Boston United and the magic of the FA Cup 1991-2008

So the now 5 strong Donkin family arrive in Boston in October 1991. My wife Anne and I we now have a young family – my wonderful son Brian and two beautiful daughters Joanna and Morag. Given my twin footballing fascinations of the plight of the football underdog and also the FA Cup early rounds then Boston suited me just fine. I was quickly to develop an affection for Boston United who when we arrived were plying their trade in the Nationwide Conference. I was taken aback by the size of the crowds and also the standard of football. As ‘The Pilgrims’ were a non league team I imagined they would be playing a similar standard to teams like Vale of Leithen and Spartans who I had watched on days off from Hearts in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup. The first game I attended at Boston United’s York Street ground was to change my perceptions. On the 19^th October 1991 Boston United entertained Wycombe Wanderers in front of almost 2000 fans. With Martin O’Neil in the away dug out and a thrilling 2-2 draw being played out on the pitch I was hooked immediately. I was in the habit of watching football every Saturday during the football season and having seen the fare on offer at York Street I thought ‘that will do me nicely’.

Over the next 15 years my son Brian and I were to attend 95% of the home games played at York Street. The team experienced some ups and downs in this period and famously appointed Steve Evans (until recently the manager of Leeds United) in 1998. He managed Boston United to promotion from the Southern Football League to the Football Conference in 2000 and subsequently to the Football League in 2002. Both promotions have since been overshadowed by revelations of off-the-field cheating. Evans was suspended by Boston as manager on 4 July 2002 after a much-publicised Football Association (The FA) investigation into "contract irregularities". He later resigned as manager of the club in September 2002, after still being suspended by the club. He was found guilty by The FA in December 2002 of impeding an FA inquiry into contract irregularities. Evans was also suspended from the game for 20 months in January 2003 for involvement of the affairs of Boston, in which players' contracts lodged with the FA contained false salary details. Evans was further accused of impeding the inquiry and fined £8,000. Evans lodged an appeal against charges in May 2003, but The FA rejected his appeal later that month and the punishment stood. In my day-job at Boston College at the time I dealt with Steve in a professional capacity when helping to manage the ‘Football for Life’ scheme – a partnership arrangement between the College and the Football Club. I found him to be a thoroughly objectionable character who, in my opinion, treated our students / his youth players with disdain. In short, I think Steve Evans is a bad man !

Steve Evans on the touchline in typical pose

Steve Evans leaving court and not keen to speak to the press. Club Secretary John Blackwell walks ahead

 Despite the shadow cast over Uniteds’ achievements in this era Brian and I, and many others that we went to the matches with, had some very enjoyable Saturday afternoons at York Street. For a while the group of us from the staff of Boston College who went to the games on a Saturday numbered about 10. These were good times watching football. The routine would be a couple of beers before the match in the BUFC Social Club, watch the match, then retire to the Social Club for a couple more beers and watch the full time scores and reports come through. On the pitch The Pilgrims played some great stuff and it was a real privilege to see local legend Chris Cook (the only man to score for Boston United at Wembley – FA Trophy Final 1985 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1nIbMuF3sg ) in the twilight of his career and also everyone’s favourite player the man who between 1992 and 2004 played over 500 games in goal for Boston United the one and only Paul ‘Baldy’ Bastock. Incredibly Bastock is still playing – for Stamford Town at the age of 46. It would be a wonderful diversion if the Road to Wembley took me to Stamford in this coming season.

