 Barclays Brokers Willoughby Shield Kirton Town Reserves are on course for retaining both
the Reserve Cup and Willoughby Shield. Kirton, who have already claimed the
Reserve Cup when they defeated Swineshead Reserves, now face Coningsby
Reserves in the final of the Willoughby Shield on May2 at Tattershall Road,
kick-off 7pm. Ironically, it was Swineshead Reserves who fell at the
penultimate hurdle this time with Kirton winning 2-1 with goals from Richard
Borrill and Cliff Langham. Swineshead, who were struggling to raise a side,
almost pulled out of the tie on Friday night but they managed to raise 11 men
for the game. They were already 2-0 down before they were rewarded for their
efforts when Nathan Lee-Farrah pulled back what only amounted to a
consolation goal. Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division One week after suffering their first loss (1-0) of the season,
reigning champions Billinghay Athletic bounced back with a narrow victory
against one of the form teams of the moment — Spilsby Town. A second half
goal from striker, Tom Dickinson was enough to secure three valuable points
against a Town side who have been storming up the table in recent weeks. There was another single-goal victory at Wyberton where
a Dean Seiner goal settled the outcome against Swineshead. Yet another 1-0 scoreline saw Skegness Town return home
with maximum points when they travelled to do battle with Boston Town Colts.
There was a youthful look to both sides and Boston Town Colts enjoyed their
fair share of possession. But as
manager Tony Lyon admitted, his youngsters lacked the killer touch in front
of goal. Skegness marksman James Taylor showed how it should be done when he
scored the only goal of the game to clinch the points. Croft United were another side who returned home to the
east coast with the three points following a 2-1 victory at North Sea United.
Scott Hutchinson had given Croft a first half lead when his header found the
net before the midfielder received his marching orders for something he said
on the hour mark. Jim Stone levelled the scores for the Prison side with 15
minutes remaining before the 10 men of Croft bounced back to snatch victory.
Striker Lee Orrey, met Rob Marsden’s fine run and cross and his flying header
gave the North Sea keeper no chance.
Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Old Doningtonians held leaders Sleaford Town to a 1-1
draw. After a goal-less first half, Mick Holstead gave Old Dons a shock lead
on the hour mark before Sleaford equalised 10n minutes later. Jake Asher in
the Old Dons goal had an inspired afternoon and was instrumental in earning
his side a point. Gedney Drove End struggled to raise a full side in their
crucial away match at Tydd St Mary due to work commitments. But Paul Markham
managed to pull out all the stops to gather 11 fit players for the trip. Deen
McCracken hit the all-important goal to earn Gedney three valuable points in
the promotion chase. Spalding Town went down to a 2-1 home defeat when
Fishtoft were the visitors. Town, trailing 1-0 at the halfway stage, went
further behind after the break. Jamie Juckes gave Spalding a lifeline when he
reduced the arrears but Fishtoft held out to take the three points. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two A goal from substitute, Troy Ayton in injury time gave
Freiston a 3-2 home win over Park United. The home side faced a strong
headwind during the first half but despite some goalmouth scrambles their
defence managed to keep their opponents out and five minutes before the break
Freiston rocked United with the opening goal. Danny Brewster broke through
following a neat interchange and held off a defender before beating the
keeper to make the half time score 1-0. Freiston put Park under some second half and they
increased their lead on 55 minutes when Rob Himsworth’s 50-yard lob bounced
over the keeper to give the veteran midfielder his first goal of the season.
Park fought back and they reduced the arrears ten minutes later when a
Freiston defender’s attempted clearance found his own net. Freiston,
temporarily lost their composure and they conceded an equaliser with 10
minutes remaining when, following a defender’s clearance which came back off
the bar, an unmarked United player gleefully hammered the ball home. Both
sides pressed hard for a winning goal but Park were denied any reward when
Ayton struck with his last-gasp winner. Referee, Ross Muirhead had a fine
game in the middle. Chris Wilson’s hat-trick for Coningsby Reserves in their
home match with Park Road Old Boys still wasn’t enough to gain any reward.
