www.bostonbuzz.co.uk
The prime
platform for Boston and District sports news
For all
the latest news, reports, results and tables from the… Cropley’s Suzuki Boston Saturday League
Welcome to a round-up of Boston and District football
|
January Reports 2005-2006 |
|
|
|
Report for matches played on Saturday January 28 Main Ridge Take Away Reserve Cup The final this season will be between Kirton Town
Reserves and Swineshead Reserves on a date to be arranged. Kirton Town bounced back from their shock home league
defeat seven days earlier by going to Spilsby Town Reserves (of Division One)
and returning home with a comfortable 3-0 victory. The Division Three side’s
defence was so impressive that they prevented Spilsby from having any
worthwhile efforts on goal. In a tight first half Kirton opened the scoring
through Richard Borrill and they secured victory with two Simon Collins goals
in the second period. Richard Borrill also struck the crossbar as the
visitors finished strongly. The other semi-final was also a Division One versus Division
Three battle and Swineshead Reserves made sure there was no upset this time
against their Billinghay counterparts. Swineshead’s opening goal came on 20
minutes when Jack Houghton ran through before slotting past the keeper. Jon
Berry’s towering header from an Alex Kirkham cross put Swineshead further in
front on the half hour mark before goal-maker Kirkham got in on the act to
fire home a third from just inside the box right on the stroke of half-time. Billinghay
came out after the break in a determined mood and their best spell of the
game resulted in a deserved goal 10 minutes into the second half. Tim Tyler
put the result beyond Athletic’s reach with a left foot shot following a
corner that had been knocked down with 15 minutes remaining. The final goal
of their 5-1 win came when an
unfortunate defender volleyed the ball past his own keeper. Referee Tony
Sharrock had a fine game in the middle.
Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup There were two major shocks in the competition as two
Premier sides crashed out at home to Division One and Division Two opposition.
Boston Town Colts manager Tony Lyon, although obviously
disappointed at losing the game, has had problems with lack of players for
his team selection and his main priorities will be fielding sides for the
remaining league fixtures. The Colts were again forced to field several
youngsters in their line-up and the guile of the Old Doningtonians side
prized out a deserved victory. The Colts’ goals came from Jack Smith and
Chris Jones while Old Dons’ match-winners were Martin Fox and Chris Wing who
both grabbed two goals apiece. Croft United were the other Premier Division side to
bite the dust when they entertained Park United at their Wainfleet Road
ground. Croft were far too complacent in their approach and they came unstuck
against a determined Park side. Croft striker, Lee Orrey opened the scoring
for the home side after five minutes and instead of forcing the pace in their
normal style, they sat back and assumed the game was won. Park got back on
level terms before half time through Simon Adcock and amazingly went in front
in the second half with another Adcock strike from an acute angle. Gavin Bridge
appeared to have saved Croft’s blushes with a header following a challenge
with the keeper and the tie looked to be heading for extra time. Croft
continued to force the pace and they had a goal disallowed for a push before
Park caught out their opponents with a real sucker punch. A quick
counter-attack saw Adcock turn past the last defender and lob the ball over
the advancing keeper. The hat-trick hero made sure that the ball nestled into
the back of the net by following the ball over the line and into the net for
a dramatic winner. After several disappointing performances of late from
Kirton Town they finally made some sort of amends with a 2-1 home win over
Coningsby. Neil Featherstone gave Town a half-time lead with a shot into the
top corner from 18 yards out and although Coningsby levelled in the second
half, Dale Atkinson's side struck again 10 minutes from time. Lee Burdass
struck the match-winning goal when his volley from six yards, following a
corner, flashed into the net to put the home side into the next round. Two first half goals were enough for visitors,
Billinghay Athletic to see off a spirited challenge from Wrangle United. The
first goal came from the head of Billinghay defender, Gary Cochrane who
capitalized on a mistake in the home defence. Pete Dickinson grabbed a second
goal just before the break to leave Wrangle with an uphill task. Nigel Birtwistle’s side performed well in the second
half and they created several chances to get back into the game but
Billinghay safely held onto their lead to go through to the next round. Final
score was 2-0. Fosdyke had to make the long trek to an improving
Spilsby Town side without a recognised keeper and a couple of absentees so a
heavy defeat looked inevitable. And so it proved to be although the game was
played in a wonderful spirit. Town striker, Jordan Wood proved to be a real
thorn in the side for Fosdyke’s defenders as he blitzed his opponents with a
double hat-trick in a resounding 11-0 victory. The tie was well over by half-time