Chris Cook - Legend and Old War Horse

Baldy Bastock - Top Man and Great Keeper

   So much fun and so many laughs watching Boston United in that era. One incident sticks in my memory. Once a season the Red Cross would have a ‘blanket collection’ at half time to raise funds. On the occasion in question we had indulged in the pre match libations and about ten of us were in the main stand feeling pretty merry. At half time we did the decent thing and went down from our seats to the front of the stand and threw some change onto the blanket being held at all corners by four members of the Red Cross. One of our group, Kris Dowse, had probably overdone the pre match drinking and was in outrageous mode. Ten minutes into the second half an opposition player suffered a serious injury and could not continue. The same four Red Cross guys ran on with a stretcher and he was put on it. As the stretcher with the prostrate, distraught player was being carried round in front of us in the stand, Kris rushed out of his seat down the steps to the front and then threw an assortment of change over the guy on the stretcher as if the blanket collection was getting a re-run. A cry of ‘there you go mate’ from Kris and a response of ‘what the fuck’ from the player. Ridiculous !

The highlight of each season in Boston for me and my son was watching Boston United’s FA Cup run. We made it our goal to go to every Boston United FA Cup tie home and away and we indeed managed this for our first twelve years in Boston. There was always an excitement when the draw was made, wondering would it be an easy tie would it involve travel. Over the next twelve years the road to Wembley from Boston took us to places like Braintree, Heybridge, Maldon, Bedworth, Chester, Knypersely Ilkeston, Congelton, Burton and Northampton. Additionally some weird and wonderful teams visited York Street to play in this most famous of all cup competitions. Our Boston based FA Cup campaign got off to a relatively slow start as Boston went out early in the cup in each of our first four seasons in Lincolnshire. Minnows Aveley, Canvey Island and Wisbech all left York Street still in the cup with the home team weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth with their FA Cup dreams in tatters for another year. Then in season 1996-97 our prayers were answered when the Pilgrims went on a cup run that saw them win 5 matches score 25 goals and eventually lose to Football League side Chester in North Wales. A match that provided a great day out for me, my laddie and a whole group of us from Boston College. I haven’t checked the records but I think it will be many years since a team that won the FA Cup actually scored 25 goals during their campaign. The following season Boston won away in Kynpersley before losing in round 1 to Ilkeston. By this time I was writing occasional match reports for Ken Fox’s Boston United web site and for the Ilkeston match I had to sadly report racist abuse being hurled at Boston players by Ilkeston ‘fans’ – not nice. I was surprised to see that my report is still on line and can be accessed via  http://www.bufc.drfox.org.uk/N151197.html  

Me and Brian with the FA Cup at the Boston United Social Club 

 The next season Boston lost a horrible match and a massive upset was caused when a team from way down the football pyramid took the scalp of (in non league terms) the mighty Pilgrims. In October 1998 the Bostonians travelled to Congleton in Cheshire in the FA Cup to take on the local team. Boston dominated the first half but could not get the ball in the net. Two minutes into the second half the referee awarded a highly dodgy penalty to the home team and the kicker sent Bastock the wrong way to give Congleton a highly undeserved lead. Boston huffed and puffed without joy and then with ten minutes to go Caretaker Manager Chris Cook threw on the teenage substitute and Boston College student Leigh Taylor. Two minutes to go and Leigh swivelled on the edge of the box and struck a fine fierce shot that hit the underside of the bar. Standing right behind the goal, Brian and I watched in disbelief as the ball bounced down 6 inches in front of the line and then bounced out. Final score Congleton 1 Boston United 0 and Boston out of the cup in circumstances almost as humiliating as England’s loss to Iceland two nights ago. I have often reflected that if Leigh Taylor’s wonderful half-volley had hit the bar half an inch lower it would have bounced down over the line and Boston would have drawn 1-1, taken Congleton back to York Street and thrashed them and Caretaker Manager and Club Legend Chris Cook would almost certainly have been given the job on a permanent basis. Instead Chris was relieved of his temporary duties the following week and the club appointed Steve Evans and the rest is history!

More FA Cup action was enjoyed in the seasons that followed. Visits to Northampton and Macclesfield and home ties against Brigg and Hartlepool were on the agenda for Brian and I - following Boston United in the Cup. My love affair with the FA Cup had been consummated. I hope to prove my lifetime devotion to the greatest cup competition in football between August 2016 and May 2017. Really looking forward to it.