Thursday night football brought contrasting fortunes for two of our Lincolnshire non-league sides, with Boston Town held to a goalless draw and Brigg Town striking late to remain top of the table. writes David Ward.
Coventry United 0-0 Boston Town
Boston Town collected a point from a goalless draw away at Coventry United.
The Poachers travelled without goalkeeper Sam Edwards, whose loan had expired, resulting in his return to Peterborough Sports. Jake West was signed from Corby Town as his replacement and went straight into the starting XI.
There was also a local connection in the opposition boardroom, with Coventry United’s chairman originally hailing from Coningsby.
Boston made a strong start and spent much of the opening half-hour pressing forward. They sent two opportunities over the crossbar inside the opening nine minutes before a promising move ended with a tame header into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Another good opening arrived in the 26th minute, when Bayliss fired narrowly wide. However, the visitors lost some of their momentum after Limb was forced off seven minutes later, allowing Coventry to grow into the contest before the interval.
The home side carried that improvement into the second half, although Boston continued to create occasional chances. They beat the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute, only for the resulting effort to clear the crossbar.
At the other end, debutant West produced a tremendous save in the 76th minute to preserve his clean sheet. The contest appeared to be drifting towards a draw, but Boston were presented with a late opportunity to claim all three points.
Gibbons collected the ball on the edge of the area in added time but could only steer his shot narrowly wide of the post. It proved to be the final chance of a game in which both sides had to settle for a point.
South Leeds 1-2 Brigg Town
League leaders Brigg Town travelled to face a South Leeds side near the foot of the table, looking to return to winning ways after Saturday’s draw.
The opening stages were scrappy, with South Leeds appearing the more energetic of the two teams. They applied pressure to the Brigg defence, while the Zebras had to wait until the 16th minute for their first meaningful attack, which ended with an effort going over the bar.
A defensive mix-up presented South Leeds with a one-on-one chance on the half-hour mark, but Liam Higson made an excellent save to keep the scores level.
Brigg gradually began to assert some control and were rewarded in the 43rd minute. Adam Drury found the net to give Town a somewhat fortunate lead at half-time.
The Zebras began the second period with greater purpose, pushing higher up the pitch and forcing the South Leeds defence backwards. They created a couple of opportunities but were unable to convert either of them.
That proved costly in the 70th minute when South Leeds caught Brigg out and equalised. With their tails up, the hosts then had a glorious opportunity to move ahead four minutes later, but the cross travelled beyond the back post.
The warning appeared to wake Brigg up. Josh Batty’s introduction added fresh impetus to the forward line, and the substitute saw a glancing header saved in the 80th minute.
A draw still looked the most likely outcome as the game entered added time. However, following a scramble in front of goal after a corner, Batty reacted quickest and converted from close range.
His late winner secured a hard-earned three points for the Zebras, strengthening their position at the top of the table and sparking jubilant celebrations among the management team.
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