The visitors snatched victory in a seven-goal thriller with strikes from Adam
Smith (2), Chris Lambe and Craig Andrews in a 4-3 success. Spalding Harriers suffered a surprise 3-0 home defeat at
the hands of Wainfleet United. Royston Wilkinson, Matt Crowson and Michael
Parnham were all on target for Wainfleet as the visitors ensured a joyous
return journey home. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Shodfriars recorded a 3-1 away win at Wrangle United
Reserves in a game of two halves. The visitors who faced a strong headwind in
the first half managed to restrict Wrangle to just a single goal, scored by
Tim Bell. For Shodfriars, Jimmy Brittain and Brendon Barnes did go close to
getting their side back into the game during the blustery opening. Shoddies
took control after the break and Craig Spooner was proving to be real danger
to the Wrangle defence. The lively Spooner created his side’s equaliser. His
superb run and cross was fired home by leading scorer Jimmy Brittain. A
penalty award put Shodfriars in front when the referee judged a Wrangle
player to have handled in the box and Brittain stepped up to chalk up his
50th goal of the season. One of the Wrangle players protested too vehemently
and he was dismissed for his protests. The Boston side wrapped up the points
shortly afterwards when Brendon Barnes finished off a slick move. Spooner
went close to claiming a deserved goal for his sparkling display but his
final shot hit the side netting. Wrangle battled throughout the stormy
conditions but their one goal lead at the halfway stage just wasn’t enough.
Final score was 3-1. West Pinchbeck also failed to hold onto their slender 1-0
half-time lead when they entertained Old Doningtonians Reserves and they
finished up empty-handed after a 3-1 defeat. Mark Mitchell had given
Pinchbeck a first half boost with the opening goal but Old Dons stormed back
after the break to snatch victory with a fine hat-trick from Pete Lunn. Michael Johnson was the only first teamer to be drafted
into the Mareham United Reserves line-up when they played hosts to Holbeach
United Social. The striker proved to be his side’s match-winner with two
goals in a 3-2 scoreline. Richard Hall was also on target for Mareham. |
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Report for matches played on Saturday April 1 Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Reigning champions BIllinghay came unstuck in the shock
result in the latest programme of top division action. Their clash against
Skegness proved a disaster as the seasiders clinched a 4-2 victory. The
visitors enjoyed a strong wind behind them during the first half and they
opened the scoring through Adam Baxter who was on hand to net a rebound after
Paul Butler’s free-kick was spilled into the path of the grateful striker.
Town must have been wondering whether a slender one-goal lead would be enough
against a Billinghay backlash and the gusty wind. They needn’t have worried,
however, as veteran striker, Paul Butler gave his side further breathing
space when he somehow wriggled his way past two defenders before shooting
home after receiving a pass from Baxter. Although Billinghay responded with
two goals to bring the scores level, Skegness continued to play well against
the elements and the lively Baxter struck with two late goals to seal a
fantastic win. Kirton Town manager, Dale Atkinson was more than
satisfied with his side's hard earned point at Boston Town Colts following a
3-3 draw. He claimed his team were almost back to their best although they
conceded a late goal to deny themselves of all three points. Boston Town held
a 2-1 interval lead following goals from Daniel Warren and Sam Sleight before
Kirton stormed back to lead 3-2 after the break. The visitors appeared to be
heading for victory until Jamie Sleight popped up with an equaliser with 10
minutes remaining. Kirton’s goals came from Neil Featherstone, Jamie Cox and
a Stuart Bartholomew penalty. Wrangle United were forced to pull out of their fixture
at Croft United due to a chronic lack of players. The decision came just 24
hours after their reserve team game was also postponed due to the same
problem. Wyberton went down to a narrow 2-1 home defeat against
Coningsby. Joe Hallam grabbed the Wyberton goal Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Old Doningtonians striker Chris Wing was again firing on
all cylinders for his side as they recorded a 5-3 away win at Fosdyke. Missed
chances and sloppy defending were not the whole story of this well-contested
match but it represented a stark reflection of Fosdyke’s season. Battling
against a strong wind, Fosdyke trailed by just one goal. And although they
continued to perform well after the break they weren’t as clinical in front
of goal as their opponents. Fosdyke fought back from 3-1 down to level with
15 minutes remaining. But it was Old Dons who showed their finishing power
once again in the closing stages. Martin Fox and Bob Holstead were also on
target for Old Dons while Fosdyke’s goals came from Dave Whalley who hit two
and Andy Brown. Lowly Holbeach Bank continue to impress towards the end
of the season. They picked up another valuable three points with a 1-0 away
win at Old Leake. Ben Crane was the Bank’s saviour with the crucial goal. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two Freiston leap-frogged opponents Coningsby Reserves by
winning their mid-table encounter at the Danny Flear Centre. The only goal of
the game came from Jamie Button who scored in the first minute. Scott Francis
then went close to increasing their lead but his shot was well saved by the
visiting keeper. To their credit, Coningsby’s young side kept the home
defence on their toes and they also went close when Andy Whiting headed a
shot off the line. The latter stages of the first half were played in driving
rain as both sides battled against the elements but thankfully conditions
improved after the break. It came as a surprise that no further goals were
added as both sets of players played some good football in a sporting contest.