with the home side leading 6-0. Spilsby's other goals came from Graham Blades
(2), Liam Papworth, Reece Fitzgerald and Lathen Tuplin. Referee Brian Smith
contributed to providing a good atmosphere to the game. Wainfleet United got off to a bad start at Old Leake and
soon found themselves trailing 2-0. Chris Murden managed to pull a goal back
before the break before Old Leake restored their two-goal advantage in the
second half. Again Murden struck for United to set up a tense finish but Old
Leake held out to go through to the next round. Final score 3-2. Old Leake’s
goals came from Jason Keal, who grabbed two and Jamie Skinner. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Sleaford Town’s relentless march towards the Premier Division continued in style with an emphatic 9-0 drubbing of basement side Holbeach Bank. There were no favours for the lowly visitors as the runaway leaders set about boosting their goal average from the outset. The Town goalscorers, for the record, were Matt Lunn (2), Alex Maddison, Matt Holdup, Ben Hatherley, James Malkin, Craig Wells, Tom Wilmott and Steve Morley. A single Gareth Burnett goal was enough to earn Spalding
Town maximum points in their home match against Tydd St Mary. Smarting from
some poor performances in recent weeks, Tydd produced a much-improved display against in-form Spalding Town
but still ended up on the losing side. Both sides contributed to a well
fought, evenly contested game and shots on goal were few and far between
during the first half. The second half was more open and Tydd started the
brighter bringing some good saves from Stu Ward in goal for Town. Spalding
rallied and began to pressure the ball more with some joy. On 65 minutes Burnett made a good challenge on the Tydd
last man Phil Turner and came away with the ball high up the pitch but still
had a lot to do. He ran the length of the half and neatly tucked it past keeper Gary Barrett to make it 1-0. Town
had the ball in the back of the net again 10 minutes later but the effort was
ruled offside. Tydd dug in and contributed to a furious last 10 minutes with
Scott Bird coming close on two occasions only to be foiled again by Ward. The
game ended in a 1-0 win for Town that extends their unbeaten run, but Tydd
remain frustrated with only one win in their last six outings. Gedney Drove End completely dominated their away fixture
at Sutterton and their goalkeeper James Truman enjoyed an extremely quiet
afternoon. Gedney opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Shane Quinn struck
his first goal for the club. From that point Sutterton were forced on the
back foot although missed opportunities and the goal frame repeatedly saved
the home side from being overwhelmed. Two late strikes from Dave Wilson and Danny Goddard made the
game safe for Gedney. Final score was 3-0. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two There was a real basement clash at Fosdyke between Black
Bull United and Freiston which saw five second half goals settle the match. Freiston
survived an early scare when Black Bull had a goal ruled out for offside but
there were few chances during the remainder of the first period and the
interval score finished goalless. Freiston took the lead soon after half-time
when Troy Ayton volleyed the ball home following a free-kick and the visitors
went further ahead when Lee Hoff weaved his way through before firing home.
Youngster Danny Brewster then entered the action as substitute to put the
game beyond Black Bull. Within five minutes of coming on the eager he flicked
the ball past the keeper for goal number three. Ayton grabbed his second and Brewster did likewise with a
thunderous 15-yard drive into the roof of the net for a final score of 5-0. Spalding Harriers held West End Tigers to a goalless
draw at Rosebery Avenue. The Tigers had the best chances but found the Spalding
keeper in tremendous form. Martin Jolly, Steve Favell and Dion Roberts all
went close to breaking the deadlock but the Boston side just couldn’t find
the net and the honours were shared. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Shodfriars were held by East Region School of Sports at
Rosebery Avenue in a thrilling 3-3 draw. East Region’s goals came from Steve Williams,
Sean Keal and Nick Booth while Shodfriars replied through Jimmy Brittain who
grabbed a double strike and Craig Spooner. West Pinchbeck had the difficult task of facing
high-flying Woodhall Spa United at home and their mountain was made even more
difficult to climb when they had to take the field with just 10 men. The
promotion hopefuls took full advantage by taking the three points in a 7-0
victory. Things went from bad to worse for the home side in the second half
when they were reduced to nine men when Steve Kippax was sent off. |
|
