Saturday 29th January 2022
National League North
At the Jakemans Community Stadium
Boston United (3) 4
Luke Shiels 15
Fraser Preston 18, 33
Danny Elliott 53 Pen
Chester FC (0) 0
Attendance: 1,654 (inc. 142 away fans)
A few more photos: Click HERE
Boston United:
Marcus Dewhurst, Matt Tootle, Luke Shiels, Scott Duxbury; Keenan Ferguson, Tom Platt, Shane Byrne, Joe Leesley; Connor Dimaio (Ben Sault 82), Fraser Preston, Danny Elliott.
Unused subs: Scott Garner, Jordan Preston, Finlay Armond, Peter Crook
Chester:
Louis Gray, Kevin Roberts, Matty Williams, Simon Grand, David Fitzpatrick; George Glendon, Paddy Lacey (James Horsfield 46), Rob Apter, Okera Simmonds (Marcus Dackers 46), Darren Stephenson; George Waring.
Unused subs: Harrison Burke, Josh Askew, Wyl Stanway
My first ever trip to the Jakemans Community Stadium, "The new home of Boston United Football Club", just like it says on the sign.
I've heard a lot about the Pilgrims recently occupied ground, some of it good. some bad and a some of it liberally coated with a sprinkling of sheer indifference too, but reserved any sort of judgement on the set up, until I'd had the opportunity to visit it for myself.
Even the elderly gentleman wearing a Boston United shirt, who'd struck up a conversation with me on the train across because: "You look like one of those groundhopper types, I bet I know where you're going" (my Duane Dibley attire was obviously a dead giveaway), told me that he preferred the old ground at York Street and wagered that I wouldn't like the new facility... it would be fair to say that he didn't seem massively keen on the new out of town stadium. But he still travelled from Nottingham to every home game (via the Eagle public house, which is adjacent to Boston railway station) after moving away from his Lincolnshire roots. Good for him, I say.
I was quite fond of Boston's former home: York Street (and the nearby Eagle fish bar too), but I am happy to report that I actually liked their new ground no end as well, even if it's still a bit of a work in progress, Pilgrim's Progress I suppose you could say, if you're wont to namedropping Christian allegory's penned in 1678 (by the Putitan preacher John Bunyan).
Parking at the Jakemans Community Stadium is limited to season pass holders only, until all of the building work is complete, after which it appears that there will be a quite spacious car-park behind the fourth side of the ground that will be added to the stadium in due course.
All things considered I decided that journey by train was the preferred option today, given that the fare from Retford (via a change at Grantham) was cheaper than it would have cost me in petrol to get down there.
Upon arrival in Boston, the out of town facility is approximately a forty minute walk way, a trek that involves 'playing' with the traffic on the busy A16 road.
Alternatively there are shuttle buses picking up outside the Len Medlock Voluntary Centre on St George's Road (postcode PE21 8YB) which is only a few minutes walk into town. If you go to the bus station and look across diagonally from where all of the bus shelters are, you'll spot the white coaches parked up, with the Boston Stump stood proudly in the background, ready and waiting to ferry supporters to the ground for a small consideration of £1.50 each way... tickets can be purchased from the driver. The buses return from next to the main gates at the stadium after the game and also pick up and drop off at Boots in the Market Place and the Quayside Hotel on London Road.
Departure times for 3PM kick-offs
12.00pm, 12.45pm, 1.30pm, 2.15pm
Return: 5.00pm & 5.45pm
Departure times for 7.45PM kick-offs
5.00pm, 5.45pm, 6.30pm, 7.15pm
Return: 9.45pm & 10.30pm
There is a well appointed and decent sized bar built into the Acorn Taxis West Stand, which is accessed from outside the ground and a well stocked club shop next door to it.
Programmes are available from various selling points (and very good they are too) and team sheets are available for £1 but double up as half-time draw tickets. Today I was only two numbers away from winning a replica shirt of my choice. If I'd won I'd have chosen an away top and given it to the gentleman I was chatting too on the train earlier, on our return journey. To be perfectly frank, it wouldn't have been of much use to me.
Once you get through the fancy turnstiles by scanning the barcode on your ticket (either printed at home or presented on your mobile device of choice), the refreshment options are plentiful... and unlike a lot of new facilities on the football circuit the prices are very agreeable. There aren't many outlets serving food and drink anywhere near the stadium, so the club could've exploited that fact by overcharging fans who want to stuff their faces. But to their immense credit they haven't chosen not to go down the rip off road.
