Lincoln City 0-3 Pilgrims

Avon Insurance League

by Craig Singleton

Substitute Simon Weatherstone scored a second half hat-trick as Boston United Reserves recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Lincoln City's second string on Wednesday. Midfielder Weatherstone emerged from the bench to net three strikes in the last 20 minutes of this Avon Insurance League Division One East fixture. Boston included Ipswich Town defender Lee Beevers in their line-up and he performed well as the Pilgrims kept only their second clean sheet of the season. Nick Conroy was forced to make a good save as early as the seventh minute when he denied on-loan Fulham striker Luke Cornwall after good play by Chris Ward. In response, Imps keeper Darren Horrigan made a smart save to tip Jamie Cook's drive wide. Chris Cornelly sliced well wide for Lincoln before Conroy made another good save from Ward, tipping his fierce effort wide of the post.

Back at the other end, Anthony Elding chipped wide after skipping past Imps trial defender David Wattley, a player formerly with QPR. After the interval, Lincoln substitute trialist Armand One saw his header parried by Conroy and Cornelly's subsequent follow-up was deflected away by Paul Ellender. Boston took the lead on 71 minutes when SIMON WEATHERSTONE headed home after Alex Higgins had delivered a pinpoint cross. WEATHERSTONE doubled Boston advantage eight minutes later when he ran onto a throughball to fire beyond Horrigan. Cook was again denied by Horrigan as the Imps custodian tipped the United man's shot over. Moments later, Conroy made a great blocking save to deny another Lincoln trialist, Gareth Grant, as he found himself one-on-one and looking odds-on to score. WEATHERSTONE completed the scoring in the final minute when he turned in the box and despatched a shot into the corner of the net, giving Horrigan no chance.

United team: 1. Conroy, 2. R Weatherstone, 3. Gould, 4. Hart, 5. Ellender, 6. Beevers, 7. Hardie (Town 63), 8. Higgins (L Thompson 74), 9. Cook, 10. Elding, 11. Angel (S Weatherstone 55).