Report for matches played on Saturday January 21 Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Billinghay Athletic netted three more points as their title defence gathered momentum. A 2-0 win for the reigning champions against Boston Town Colts saw the visitors return home empty handed. Town will feel that they will never have had a better chance of beating their opponents after Billinghay midfielder Mark Wheatley was sent off on the half hour mark for two bookable offences. The 10 men recovered, however, and took the lead with a somewhat fortunate goal when Matthew Tuck’s free-kick somehow squirmed through the grasp of the luckless goalkeeper and the ball fell into the net. Billinghay then went 2-0 in front just before the break when Pete Dickinson’s drive from just outside the box flew into the net. Town put Billinghay under considerable pressure after the break but the home side held out thanks to admirable performances at the heart of their defence from Gary Cochrane and Craig Gosling. Kirton Town’s poor run rolled on with a 6-0 drubbing at
Coningsby. The visitors’ under-strength line-up struggled to compete and
two-goal hauls from both Stephen Miles and Ben Robinson helped Coningsby to
their biggest win of the season. James Wayman and Ryan Anders were also on
target for the home side. Spilsby Town produced their best performance of the
season at Wyberton when they recorded an impressive 4-0 away win. Wyberton
have now conceded 10 goals in their last two games and Spilsby gave
themselves a massive confidence boost with the victory. Two players did most
of the damage for Spilsby with both Jordan Wood and Graham Blades grabbing a
brace of goals each. Swineshead entertained Wrangle United in a game that saw
both sides contribute to a fine competitive encounter. Swineshead created
some good early chances and they went ahead after 37 minutes when Paul Clarke
scored with a shot from just inside the box following a pass from Jack
Houghton. Wrangle started well after the break and threatened the Swineshead
goal on several occasions but just when it seemed that an equaliser was on
the cards, the home side struck with the killer second goal on 72 minutes.
Jack Houghton was again the provider for Karl Melton to tap in from close
range. The Swineshead defence performed solidly throughout against a pacy
Wrangle attack and they continued to hold out for the three points. Final
score was 2-0. Skegness Town and Croft United produced a closely fought
encounter at Burgh Road. Town took the lead from a penalty that was
dispatched by striker Paul Butler. Croft levelled before the break through
Steve Murphy and then snatched a winner for a 2-1 success in the second half
through Rob Marsden. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Basement side, Sutterton were desperate to restore some
pride in their home fixture against Tydd St
Mary and extract some revenge for their pre-Christmas 12-3 battering.
After Sutterton were able to raise just the bare XI outfield players, with no
recognised goalkeeper, the signs were not good before the match. But their
neat passing and no-nonsense approach proved more than a match for the
high-flying visitors. The first half finished goalless although Gavin Rhodes
and Glen Smith will feel that they should have broken the deadlock following
good opportunities. Tydd St Mary started the second half strongly but found the
home defence, which was well marshalled by Shaun Erhardt and Carl Appleyard,
impregnable. The all-important breakthrough came after 66 minutes when
veteran midfielder Jamie Thornley’s strike just eluded the keeper following a
fine Sutterton move. The home side should have doubled their lead in the
closing stages but Smith volleyed wide from six yards after good work from
skipper Ady Barnett. Gedney Drove End made the long journey to Spilsby Town
Reserves and came away with maximum points following a good team performance
on a wet and bumpy pitch. Four goals from Dave Wilson and a double strike
from Danny Goddard secured a convincing 6-1 away win. After Gedney took time
to settle with Spilsby testing the visiting defence, Dave Wilson calmed his
side’s nerves with the opening goal when his looping header found the net.
Unfortunately for the Spilsby keeper he struck his head on the goalpost in
attempting to keep the effort out and he was forced to leave the field and
took no further part in the game. A rare Danny Goddard header made it 2-0 and
that scoreline remained the same until the interval although play continued to ebb and flow. Spilsby were
rewarded for their efforts with a goal within five minutes of the restart
before Gedney restored their two-goal advantage a few minutes later with
Wilson’s second goal of the game. Goddard also chalked up his second goal of
the match to make the score 4-1. Both scorers continued to cause all sorts of
problems for the home defence and Wilson added two more late goals to his
tally. Two second half goals from Spalding Town’s Gareth
Burnett helped his side to a 3-0 away win at Old Leake. The home side didn’t
help matters when they were reduced to 10 men after 15 minutes following a red
card for a reckless challenge. Wayne Wilding’s 20-yard shot then gave Town an
interval lead before the two second half strikes from Burnett made it a black
day for Old Leake. Holbeach Bank and Fosdyke produced a cracking local
derby. The Bank started the better and they took an early lead before Andy
Brown, playing in an unfamiliar midfield role on the left levelled when he
slotted the ball home after a surging 50-yard run. Holbeach Bank regained the
lead following a corner which Fosdyke failed to clear. Dave Whalley got on
the end of an Andy Brown cross to make the half-time scores all square.
