The meeting of Boston United and Bristol Rovers could well represent the clash of the two most unpopular managers in Division Three. The Pilgrim’s supremo, Steve Evans, is widely remembered for his role in the financial irregularities scandal that continues to tarnish Boston’s reputation. Evans served a ban but, astonishingly, the club reappointed him after it was completed. Atkins meanwhile, has a habit of upsetting anyone and everyone that he comes up against, as we are starting to understand all too well.

After this week’s two nil home defeat to Lincoln City, manager Steve Evans has declared any hope of the play-offs for Boston United over. The Pilgrims currently lie in 11 th place, four points and four places ahead of Rovers. Coincidentally, they finished last season in 11 th place too when they were also four points and four places ahead of Rovers.

A comparative look at our respective home and away form also brings up some similarities: Like Rovers, Boston are very strong at home and until a few weeks ago remained unbeaten in the league at York Street – they have since lost two in two to Swansea and Lincoln – but away from home they’ve only managed three wins. The bad news is that two of those wins were in their last five away trips (including last time out at Wycombe) and with two recent draws as well, Boston’s current form on the road isn’t too shabby.

Anyone to look out for?

Striker Andy Kirk has scored twenty so far this season, eighteen of which have been in the League, which is some feat considering he was out for the first few weeks of the season, and as a result he has attracted the attention of Doncaster Rovers amongst others. The Pilgrims have said that they have turned down two offers for the player, who became the club’s first ever full international when he came on as a second half substitute for Northern Ireland earlier this month. It was Kirk’s fifth cap in total but his first as a Boston United player.

No ex-Gas either although they do have a defender called Ryan Clarke (currently on loan at King’s Lynn).

Lincoln City are their main rivals these days and a two-nil home defeat on Wednesday won’t have made them happy Pilgrims. It seems too that one or two took out their frustration on Lincoln’s team coach, which was a bit daft as the two clubs share the bus! Chairman Jon Sotnick said: “We share the coach with Lincoln and I am disgusted and appalled that some mindless people could inflict such damage. I urge any supporters with relevant information to come forward and ensure that the people concerned do not get away with it.”

There is another team in Boston, Boston Town, who play in the United Counties League. We doubt they like their neighbours too much though, especially as it was announced last year that a proposed £8m new ground for The Pilgrims will apparently be funded by the sale of York Street and Boston Town’s Tattershall Road ground for housing. Even though Town will apparently have a new pitch, changing rooms and grandstand next to the new stadium complex controversy arose when Sotnick only announced that he had ‘secured’ Tattershall Road from its landlords, Sportsfunds, at the press conference for the new stadium and, even more remarkably, that was the first that officials of Boston Town had heard of the deal. Whether the development is still happening is anyone’s guess by the way: we can’t find any mention of it after July of 2004.

Boston were in all sorts of trouble a couple of years back but things seem to have settled more under Sotnick, even if the new stadium hasn’t yet materialised. The spectre of financial irregularities will continue to haunt Boston though, especially while Evans remains the manager.

Unlikely. They mustered 200 for their first League trip to the Mem in 2002/3 (earlier that season they had brought just 55 for the League Cup qualifying game on a Tuesday night). Last season they brought only 103 for the League match and we can’t see it being many more than that this time around. Look out for the flag that they usually bring that takes up more space than their fans.

As of last weekend, Boston had committed more fouls than all Division Three clubs bar one (Chester) and given they had a local derby on Wednesday they may even have gone top of that rather unsavoury table. At the same stage Jason Lee had committed more fouls than any other player bar Jon Parkin of Macclesfield.

Will Boston cope with Rovers new “all out attack” approach?

PIRATES HALT PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS

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