Boston Utd 2 Winsford Utd 1

UniBond Premier Division

BRAVE Winsford succumbed to an 85th minute winner at second-placed Boston with a severely weakened team, writes ANDY MAYLOR.

Blues boss Dalton Steele was in the impossible position of not being able to select a recognised forward to face the Conference-chasing Pilgrims.

Winnie Steele started his two-game suspension, Nathan Peel didn't quite make it after picking up a calf injury at Emley, Steve Shaughnessy only starts training this week after surgery and new signing Michael Moore was too ill to make the journey.

It all meant a team which included six defenders, with skipper Mark Came donning the number nine shirt.

If it was an uphill struggle beforehand the situation became almost untenable after three minutes.

United could only half-clear a corner and Boston midfielder Steve Charles picked up the ball outside the area before driving a crisp shot through a crowd of players into the bottom corner.

At this point everybody expected Blues' mish-mash line-up to capitulate against a Boston side cheered on by nearly 1,000 spectators.

Amazingly, United slowly but surely began to see more of the ball and should have equalised on 17 minutes.

Gary Thomas produced some good work on the right and then angled in a good cross which was mis-hit by Came with the goal gaping.

The equaliser which the gutsy United performance deserved arrived six minutes after half-time.

Steve Hibbert's long punt forward troubled home goalkeeper Paul Bastock and emergency striker Came won the ball before hooking it into an empty net.

The improbable looked very possible now and man of the moment Came should have put the Blues in front but his side-footed shot went just wide when he was in the clear.

He then picked up an injury and the hero had to be replaced by Chris Bermingham.

With that went United's last chance of winning, but a draw looked very much on the cards.

But in the last five minutes, Steve Appleby burst through the Winsford defence to plant a low shot past Andy Oakes and earn the Lincolnshire side a victory they scantly deserved.

Winsford: Oakes, Clegg, German, Hibbert, Talbot, Booth, Thomas, Aspinall, Came (Bermingham 82), Doherty, Connor. Subs not used: Wheeler, Peel.

Man of the Match: Neil Doherty.

Attendance: 938.

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