Fosdyke turned in a good second half performance to take all three points.
Bank’s keeper, Ian Davies pulled off several fine saves before he was finally
beaten again by Brown and the Fosdyke striker went onto complete his
hat-trick in a 4-2 win. Referee Sammy Shortland had a fine game in the middle. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two The day’s only game in this section saw Spalding
Harriers record a 3-1 home win against Park United. The match marked a
milestone for striker, Steve Carn, who chalked up his 50th goal for the club
while the other match-winning strikes came from Adam Fuller and Jason
Haytree. The first half finished all-square at 1-1 with Park equalising a
minute before the break. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three West Pinchbeck’s nine men must receive credit for
turning out for their difficult home encounter against promotion-seeking,
Shodfriars. The result was never in any doubt as the Boston side scored at
regular intervals and were 10-0 in front by half-time. Six more goals
followed after the break as Shodfriars boosted their goal average and move to
the top of the table. West Pinchbeck battled throughout and towards the end
even created a couple of chances of their own. For the record the Shodfriars’
goals came from Paul Alexander (5), Jimmy Brittain (4), John Rutherford (4),
Brendon Barnes (2), and Jamie Brown. Referee Mark Bruntlett had a fine game
in the middle. Old Doningtonians made the lengthy journey to Park
United Reserves to secure a 3-1 away win thanks to Martin Fox, Pete Lunn and
an own goal. Matthew Sargeant replied for Park. Lewis Cartwright scored
Mareham United Reserves' only goal in their 3-1 home defeat at the hands of
Wrangle United Reserves. Kirton Town Reserves went down to a surprise 4-3 home
defeat against Billinghay Athletic Reserves. Simon Collins scored twice and
Cliff Langham was also on target but it wasn’t enough to keep Town’s
promotion push on course. Target Newspapers Challenge Cup Division Three side East Region School of Sport took a
shock lead at Old Doningtonians before the Division One outfit recovered to
eventually run out comfortable winners. Carl Appleyard marked his return from
injury with a fine hat-trick while Chris Wing and a 30-yard free-kick from
Bob Holstead secured a 5-1 victory. Sleaford Town overcame the difficult obstacle of
Westside Rangers with a 4-1 victory at Rosebery Avenue. Two goals from Iain
Stewart in the 66th and 90th minute put Town through to the semi-finals and
on course for some silverware and further goals came from Matt Holdup and
Matt Phillips completed the scoring. Rangers’ goal came from Neil Sinha. Two misplaced passes in the seventh and 15th minutes
helped put an end to Freiston’s progress in the competition in their home tie
against Mareham United. Freiston rallied after the setbacks and they caused
some problems for the visiting defence with young Chris Harker having some
foraging runs down the left flank. The nearest the home side came in the
first half was from Troy Ayton whose free-kick was tipped over by the keeper
just before the break. Freiston continued to press forward in the second half
and after Daniel Huskisson’s close range shot had been saved the resulting
clearance caught the home defence on the hop and Mareham made the game safe
with a third goal after 65 minutes. Freiston instantly pulled a goal when
Harker scored his first goal for the club following goalmouth melee. Another
Ayton free-kick went close as Mareham held out to go through to the semi
final. Final score was 3-1. Mareham’s goals came from Michael Johnson, Darren
Vinters and James Seymour. West End Tigers comfortably saw off the challenge of
Holbeach United Social with a 2-0 home win. Gary Hoyles scored early on with
speculative 30-yard effort over the keeper before Steve Favell scored with
his first touch after replacing Ricky Toyer midway through the first half. Holbeach were awarded a dubious penalty before the break
but Peter Cook saved superbly to prevent the Division Three side from getting
back into the game. The second half was fairly even with few chances created
and the game fizzled out. Final score was 2-0. |
|
Report for matches played on Saturday January 14 Lincs Junior Cup Billinghay Athletic triumphed in their quarter-final tie
against Heckington United. In a goalless first half, Billinghay had started
the stronger while Heckington gradually found their feet and came more into
the game as the half wore on. The opening goal after 70
minutes had a real element of good fortune for Billinghay as a Matthew Tuck
corner was headed down at the near post by the unfortunate Andrew Collins and
to his dismay the ball flew up into the roof of the net. The all-important
clinching goal came 10 minutes later and was worthy of winning the tie when
Pete Dickinson let fly with a screamer of a shot from 25 yards. In between
the two goals Billinghay had goalkeeper, Steve Scott to thank for keeping
them in the tie when he got down well to keep out a goal-bound effort.
