By Charlie Fytche
Poachers cruise past struggling Kimberley
Boston Town returned to action at The Mortgages for You Stadium this weekend as they hosted relegation-battling Kimberley Miners Welfare — and came away with a comfortable 2-0 win.
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First Half
The referee got proceedings underway, and The Poachers started brightly as expected. Inside seven minutes, Harry Limb danced through the Kimberley defence before losing the ball just inside the area. It broke kindly for Matt Cotton, who struck at goal, but an unfortunate bobble saw him mishit his effort, allowing the Kimberley keeper to save comfortably.
It didn’t take long for Boston to make the breakthrough. On 16 minutes, Fraser Bayliss smashed home a thunderous opener following some brilliant work down the right from Harry Limb, who unselfishly laid the ball off for Bayliss to do the rest.
1-0 Boston Town
After the opener, the tempo dipped slightly as both sides began to settle. Manager Chris could be heard urging his players on, comparing the first-half intensity to a “pre-season game.”
Kimberley began to grow into the contest and threatened briefly, only for McKenzie Burdass to recover superbly with a sliding block to deny a dangerous attack, conceding only a corner. The resulting delivery was cleared confidently by Richard Ford, towering above the rest.
The first half ended with Boston firmly in control, looking comfortable with their lead.
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Second Half
Following a composed team talk at the break, The Poachers came out looking more assured and fluid in their play. They kept up the pressure on Kimberley and soon found their second goal.
Centre-back Luke Wilson, in red-hot form, doubled the lead with a well-taken volley inside the box — his second goal in as many games.
2-0 Boston Town
With a two-goal cushion, the game began to settle. Kimberley did have a late chance, sending a deep cross to an unmarked winger at the far post, but he blazed the shot over under little pressure.
The referee’s final whistle confirmed another valuable three points for Boston Town, who enjoyed the victory in front of a lively home crowd in the spring sunshine.
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Full-Time:
Boston Town 2-0 Kimberley Miners Welfare
Goalscorers:
Fraser Bayliss (Sponsored by GDE Building Services)
Luke Wilson (Sponsored by JP Ford Contractors)
Man of the Match:
Match day Sponsor VC Logistics & Transport awarded man of the match to centre half Luke Wilson!
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Manager’s Thoughts:
“I thought we were professional today. We weren’t at our free-flowing best — we had some good spells in the first half, but then dropped off for 10 minutes and invited unnecessary pressure. That said, I never really felt like we were under serious threat.
In the second half, our defensive shape and distances were much better. Aside from the last 10 minutes where they could’ve pulled one back, it was a bit of a shutout really. A professional performance and three important points with only a few games to go.”
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Next Fixture:
The Poachers travel to face Ashby Ivanhoe this weekend. A supporters’ coach will be running for those wanting to join us on the road!
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