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Weymouth 2-2 Pilgrims

Dr Martens League

by Barbara Singleton

Coveted championship success is now only a handful of points away for Boston United. The Pilgrims today know that just seven more points from their remaining five Dr Martens League matches will guarantee Premier Division title glory. Their grip on top spot was bolstered still further by a battling share of the spoils from a long-haul trek to Weymouth - a result which, in tandem with Bath crashing to a fourth straight loss, means a prestige honour seems just around the corner. Manager Steve Evans though, is taking nothing for granted despite the strong position his team are in. He said: "Yes, we have taken another step towards fulfilling our ambition. But we still have plenty of hard graft ahead of us if the dream is to become reality. And there will certainly be no let-up in our single-minded focus on the next match, which is at home against Gloucester next Saturday." For the time being, United connections can reflect on a point well-earned at Weymouth - arguably not the full reward the team's general superiority deserved. But they earned a share of the spoils which was good enough to spread more gloom among the other sides which are seemingly pursuing the Pilgrims in vain. At the Wessex Stadium, Boston exerted a fair degree of early pressure and went closest when midfielder Gary Childs drilled a shot just wide.

However, it was Weymouth who grabbed the lead on 15 minutes when David LAWS accepted a pass from Mark Gammon and went on to fire his shot past Paul Bastock in the Boston United goal. For a while, Boston seemed to take time to recover their usual composure and Mark Robinson tested Bastock yet again, this time with a with a sweetly-struck volley. However, the Pilgrims soon found their feet again and they were the dominant force up to the interval - but had cause to curse the home goal frame on more than one occasion. In the 21st minute Mickey Nuttell rose to meet a Paul Raynor free-kick, only to see the ball bounce away off a post. Then on 36 minutes Raynor rolled a short free-kick to Childs, whose shot smacked against the bar. However, Boston drew level on 45 minutes when Raynor fired across the Weymouth goal where home defender Lee BRADFORD deflected the ball into his own net. After the interval, it was again a tale of general Boston pressure with Mark Rawle and Raynor both stabbing wide while another Nuttell effort again rattled a post. Weymouth conjured another smash-and-grab goal in the 74th minute when LAWS raced clear to shoot past the stranded Bastock. But Boston showed great resolve and rescued a precious point when David RENNIE was the first on to an Andrew Stanhope corner on 77 minutes and headed into the corner of the net.

United team: 1. Paul Bastock, 2. Joby Gowshall, 3. Len Curtis, 4. Colin Hoyle, 5. Peter Costello, 6. David Rennie, 7. Andrew Stanhope, 8. Gary Childs, 9. Mick Nuttell, 10. Mark Rawle, 11. Paul Raynor, 12. Lee Power, 14. Craig Allardyce, 15. Adie Hayes.


This report originally appeared in the Lincolnshire Echo.