Billinghay have reached the semi-finals the hard way by eliminating some of
the competition’s top teams. They have been rewarded with a February 11 home
semi-final tie against the winners of BBM FC and Langtoft United tie that
ended in a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division In the bread-and-butter spheres of normal league action, manager Nigel Masters said North Sea Camp’s latest result came on the back of their best display of the season. He praised his side for battling out a 1-1 draw with Coningsby. He said the point gained was deserved reward for his players’ efforts. North Sea’s Brian Alexander took the headlines scoring both goals in the match — his glancing header past his own keeper gave Coningsby a first half lead before the Camp were awarded a penalty in the second half. This time, Alexander was on target at the right end when beating the opposing keeper from the spot to earn his side their fourth draw of the season. Although Kirton Town took a shock lead at Croft United
after just 30 seconds they were no match for the home side once the east
coast side had edged in front. Croft recovered to run out 7-3 winners as
striker Lee Orrey was at his menacingly best. Although the ex-Boston Town
striker only grabbed one of the Croft goals he set up three others in a
victory in which Louis Mill and Kurt Crossley both hit double strikes. A fine
Scott Hutchinson effort and another from Rob Marsden completed the scoring as
Croft moved into top spot as champions Billinghay Athletic were doing the
business in the County Cup. Kirton’s goals came from Steve Burdass, Neil
Featherstone and Danny Keal. A single Jamie Sleight goal was enough to give Boston
Town Colts victory when they entertained Swineshead at Tattershall Road.
Sleight’s first half effort keeps Town in touch with the leading pack. The big result of the day came at Wrangle United where
the home side, currently third bottom, overpowered Wyberton (the division
leaders before start of play). Wrangle boss Nigel Birtwistle confessed that
after the previous week’s pathetic display he couldn’t have hoped for such an
outstanding performance from his troops who, quite simply crushed their
opponents 6-1. Wrangle started off in blistering fashion and took a 2-0 lead inside
the first quarter of an hour courtesy of Dave Robinson’s two-goal salvo. And
although Wyberton enjoyed plenty of possession, they went further behind to a
Richard Fenwick strike. The visitors tried desperately to get back into the
game in the second half but found the Wrangle defence in a determined mood
and the home side went onto make the game safe when Richard Fenwick made it
4-1. Further efforts from Ben Parkinson and another from Fenwick to complete
his hat-trick put Wrangle 6-0 ahead before Wyberton finally netted a late
consolation goal through Steve Melady. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Gedney Drove End remain in second spot after their 5-0
local derby win against Holbeach Bank. Deene McCracken and Cymon Lambe both
hit two goals apiece for the home side while Danny Goddard also got on the
scoresheet. Lambe gave Gedney an
early boost with the opening goal before player-manager McCracken put the
home side well in command with two further goals before the break. The Bank
had a couple of good chances in the second half but goalkeeper James Truman
thwarted them on both occasions with some fine saves. Lambe added his second
and Gedney’s fourth before Goddard
wrapped up the scoring. The match was well controlled by referee Nev Abrahms.
