Boston Town made it 11 straight wins in competitive football as they squeezed through to the next round of the FA Cup.
That run dates back to February when they started their surge to the United Counties League Premier North title.
Now Chris Funnell’s men have been promoted to Step 4 – and this is the kind of game where they’ll have a target on their backs.
Step 5 Daventry Town had lost all three league games so far this season but gave the Poachers a run for their money, despite being down to 10 men for the whole of the second half.
Boston got off to a good start in this extra preliminary round tie at The Master Abrasives Stadium. After an injury delay, Harry Limb put in a good corner and Matt Cotton poked it over the line after a scramble.
Just nine minutes gone and last season’s top scorer had notched Boston Town’s first ever competitive goal as a Step 4 club.
After 19 minutes Limb squared a dangerous ball from the right but Harvey Graves swung and missed a great chance from 12 yards out.
The visitors should have been further ahead but were hit by a sucker punch as Daventry equalised on the counter attack after 39 minutes through Nathan Bobowicz – pretty much the first chance they’d had.
But the Poachers were boosted just before the interval when the hosts were reduced to 10 men. Defender Merston Styles had been given a torrid time by Limb and, just minutes after being booked for fouling him, he received a second yellow for speaking out of turn to the officials.
The Poachers forced a string of corners early in the second half, keeper Josh McAdoo denying Jordan Tate with a point blank save after 52 minutes. But a minute later Zak Munton fed Cotton, who turned his man and blasted home from 12 yards for his second of the game.
McAdoo tipped a Limb shot over the bar and Cotton had his head in his hands as he missed a golden chance for a hat-trick when he headed a deep Limb cross over from close range.
An offside flag saved Daventry’s blushes after a free-kick was charged down after 84 minutes and Fraser Bayliss scored into an empty net.
But by now the home side were also starting to create chances of their own as they threw everything forward in a nerve-jangling finish.
Daventry forced three corners but the visitors coutner-attacked from one of them through Bayliss on the right. He found Siddons seemingly for a tap-in but the home side managed to clear it off the line.
And deep into injury time debutant keeper Josh Wilson made a flying save to keep out an overhead kick.
Boston Town will now play Sherwood Colliery at home in the next round on Saturday 22 August. The league trip to Coventry United scheduled for that day will be rearranged.
Town: J Wilson, Burdass, Smith (L Wilson), Tate, Ford, Ging, Graves (Bayliss), Archer (Gibbons), Limb (Houlston), Cotton, Munton (Siddons); unused subs: Gagyi, Watkins
Boston Town FC 