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Pilgrims 1-0 Bury

Nationwide League

by Barbara Singleton

Peter Duffield’s first goal of the season fired Boston United to three crucial Third Division points. The strike ace hit the target 12 minutes after half-time to give the Pilgrims their first success in five outings and earn a result which hoisted the club up three places in the table. And in the process, Duffield’s goal brought to an end a sequence spanning 777 minutes of league football without a United forward getting on the scoresheet. Few people would argue about the fact that Boston were generally the more dominant side, albeit thanks to a more rousing second half display after something of a damp squib of a first 45 minutes. The opening half saw both sides battling hard for supremacy without much in the way of clear openings materialising. Of those that did, Boston had cause to thank keeper Paul Bastock for an excellent double save in the 10th minute when first parrying a drive from Gareth Seddon and then reacting quickly to block a follow-up effort by Joe O’Neill. Boston responded with a low effort from Duffield forcing Glyn Garner into a comfortable save and later Simon Weatherstone saw a shot drift wide of the target. The Pilgrims lost the services of Neil Redfearn with an ankle injury midway through the first half.

He was replaced by Richard Logan who quickly made a good impression by creating untaken chances for Duffield and Weatherstone. Ten minutes before the break, Bury threatened again when Seddon saw another drive well held by Bastock who also tipped over a long range drive from Colin Woodthorpe straight after the interval. But the Pilgrims responded by taking the lead on 57 minutes when DUFFIELD fired low just inside a post after Graham Potter had headed the ball into his path. The chance arrived as the visitors failed to fully clear danger only seconds after Stuart Douglas had seen a header from a Weatherstone corner cleared off the Bury line by Ben Thornley. The visitors hit back with Danny Swailes heading just wide from a Lee Connell corner and then Seddon chipped over when placed to have done much better following a threaded pass by Connell. Boston bounced back and almost doubled their lead on 68 minutes when Logan acrobatically hooked a shot wide from a Simon Rusk cross. In the 81st minute another opening arrived when Douglas and Mark Greaves linked with the latter crossing for Potter to side-foot just over. Then in stoppage time Duffield broke free only to be denied by a flying save from Garner.

United team (4-4-2): Bastock; Rusk, Hocking, Ellender, Chapman; Redfearn (Logan 27, Greaves 78), Weatherstone, Bennett, Potter; Duffield, White (Douglas 46). Subs (not used): Beevers, Croudson (gk).


Match report copyright © Barbara Singleton, 2003.