Spalding Town inflicted another defeat on basement side,
Sutterton when goals from Wayne Wilding, Paul Ryan and an own goal secured
the three points in a 3-1 victory. Swineshead Reserves produced a battling
display against runaway leaders, Sleaford Town. After falling behind early
on, Nathan Lee-Farrah brought the scores level. Sleaford regained the lead
before the break and went further clear
in the second half. Lee-Farrah was again on target for Swineshead as
the home side refused to lie down. Injuries to Mark Ledger and Ashley
Brighton proved to be a major setback for Swineshead, however, and they
failed to maintain their rhythm. Sleaford never looked back after that and two further goals
sealed a 5-2 victory. A Bobby Smith hat-trick helped Old Leake to a 4-1 away
win at Fishtoft. Jamie Skinner was also on target for the visitors. Fosdyke
made the long journey for their match at Spilsby Town Reserves and they went
agonisingly close to snatching some reward before going down by the odd goal
in seven. Town took the honours with goals from Anthony Slater (2), Mark Lyon
and Danny Webb. Old Doningtonians put last week’s disappointing home
defeat behind them when they made the difficult journey to Tydd St Mary. In a
competitive encounter, Old Dons came out on top by the surprisingly
comfortable 3-0 scoreline. James Hardy opened his account for the club with a
first half effort and striker Chris Wing hit two second half goals to ensure
a joyous journey home for the visitors. After last week’s 6-1 mauling Fosdyke travelled to
Spilsby with just a bare eleven but they still managed to stun their
opponents when a Scott Ekins corner evaded everyone before finding the net
for the opening goal. For all their possession Spilsby didn’t equalise until
10 minutes before the break. Spilsby then went 2-1 ahead immediately after
the break and two further goals appeared to leave Fosdyke dead and buried
with just 15 minutes remaining. But
the visitors had other ideas as first Scott Ekins smashed home a free-kick
after the home keeper had been adjudged to have picked up a back pass and
then Andy Brown raced through to make it 4-3. Time ran out for Fosdyke,
however, and Spilsby held out for the three points in a great advert for
local football. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two Westside Rangers are still top of the table after a
convincing 8-0 away win at Black Bull
United. Rangers strike duo of Kev Manning and Niall O’Grady did the damage
scoring seven of their goals while an own goal sealed the victory. Manning
bagged four goals while O’Grady claimed a hat-trick as Black Bull had no
answer to the deadly duo. West End Tigers blew their chance of closing the gap on
the leaders when they went down at Holbeach St. Marks. A goalless first half
saw the Tigers enjoying plenty of possession but St Marks looking dangerous
on the break. St Marks opened the scoring on the hour mark before Gary Hoyles
equalised. Two quick-fire goals from the home side gave them a deserved 3-1
lead only for Hoyles to grab another goal to set up a tense finish but the
home side clung onto the victory. Referee Rod Crozier had a fine game in the
middle. St Marks’ match-winners were Chris Wright, who hit two goals and Pete
Hicks. Final score was 3-2. Spalding Harriers and Mareham United served up a
six-goal thriller as The Harriers’ Steve Carn notched his 49th goal for the
club. The striker’s goal came as early as the fourth minute before Marcin
Mincinzynski added another soon afterwards. The Spalding side went further ahead
when Adam Fuller hit goal number three before Mareham pulled a goal back
before the break. Rob White restored the home side’s two-goal advantage nine
minutes into the second half before Mareham reduced the arrears 10 minutes
later to make the final score 4-2. Mareham’s goals came from Micky Johnson
and Darren Vinters. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three Woodhall Spa United still head the table following a 4-0
home win against East Region School of Sport. Justin Scarborough (2), Chris
Lovett and Danny Cottingham hit the all-important goals to earn Woodhall
maximum points although the visitors can take some credit for pushing the
league leaders all the way. Shodfriars and Billinghay Athletic moved their fixture
to Rosebery Avenue due to Billinghay’s senior side being involved in the
Lincs Junior Cup and the Boston wasted no time in chalking up another three
points and boosting their goal average following a comfortable 7-0 victory.
Skipper Jimmy Brittain returned from suspension in style blasting five of his
side’s goals. Shoddies took the lead through Shane Brown who pounced onto a
loose ball before firing home before Brittain got his tally moving with a
rising drive from the edge of the box. Brittain made it 3-0 before the
interval when he cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the
back of the net. Shane Brown was upended in the box after the break to
present Brittain with his hat-trick opportunity he gladly took, slamming home
the resultant penalty. Billinghay were carved open once more shortly
afterwards as Brittain seized onto a through ball before finishing in style
and the goal-machine added his fifth and Shodfriars sixth with another fine
finish. Billingahy’s misery was complete when a cross from the right flank
was turned into his own net by an unfortunate defender to complete the
scoring. Shodfriars' Martin Worth produced a faultless display at the heart
of the home defence and referee Ray Larcombe also had fine game in the
middle. West Pinchbeck went down 8-2 at Holbeach United Social
where Glen Wells struck a fine hat-trick. The other Holbeach goals came from
Mark Jones (2), Joseph Walmsley, Scott Powley and Tom Cherry. It was certainly a case of unlucky thirteen for Wrangle
United Reserves who travelled to Graves Park to take on Kirton Town. The
visitors conceded no less than thirteen times as Kirton ran riot to keep in
