Another weekend brought a mixture of league and cup action for our Lincolnshire non-league sides, with narrow wins, late heartbreak and FA Cup disappointment all featuring, writes David Ward.
Boston United 1-0 Altrincham
Boston United were looking to build on their first league victory of the season and an encouraging midweek performance against Birmingham City Under-21s. The Pilgrims welcomed Altrincham for the early kick-off, hoping to collect their first home points of the campaign.
There was action at both ends during the opening 45 minutes, with Boston forced to clear the ball off the line to ensure the game remained goalless at half-time. Altrincham then struck the post with their first attack of the second half, but United responded well and took the lead in the 58th minute. Frankie Aboh met Grimes’ free kick and found the back of the net.
Altrincham continued to push for an equaliser, but some excellent defending helped Boston record a second successive league clean sheet and secure another three points, much to the delight of manager Paul Hurst.
Chester 1-0 Spalding United
Spalding United were desperately unlucky to leave Chester empty-handed in National League North. The league leaders have been scoring freely this season, so the Tulips knew they faced a difficult afternoon and spent long periods under pressure.
However, they almost took a shock lead shortly before half-time when Bartosz Cybulski saw his effort punched away by the Chester goalkeeper. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Spalding defending strongly and looking to threaten on the break.
It appeared their resilience would be rewarded with a point, but Charlie Ward struck in the third minute of stoppage time to give Chester all three. Despite the cruel conclusion, manager Jimmy Dean was proud of the commitment shown by his players and will hope they can maintain that level of performance in the coming weeks.
Gainsborough Trinity 0-1 Bury
Gainsborough Trinity were hoping to continue their winning run when they hosted Bury in the first competitive meeting between the two former Football League clubs. Bury were the stronger side during the opening half-hour, despite losing a player to injury after only three minutes following a collision with a member of the visiting media team behind the goal.
Trinity gradually grew into the contest, but the scores remained level at the interval. Bury again enjoyed the better of the second half, although Gainsborough created a couple of opportunities of their own.
The visitors introduced former Lincoln City midfielder Elliott Whitehouse in the 83rd minute, and his familiar surging runs helped give them fresh impetus. Bury eventually scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. Trinity did find the net four minutes later, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Manager Russ Wilcox remained proud of his team’s performance, with attention now turning to Tuesday night’s fixture.
Worcester City 1-0 Stamford
Stamford faced a difficult away fixture at Worcester City as they continued their search for a first victory of the season. Unfortunately, that wait goes on after Worcester scored the only goal of the contest in the 38th minute.
The hosts controlled much of the match, and it already appears as though the Daniels could be facing a challenging campaign.
Skegness Town 0-1 Kimberley Miners Welfare
After collecting a midweek victory, Skegness Town were hoping to strengthen their position when they welcomed Kimberley Miners Welfare. The first half produced an entertaining, end-to-end contest, with Skegness playing confidently and both sides creating opportunities to take the lead.
It remained goalless at half-time, and the second period continued in much the same manner. Unfortunately for the hosts, Kimberley struck in the 83rd minute to claim all three points.
Town were not outplayed and contributed fully to an entertaining contest, so they must now pick themselves up ahead of their next fixture.
Harrowby United 3-1 Dronfield Town
Harrowby United welcomed Dronfield Town looking to strengthen their position near the top of United Counties League Division One. They made an excellent start, with Jacob Boyes opening the scoring after only six minutes.
Dronfield grew into the game and equalised in the 19th minute, but that setback appeared to drive Harrowby forward. On the stroke of half-time, Kene Ukatu restored their advantage with a deserved second goal.
Harrowby continued to control proceedings after the break, and Kieran Stanley made it 3-1 in the 62nd minute. It was another deserved victory and maintained their strong start as they look to bounce straight back following last season’s relegation.
Sleaford Town 1-1 Selston
Sleaford Town were also hoping to remain among the leading sides when they hosted Selston. Lewis Smith gave the Greens the lead in the 21st minute, but their advantage lasted only three minutes before Selston equalised.
The visitors dominated much of the second half, but Sleaford held firm and escaped with a point. Manager Jamie McGhee was frustrated by the performance and felt his side had been fortunate to avoid defeat.
Staveley Miners Welfare 6-0 Louth Town
At the other end of the table, Louth Town were searching for much-needed points away at Staveley Miners Welfare. Unfortunately, the White Wolves endured an afternoon to forget and found themselves 4-0 behind by half-time.
There was a slight improvement after the interval, but Staveley added another two goals to complete a comprehensive 6-0 victory.
Maltby Main 4-0 Pinchbeck United
Pinchbeck United were also looking for any kind of positive result to kick-start their season when they travelled to Maltby Main. The first half was competitive, with Maltby taking the lead in the 24th minute.
Pinchbeck came agonisingly close to an equaliser shortly before half-time when Marshall Young lobbed the goalkeeper, only to see the ball strike the underside of the crossbar and stay out. It was another example of the luck currently going against Pinchbeck.
Maltby took control after the break and scored three further goals, leaving United in trouble at this early stage of the campaign.
Immingham Town 0-1 Brigg Town
Brigg Town travelled to Immingham Town for a local derby looking to continue their excellent winning run. They had already beaten Hemswell Town 1-0 in midweek, with Dayle Southwell scoring the decisive penalty.
The first half contained all the physicality expected of a local derby, although Brigg created three good chances before the interval. They took control after half-time and opened the scoring in the 48th minute through the combined efforts of the two Dayles. Southwell produced the initial effort before Dayle Hutson followed up to score from close range.
That proved enough to secure all three points and extend Brigg’s remarkable run to five consecutive matches without conceding. The management team were particularly pleased to see the side produce such a strong performance on grass rather than their usual 4G surface.
Lincoln United 0-2 Wellingborough Town
There was disappointment in the FA Cup for Lincoln United, who welcomed Wellingborough Town to Ashby Avenue. It proved to be an afternoon the Whites will want to forget, with the visitors scoring in the 33rd and 63rd minutes to secure a 2-0 victory.
United must now put their cup exit behind them and concentrate on their forthcoming league fixtures.
Boston Town 0-1 Sherwood Colliery
Boston Town were also knocked out of the FA Cup after losing at home to Sherwood Colliery. The Poachers produced a good performance, but the visitors scored the decisive goal in the 61st minute.
Boston were unable to find the equaliser that would have given them a fighting chance of progressing, completing a disappointing day for our local sides in the competition.
There were mixed results across the leagues and no success in the FA Cup, but another busy weekend still provided plenty of action. Boston United and Brigg Town collected valuable victories, Harrowby continued their encouraging start, while Spalding and Gainsborough were left to reflect on late goals that denied them hard-earned points.
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