Pilgrims 0-2 Notts County

Avon Insurance League

by Craig Singleton

Despite utilising seven strikers, Boston United crashed to a 2-0 home reverse on Wednesday evening. Notts County visited York Street in the Avon Insurance League Division One East fixture and won thanks to a goal apiece from strike duo Paul Heffernan and Tony Hackworth. Tony Battersby, Anthony Elding, David Town, Stuart Douglas and Jamie Cook all started the game while Richard Logan and Paul Hart were introduced in the second half, but the Pilgrims could just not hit the back of the net. Their blank night in front of goal was due to some wayward finishing as well as some fine goalkeeping from visiting custodian Stuart Garden. The Pilgrims once again included trialist Halifax midfielder Craig Smith plus 23-year-old Che Wilson, a defender who started his career with Norwich City and was most recently with Bristol Rovers, making 97 Football League appearances along the way. United opened well, with Town drilling just wide from a Douglas pass. But Nick Conroy was soon called into action when he made a good diving stop at the feet of Heffernan. He then gathered a low shot from Hackworth.

Boston were thwarted on 13 minutes when Garden pulled off a great save to deny Cook's fierce shot after Town had threaded through a fine throughball. Further untaken chances fell to Douglas, who headed just over from Cook's corner, and Battersby who fired in a low shot but saw it well held by Garden. In response, the Magpies went close again through HEFFERNAN before the County frontman smashed his side into the lead in the 37th minute after turning and rifling a fierce drive beyond Conroy's grasp. In the second half, the visitors started well and Craig Ireland blazed wildly over the top from distance before Willis Francis saw a low drive saved by Conroy. Boston squandered a good chance on 66 minutes when Douglas somehow stabbed into the side-netting after collecting Cook's centre. Mark Clifford then buried a wild shot into the York Street stand before Logan tested Garden with another low shot. But these misses were to prove costly when the Magpies increased their advantage on 81 minutes when ex-Leeds United striker HACKWORTH slipped the ball past Conroy after the United keeper's poor kick-out.

United team: 1. Conroy, 2. Clifford, 3. Gould, 4. Smith, 5. R Weatherstone, 6. Wilson, 7. Douglas, 8. Elding, 9. Battersby (Logan 62), 10. Town (Hart 62), 11. Cook. Sub (not used): Redfearn.