touch at the top of the table. Richard Borrill was again firing on all
cylinders, scoring four of Town's goals while Brian Cox and Martin Durrant
both scored two apiece. The other home goals came from Simon Collins, Cliff
Langham, Dave Donohoe, Ian Chapman and an own goal. Both of the Wrangle goals
came from Tim Bell. Final score 13-2. |
|
Report for matches played on Saturday January 7 James Eley Sports Cup Unlike the day’s action in the nationally-famous FA Cup,
there were no dramatic shocks in the Sports Cup as Billinghay Athletic,
Wyberton, Croft United and Gedney Drove End safely made it through to the
semi-finals. Billinghay narrowly disposed of Boston Town Colts in a
1-0 home victory. The Colts were on the verge of pulling out of the game on
Thursday night following a chronic shortage of players but they pulled all
the stops out to make the journey. Sleaford Town, not surprisingly gave Croft United a run
for their money before bowing out of the competition to a late Rob Marsden
goal. Town had rocked their opponents by twice taking the lead through Iain
Stewart and Matthew Lunn but Croft hit back with goals from Lee Orrey and Rob
Marsden. A defensive error in the Sleaford defence allowed Croft to steal the
ball and Marsden tucked away a late winner. Michael Lomax hit all four goals for Fishtoft when they
played hosts to Gedney Drove End in an all-Division One clash but amazingly
the converted striker still finished up on the losing side. Gedney fell
behind as early as the 10th minute to the first of Lomax’s strikes. A fine
finish from Dave Wilson brought Gedney level as the game flowed from end to
end. Gedney’s midfield was the more dominant force in that area of the field,
while Fishtoft were dangerous down the flanks with some dangerous crosses
causing problems for Gedney’s defence. A close range effort from Danny
Goddard edged Gedney in front before Fishtoft equalised with a Lomax header.
The second half carried on in the same vein with both sides going hell-bent
for goal. Again Lomax was on target as Fishtoft went 3-2 ahead before Wilson
grabbed his second goal of the game to level the scores. Fishtoft squandered
a couple of good chances and a superb save from James Truman kept Gedney on
level terms before Goddard's double strike put the visitors 5-3 in front. The
game appeared to be slipping from Fishtoft’s grasp when Gedney’s left-back
Steve Gibb struck a 30-yard shot through a crowded goalmouth and into the
net. Fishtoft pulled a goal back with a late Lomax effort to make the final
score 6-4. The other remaining tie saw Wyberton breeze through to the next round at the expense of Kirton Town at the Causeway. Kirton, still struggling with defensive cover, conceded three goals without reply. Final score was 3-0. Wyberton scorers were Lovas Laszlo (2) and Gavin Marshall. Barclays Brokers Willoughby Cup Jack Houghton produced a five-star display for
Swineshead as the striker put Skegness Town to the sword. Hotshot Houghton
scored five goals in a 9-0 victory as Swineshead ran riot. The other goals
came from Andrew Creasey (2), Paul Clarke and Martin North. Cropley’s Suzuki Premier Division Spilsby Town kicked off their new year with a 3-1 home
win against Wrangle United whose manager, Nigel Birtwistle, confessed his team’s performance was probably their
worst so far this season. The home side were full of running in comparison to
the visitors who produced a lacklustre display that lacked creativity. The
one bright spot for Wrangle on a dull, dreary afternoon was the performance
in goal of new signing Martin Sutton. The visitors’ new keeper produced a
string of fine saves in the first half as Spilsby laid siege to the Wrangle
goal. However, he was unable to prevent Town taking the lead midway through
the first half when a close range effort was slammed into the net. Wrangle
improved slightly after the break despite Spilsby increasing their lead when
Sutton was left exposed in a one-on-one situation. Gavin Bell gave Wrangle a
glimmer of hope when he dispossessed a defender before firing home only for
the home side to reply almost immediately with a third goal to seal the
points with a 3-1 victory. Spilsby’s goalscorers were Liam Papworth who
struck twice and Jordan Wood. Cropley’s Suzuki Division One Fosdyke suffered a miserable start to the new year with
a 6-1 home defeat at the hands of Swineshead Reserves. The home side found
themselves trailing 4-0 at the break. But a much-improved second half display
restored some credibility. The Swineshead keeper denied Fosdyke striker, Andy
Brown on four occasions before the visitors wrapped up the points with two
further goals. Fosdyke’s only consolation came in the form of David Whalley’s
lone strike. The Swineshead goals came from Ashley Brighton (3), Lee Hunt,
Mark Prue and David March. Old Leake returned home from Old Doningtonians with all
three points following a fine 3-1 away win. Old Dons just didn’t get out of
the stalls during the first half and Old Leake took full advantage scoring
twice to lead 2-0 at the break. Old Dons gave themselves a much needed boost
immediately after the restart when Stephen Holstead pulled a goal back but
Old Leake were not deterred and they recovered to clinch the match with third
goal. The visitors’ goals came from Simon Hippisley, Jason Keal and Jamie Skinner. The game between Sutterton and Tydd St Mary was
postponed on Thursday when the playing field committee declared the Sutterton
pitch unfit. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Two After a lot of hard work, Freiston manager Scott Lea
managed to raise 11players for their journey to Mareham United but it was
always going to an uphill struggle for the visitors. And so it proved to be
as, despite a brave performance, Freiston returned home empty-handed after
conceding double figures. Mareham were 3-0 up inside the opening 15 minutes,
including a penalty and found themselves six goals to the good by half time.
