Match : Boston United vs FC United of Manchester
Squad : Bowen (10th cap), Quincy (10th cap), Richo (10th cap), Laddso, Laddsy, Beebs, Kenny, Carol.
We're always looking for those ties that excite just a little whilst also fulfilling the goal of new and non league. So the chance to see the infamous FC United of Manchester in close quarters at a reasonably local ground in our very favourite division was too good a chance to miss. So off we went to Boston in search of the truth and some other stuff.
This was also a trip that saw some milestones met. Myself, Quincy and Richo all hitting the 10 trip mark and receiving celebratory socks as a mark of the occasion. The socks are to be worn to the next 5 games so expect to see more photos of these babies in the future.
The relative closeness meant the day started off in the Drapers Arms for a cooked breakfast. There were some beers, some coffees, much breakfast - a great way to set ourselves up for the day and all for about 50p each.
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| Old Faithful |
In the interest of fairness Boston United were formed in 1933 and have recently enjoyed life with the big boys. They competed competitively in League Two for a few seasons in the 2000's but financial hard times hit the club and now they find themselves 2 divisions lower in the National League North. So with the histories of the two clubs it was fair to expect a decent crowd.
The train journey entailed a change at Grantham on to the Skeggy express. Once we arrived in Boston it was straight to the Eagle, a Castle Rock outpost. Beebs had already mentioned a good (bad) night on Screech and so as the opportunity presented itself immediately we had to take it. A pint of Castle Rock's American IPA "Screech Owl". It pours cloudy and pale and tastes wonderful. Boston is already winning.
The Eagle is a basic old fashioned type of pub. Not big but big enough for us and a number of other locals and football goers. We stay and have more Screech rather than bothering to find anywhere else to drink. We take advice from the locals on how to get to the ground. We linger and have more Screech. Eventually though we have to leave. After all we are 2 hours in Boston and still only 100 yards from the train station. We take the advice and make our way through the town to the ground.
The town is of reasonable size - population 35,124 - and is famous for it's landmark the St Botolph's Church, known locally as "The Stump". It is also infamous for some recent statistics that paint a picture - in the mid 2000's Boston was declared to have the highest obesity rate of any town in the United Kingdom, with one-third of its adults (31%) considered clinically obese.
Then in the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership 75.6% of the residents of Boston voted in favour of leaving the European Union - the highest in the whole country.
So on to the ground. It's impressive for the level - obviously a few seasons in the pro ranks helped. We find the town end where the home fans congregate and clock the snack bar immediately.
The game itself was lively. FC United are struggling in the league this season but took the lead early on when Chris Sharp smashed home. The pocket of FC fans in the opposite end burst into joyous celebration. The joy was short lived however as 10 minutes later Gavin Allott powered home a header from a free kick. It remained 1-1 at half time and it was time for food. Personally the chips and gravy were good enough. The pies got mixed reviews however.
The game continued to entertain in the second half without ever fully igniting. Boston's winner came just after the hour when Nicky Walker started and finished a move to clinch all the points. There was still plenty of fight left in FC but eventually to no avail.
After the game it was back into town to see if we could find the rugby on anywhere. The first pub that was advertising it was The Folly...so in we went. Now considering this was England's first game of the Six Nations and it was against the current champions Ireland the pub was extremely quiet. That worked in everyone's favour as we watched the rugby in one side and Quincy got to watch Leeds (lose) in the other side.
The beer selection wasn't great so it was Guinness all round. As it was it was a pleasant enough place to while away a couple of hours. Kenny tried the cocktails and gave them a thumbs up. Once we'd seen enough of the sport it was off for some food. In an unusual left turn for this group we took the chain fast food route, introducing Richo to his first ever KFC (other brands of fried chicken are available).
Then it was back towards the station with time for a swiftie in the Eagle (Screech Owl obvs) before boarding the train back towards Grantham. We had 20 minutes to pass at Grantham so took to raiding the vending machines in the waiting room. Now I think it's perceived wisdom that it is dangerous to share a waiting room with a group of football fans who have been drinking beer and eating fast food. Nevertheless I think it was still a shock to one poor lady to have to inhale the worst that Beebs could offer. Dave declared it a crime scene and the waiting room was cordoned off.
We were all glad to get back on the train for the last leg then back to the club for some late night beer and music. I'll be honest I had misgivings about Boston but Boston came through. A great day out.
Stats
Match
National League North
Boston United 2 FC United of Manchester 1
Stadium – The Jakemans Stadium. Capacity – 6,645
Attendance – 1,070
Pubs - just the 2
Best - The Eagle
Worst - The Folly
Lunch - Chips and gravy and various other in the ground
Dinner - KFC
Pies - yes
Marks
Ground - 9/10
Match - 7/10
Beer - 8/10
Food - 4/10
Pie - 5/10
Enjoyment Factor - 8/10
The train journey entailed a change at Grantham on to the Skeggy express. Once we arrived in Boston it was straight to the Eagle, a Castle Rock outpost. Beebs had already mentioned a good (bad) night on Screech and so as the opportunity presented itself immediately we had to take it. A pint of Castle Rock's American IPA "Screech Owl". It pours cloudy and pale and tastes wonderful. Boston is already winning.
The Eagle is a basic old fashioned type of pub. Not big but big enough for us and a number of other locals and football goers. We stay and have more Screech rather than bothering to find anywhere else to drink. We take advice from the locals on how to get to the ground. We linger and have more Screech. Eventually though we have to leave. After all we are 2 hours in Boston and still only 100 yards from the train station. We take the advice and make our way through the town to the ground.
 |
| The Eagle |
 |
| Screeching room only |
Then in the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership 75.6% of the residents of Boston voted in favour of leaving the European Union - the highest in the whole country.
 |
| The Stump |
The game continued to entertain in the second half without ever fully igniting. Boston's winner came just after the hour when Nicky Walker started and finished a move to clinch all the points. There was still plenty of fight left in FC but eventually to no avail.
After the game it was back into town to see if we could find the rugby on anywhere. The first pub that was advertising it was The Folly...so in we went. Now considering this was England's first game of the Six Nations and it was against the current champions Ireland the pub was extremely quiet. That worked in everyone's favour as we watched the rugby in one side and Quincy got to watch Leeds (lose) in the other side.
The beer selection wasn't great so it was Guinness all round. As it was it was a pleasant enough place to while away a couple of hours. Kenny tried the cocktails and gave them a thumbs up. Once we'd seen enough of the sport it was off for some food. In an unusual left turn for this group we took the chain fast food route, introducing Richo to his first ever KFC (other brands of fried chicken are available).
Then it was back towards the station with time for a swiftie in the Eagle (Screech Owl obvs) before boarding the train back towards Grantham. We had 20 minutes to pass at Grantham so took to raiding the vending machines in the waiting room. Now I think it's perceived wisdom that it is dangerous to share a waiting room with a group of football fans who have been drinking beer and eating fast food. Nevertheless I think it was still a shock to one poor lady to have to inhale the worst that Beebs could offer. Dave declared it a crime scene and the waiting room was cordoned off.
 |
| Crime scene |
Stats
Match
National League North
Boston United 2 FC United of Manchester 1
Stadium – The Jakemans Stadium. Capacity – 6,645
Attendance – 1,070
Pubs - just the 2
Best - The Eagle
Worst - The Folly
Lunch - Chips and gravy and various other in the ground
Dinner - KFC
Pies - yes
Marks
Ground - 9/10
Match - 7/10
Beer - 8/10
Food - 4/10
Pie - 5/10
Enjoyment Factor - 8/10
