Get Smaller on !

If you are reading this on a post by post basis you will know that I was about to take you on a virtual journey from Boston in 2008 back to Edinburgh. I will indeed go there in the next post. However, this blog is sort of taking on a life of it’s own at the moment and I now have a few loose ends to deal with regarding my time in Boston before I go up the A1.

In the last blog I referenced a memorable FA Cup tie between Kings Lynn and Boston Town September 1995. Andy Sandall the Boston Town Programme Editor from that era, now resident in the United States, has been in touch and reminded me that when Kings Lynn went ahead some of their fans came screaming onto the pitch and taunted the Boston Town custodian Jamie Morgan. He apparently admitted at half time that he was incredibly tempted to go down as if one of them had hit him (Andy notes that they did brush against him as they celebrated) and try to get the game abandoned but couldn't bring himself to do it as that wasn't the culture at the club or in that dressing room. Exciting times as always in the early rounds of the FA Cup. In this notorious match where 2 Boston Town players were sent off in the first 25 minutes Boston Town lost 5-1 and the consolation goal for Town was scored by Carl Smaller.

I sent Andy the pic above via facebook and he tagged a load of the Town players that he is still in touch with. As is the way with these things some of the ex players tagged joined a discussion and a few more ‘liked’ various contributions. The name of Carl Smaller popped up in despatches and this reminded me that in the mid nineties Carl had an amazing scoring spree for Boston Town. From memory I think he may have scored 40 goals in one season and as I attended a lot of Boston Town games at that time I was a big admirer. In the summer of 1996 Boston United signed him from Town and I fully expected him to score a hatful of goals for United who were playing at a much higher level. However, Carl was used sparingly as a sub and this must have been frustrating for him – as it was for me in the stands as I felt I knew he could get the goals United needed. At this time, (season 96-97) as previously reported, I was in a gang of  about 10 Boston College staff colleagues who every fortnight went out for the full Saturday afternoon York Street experience - the first part of which was to have a refreshment or two in the Social Club before the match. In most cases the guys were better prepared for a laugh and a carry on rather than engaging with the Boston United’s failed Unibond League campaign. My plaintiff cry every other Saturday during this season when Boston needed a goal was ‘Get Smaller On’ as he sat on the bench and his team mates struggled. Increasingly my pals got more and more amused by this. One Saturday in the later part of the season the late Johnny Hale, a stalwart in our group, watched Boston United kick off at 3.00 pm, play two passes before he mockingly bellowed from the stands “Get Smaller On” …. brilliant.

Here’s hoping that Carl and others from the Lincolnshire non league scene in the 1990s will follow me via this blog on the Road to Wembley from Scotland in 2016-17. Here’s hoping also that the ‘road’ will take me to Lincolnshire in the qualifying rounds in September and October. The draw for the Extra Preliminary round for the FA Cup is now only six days away. I will soon know where the road will start.

Tomorrow in the blog post I will be taking the virtual road back to Scotland in 2008 to complete this scene setting phase of this blog / book. Look out for Hearts in the Scottish Cup and also ‘The Road to Hampden from Penicuik’.