Freiston’s under-strength line-up held out for the first 25 minutes of the
second period before conceding a seventh goal and they then suffered a
further blow when they were forced to play out the remaining 15 minutes with
just 10 men following an injury. Mareham took full advantage to boost their
goal average by scoring three more time to run out 10-0 winners. The Freiston
camp has already been busy boosting their playing staff with three new
signings and hopefully have further new acquisitions in the pipeline. For the
record Mareham’s goals came from Jonathan Seymour (4), Darren Vinters (3),
Michael Johnson, Graham Johnson and Adam Everitt. Park Road Old Boys also enjoyed a comfortable winning
start to 2006 with an 8-2 home victory over Black Bull United. Josh Ansell
and Paul Colton both struck twice in The Old Boys’ resounding win while the
remaining goals came from Rick Limb, Ashley Allen, Craig Andrew and Adam Smith. Park
Road held a 3-1 half-time lead before stepping up the pace a little more
after the break. Westside Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw when they
played hosts to Wainfleet United. Royston Wilkinson gave the visitors a
surprise lead before Rangers levelled. United proved their opener was no
fluke by regaining the lead through Matt Crowson and the visitors looked to
heading home with the three points in the bag but a late equaliser saved the
day for the Boston side. Rangers’
goals came from Mark Boswell and Kev Manning. The game between West End Tigers and Park United was
postponed by the Haven High School on Thursday afternoon. The late notice
meant that Rangers were unable to obtain a council pitch at Rosebery Avenue
as the booking deadline is Thursday midday. Cropley’s Suzuki Division Three West Pinchbeck’s Simon Webster started the new year with
a bang when he scored all of his side’s three goals in their 3-2 away win at
Friskney. The visitors found themselves 2-0 ahead at the half-way stage as
“Wizard” Webster went to work and another second half goal from the striker
clinched maximum points for West Pinchbeck. Friskney’s Sam Hill went close to
repeating Webster’s feat when he grabbed both Friskney goals in the second
half. Leaders Woodhall Spa United hit six in their home game
against Old Doningtonians Reserves with Ashley Lawrence netting two of his
side’s goals. The other strikes came from Jack Draper, Robert McCusker,
Justin Scarborough and Jonathan Kelly. Hot on the heels of Woodhall are Shodfriars who
entertained Holbeach United Social at Rosebery Avenue. The Boston side
chalked up another valuable three points following a comfortable 7-2 victory.
Shodfriars started well and after creating several chances, they took the
lead when Shane Brown collected the ball near the half-way line before
setting off on a superb run and slotting the ball home for his first goal for
the club. The home side went 2-0 ahead shortly afterwards when Brendon Barnes
was brought down in the box and Paul Alexander slotted home the resultant
penalty. A third goal followed when a far post cross was finished off in style
by Ben Newton before Holbeach got back into the game momentarily with a fine
finish. Shoddies’ powerful second half performance saw them score four more
times with the in-form Brendon Barnes grabbing two goals. Paul Alexander and
Thomas Crozier, with his first touch of the ball wrapped up the scoring
before the visitors pulled another goal back to make the final score 7-2.
Crozier’s return to the side followed a lengthy lay-off due to injury and his
superb lob over the keeper made it a good start to the new year for him.
Shane Brown had an excellent game for Shodfriars in their midfield while
referee R. Muirhead also enjoyed a fine game. Park United Reserves and Mareham United Reserves shared
the points in a six-goal local derby. Mareham appeared to be out of sight at
the interval when they held a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Richard Hall who
grabbed two and Danny Garnett but Park stormed back after the break to salvage
a point. Park’s saviours were Alec Richardson — who also struck twice — and
Tim Lymer in a final score of 3-3. |