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At the present time and pending further construction work, the Jakemans Community Stadium is an under cover three-sided affair... well, two-sides and one end to be precise. Which comprises of one all seater stand running along the full length of the pitch, the West Stand, standing opposite a full length terrace on t'other side, which is divided in the middle for segregation purposes. At the north end of the ground there is another covered terrace, which joins onto the larger stand on the far side via a covered corner section... it would appear that it is the intention for the south stand too looking at roof at that end in its present state.
I have no idea whatsoever when the south end of the ground will be completed, so at present the limited capacity is roughly around the 5,000 mark, which will rise to 6,000 once all of the building is completed. There is adequate land around all four sides of the ground for further expansion should the need ever arise. Mathematically, United could still qualify for promotion via the play-offs this season. 'The future is unwritten' so sayeth the late, great Joe Strummer, even though his inspiration was more likely to have been the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre than the National League North
Today's visitors Chester FC, appointed the former York City boss Steve Watson as their new manager last month. Looking at the Seals recent form and going on the evidence of today's good hiding, Watson is going to have his work cut out trying to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear this season. The despondent City fans drowning their sorrows on the train home later seemed to be convinced that their team was already on a downward trajectory and destined to plummet through the leagues any time now.
Meanwhile, the Pilgrims fortunes are on the up, especially since their new management team of Paul Cox and John Ramshaw were recently installed at the club. Neither of these goodly souls will need any introduction for anybody who lives in my neck of the woods, or anywhere across the county of Nottinghamshire. United have landed themselves a couple of really good 'uns with this particular partnership and personally I wish them all the best with their new task. Rest assured, there are plenty of others within my extensive circle of local football comrades who will also be expressing similar sentiments.
The game itself was as tilted in Boston United's favour as the score suggests. Fifteen minutes in, Louis Gray, the visitors keeper did well to steer a Joe Leesley flag-kick away inside his crowded goalmouth at the expense of another corner. Leesley put more purchase on his next delivery to pick out Luke Shiels who arrived beyond the back post and headed the ball firmly past the flat-footed Gray, who must've been wondering what the three Chester players surrounding the goal scorer were actually doing on the pitch if they were going to pay such scant regard to their responsibilities.
 |
| Goal! |
Gray must have been developing a persecution complex just three minutes later, when Danny Elliott's firmly struck cross was helped across the line and into the back of his net via a combination of Fraser Preston and some clumsy defending (I'm being very polite at this juncture) by Simon Grand.
The game was all but over in the thirty-third minute, when Scott Duxbury headed the ball down into the path of Preston who bulged the back of Gray's goal from twelve yards out. The Seals defence weren't in close attendance and getting in the way to the detriment of their own cause this time however, in fact they were nowhere to be seen at all.
Maybe Steve Watson had employed the services of Interpol to find his missing persons during the half-time interval, because Chester appeared to have bucked their ideas up once the game restarted, due in the main to two substitutions at the midway point.
But there was far too much for them to do to salvage anything from this game now and Boston could afford to patiently spray the ball around, contain their visitors and then hit them on the break while Chester had to commit bodies going forward,
Basically, this was payback time for the 4-0 defeat that the Seals had inflicted on Boston the last time that the two sides had met.
Eight minutes after the restart, Preston got clear and through on goal but was denied the chance of claiming his hat-trick, when Kevin Roberts fouled him.
Danny Elliott, the Pilgrims penalty taker is a former Chester player... and as per tradition when an ex-player comes up against his old club, he planted the ball emphatically past Gray.
Preston was upended by Kevin Roberts eight minutes after the break - and ELLIOTT sailed home the resulting spot-kick to bag a goal against his old club.
Although Chester were by now, in football parlance, dead and buried, they finished the game with a flurry that saw: Darren Stephenson, Marcus Dackers and Rob Apter all denied by the agility of Marcus Dewhurst as the clock ticked down, just when it was starting to look as though he needn't have bothered bringing his gloves along.
But, all told, Boston won the game comfortably and could afford to sit back and soak up the the rare moments of threat displayed by a misfiring a Chester side, who will no doubt be relieved to get back home from their maiden voyage to the Jakemans Community Stadium.
I enjoyed my first visit and wouldn't hesitate to go back there when the opportunity arises.
FT: Boston United 4 v Chester FC 0
