A Boston Tea Party Part 2

By: Andrew Doherty
Date: 04/02/2007

TOWN started by sweeping the ball around and on 3 minutes, a defensive mistake let Paterson in. The shot was pushed out by the goalkeeper but the clearance only reached Toner outside the penalty area.

Toner floated in a pinpoint cross for Peter Bore to rise above the defence and head in from close range. We’d scored! Boston 0, Grimsby 1. Boston responded positively and swiftly got the ball into the town area, but a perfectly timed tackle by Newey cut out the threat. The tackle was as valuable as the goal we scored.

Town were showing signs of unaccustomed determination. And it was a determined tackle which won Town the ball in the 6th minute and set us on the attack from the left side. The ball was swept across to the right to Bore who put in a dangerous cross/shot which came out to Hunt on the left side of goal who slotted the ball home to make it 2-0. Nobody could believe it.

Boston were using their physical power to drive the ball forward and on 11 minutes, Barnes raced out to stop the threat of Joynes who lobbed him with a header but Fenton was there to head the ball clear off the line. The story so far was two goals and two clearances. Toner had a chance to go clear on 14 minutes but was hacked down by Boston’s Clarke who was booked.

By crowding the midfield, Town were winning the ball, but it was clear that Boston were having trouble dealing with the lightening Paterson and the treat of Bore and Toner on the outside. Town’s ground movement was in evidence again on 20 minutes when after build up Bore passed from the right to Toner who from a left central position turned and controlled the ball, before firing in an unstoppable shot from 25 yards low to the goalkeeper’s right. Boston 0, Grimsby 3. The Town end went wild.

Boston’s Broughton was lucky not to be sent off on 21 minutes after elbowing Fenton in the face and Toner limped off 3 minutes later after more physical aggression from the Boston camp. Boston themselves ranged from rank ineptitude to displaying a "route one" aerial threat, and at times they seemed to want a game of headball. One such moment led to Bolland clearing the ball off the line, but we did not worry too much because all we could see from Town was growing confidence, players supporting each other and controlled passing movements.

Exquisite skill from Bore on 31 led to nothing and Boston broke away. This time Joynes beat Newey for skill and pace before crossing to Broughton whose header crashed against Town’s crossbar. The Town vocal fraternity were not deterred and maintaining the Lincolnshire theme, moved on from family matters to RAF exploits.

Town’s play was efficient but Boston were determined to get back in the game and on 38 minutes, Clarke sped up the right side and pulled the ball back. After a brief scramble, Vaughan hit a fierce and accurate shot but this time the impressive Bloomer stopped the ball from going in.

Town went on the counter attack on 40 minutes and Toner got a cross in from the left for Bore to run onto and squeeze in from 6 yards. Boston 0, Grimsby 4. Paterson had a shot before half-time, but when the whistle went for the break, the Town end was buzzing with excitement and disbelief.

Half-time verdict I don’t think I was alone in having trouble keeping up with it. Boston had chances but excellent teamwork in the defence made sure they didn’t make anything of them. While Barnes was being clattered by a robust strike force, the defence was there to clear the ball out. Both they and the Town midfield were using the ball well. The passing was crisp, and the tactic of controlling the midfield was working. Add to this the skill and pace of Paterson, Toner and Bore, and cool finishing, and we were running the game. What we were seeing was clinical organisation. Totally unexpected.

The report continues in Part 3

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