Boston - Home
Season 8 (H) 17/10/06 JPT - 2-0 ~ Robinson, Hammond
Only a few more than 1700 turned up to watch round 1 of the lower leagues, Johnstone's Paints Trophy under floodlights with Boston again, a couple of months after their initial LC visit (see '06/7 pre-match archive for LDV W'dean history). It became a new if somewhat unenviable BHA statistic. There had been rain beforehand but that was no excuse as tickets were 'cheap' and U16s got in for free. It made for a kids nite out atmosphere on either side of Withdean's all weather track. Them youngsters could also talk all day for England if required. A mere 9 Pilgrims' fans made the emigration from fenland via unknown, dangerous M25 precipitation.
Albion bossed the game but couldn't seem to find a way through a block of bodies on defensive duty. A tad before half time super-sub Jakey, starting in lieu of warm-up injured OGH, fired a volley right through a United bunch to make tea time less tense. B'ton increased their lead with a header from Capt Deano to see us into round 2, after an hour or so. It was nice to win in a knockout competition stage for once and although this LDV equivalent is considered an irrelevance in some quarters, Mr Wilkins actually thought we could go on and eventually win the peculiar 'Paint Pot'.
Henderson, Whing, Hinshelwood, Butters (Lynch), Mayo, Robinson (Fraser), El-Abd, Hammond, Cox, Williams (Revell), Gatting.

Season 8 (H) 23/8/06 League Cup - 1-0 ~ Reid
Brighton hosted Boston in the League Cup r1 and was quite a while since we'd first met in an LDV tie. Two and a half thousand made it into Withdean for an early season k-o competition event (see '06/7 pre-match archive for Withdean era LC history). In a Conference game atmosphere, you could select any seat and of course it had to rain. Never mind, there was football to watch and Albion set about their task by playing some. The Withdean pitch was absolutely first class and it could only be a matter of time before a quality surface produced a super goal. It therefore came as a surprise to go into the tea party at nil-nil.
Mr McGhee sent out a selected eleven in 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on attacking down the flanks. This looked pretty and crosses rained down but the ball wouldn't cross United's goal line. Just when a frustrating tie had entered a do or die last twenty minutes, our versatile man from Oz played a one - two and put us safely into round 2. FDM, who had been on loan to Boston and woulda possibly gone there if not making up with Mr McGhee, made a very smart reaction save to keep a clean sheet.
Kuipers, Reid, Santos, Lynch, Mayo, Hammond, Carpenter, Stokes (Loft), Robinson (Gatting), Revell, Cox.

Season 5 (H) 4/11/03 LDV2 - 3-1 aet ~ Carpenter, McPhee 2
Brighton were visited by Boston for the very first time and 4000 saw history being made at W'dean. United had made it into FL ranks after winning the Conference title in 2002 and despite financial difficulties, managed to stay. Pilgrims were an unknown quantity, while Albion had dropped back to League 1 after a term in the Championship of '02/3. Steve Coppell had left and Mark McGhee had just taken charge - his 1st home game. B'ton seemed set to bounce straight back to enjoying higher level but form alarmingly dropped off in that beautiful autumn.
This was a round 2 contest, following a far from routine 2-0 home victory against Forest Green three weeks earlier. A little before half an hour gone, Carpenter opened the scoring from a trademark punt that took a deflection. Boston upped it as Albion cruised and a second goal was but their equaliser 10 mins from time. A silver goal rule was invoked for this competition and a further 15 min ensued. McPhee bagged it with an in-off and converted a penalty at the death. Mr McGhee, with hindsight of a drawn away performance 3 days earlier at Peterborough behind him, wondered what he had let himself in for. Four days later B'ton lost an FA Cup match at Lincoln. Just what is it about fortuitous fenland fatalities?
Roberts, Hinshelwood, El-Abd, Butters, Mayo, Jones, Hart (Piercy), Carpenter, Pethick, Knight (Marney), McPhee.