Final score was 1-0. Holbeach St Marks remain firmly on the bottom of the
table after a 2-0 defeat at Park United. Will Carter and Simon Boone hit the
match-winning goals for Park. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Shodfriars made the most of leaders Woodhall Spa
United’s inactivity by edging back to the top of the table following a 6-1
home win. Jimmy Brittain was again in red-hot form scoring four of his side’s
goals, this latest haul helps to bring his season’s total to 48. The final
score didn’t reflect the game at half time as it was Friskney who were a goal
in front courtesy of a Perrie Dale strike. Shodfriars, who had been without a
game for four weeks, found it difficult to find their rhythm in the early
stages of the game. An inspired team talk at the interval saw Shoddies come
out after the break determined to show why they are pushing for promotion.
Craig Spooner and new signing Perry Pagden started probing down the flanks
and with John “Boy” Rutherford beginning to pull the strings in midfield the
home side soon took control of the game. Craig Spooner swept in the equaliser
after Jimmy Brittain’s effort came back off the goalkeeper before the
bustling Brittain blitzed his opponents with a quickfire hat-trick, the third
coming from the penalty spot after Spooner had been felled in the box. The
home side went 5-1 ahead with arguably, the best goal of the game as John
Rutherford danced his way round four defenders before firing into the roof of
the net. Brittain had the final say when he drove home an unstoppable shot
from outside the box. Final score 6-1. Martin Worth was outstanding for
Shodfriars at the heart of their defence. Kirton Town Reserves continued to put pressure on the
leaders with a 5-0 away win at Mareham United Reserves. Town’s scorers were
Shane Rowett, Mark Richardson, Michael Collins, Simon Collins (penalty) and
an own goal. Despite the goalless scoreline, Holbeach United Social
and East Region School of Sport produced a good ebb-and-flow encounter. East Region thought they had snatched
victory when an effort from Thiago appeared to have clearly crossed the line
but play was waved on and The Boston side had to be content with a share of
the points. Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup Spilsby Town will be Billinghay Athletic’s opponents in
this season’s final at Tattershall Road following a 2-0 home win against
Swineshead at the semi-final stage. Viv Jeffrey proved to be Spilsby’s cup
hero by hitting both second half goals. The final is scheduled for Tuesday
April 25 with a 7pm kick-off at Boston Town’s Tattershall Road ground. Target Newspapers Challenge Cup The eagerly awaited contest between new boys, Sleaford
Town and West End Tigers in the final of the Challenge Cup didn’t really live
up to expectations in an uneventful match decided by a single goal. West End
Tigers, from Division Two, started well against their opponents from Division
One and for the first 20 minutes looked like causing an upset. Sleaford,
though, slowly regained their composure and they probably edged the possession
battle from thereon. Jamie Hicks went closest for the Tigers during the first
half with a long-range effort and Martin Jolly threatened on occasions. The
victory was decided on the hour mark when Matt Holdup’s determined run saw
him get behind West End's defence before pulling the ball back for Alex
Maddison to sweep the ball home for a well worked goal. Sleaford also
squandered a good chance when Tom Wilmott missed a golden opportunity
following another good move from the Division One favourites. There were two
yellow cards during the game, one from each side - Dave Arscott of Sleaford
and Kevin Orton of the Tigers. Lincolnshire FA Delegate, Derek Andrews,
presented the trophy. Craig Machin earned the man of the match award. |