Boston United F.C.
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| Full name | Boston United Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Pilgrims | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1933 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Staffsmart Stadium Boston |
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| Capacity | 6,645 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  James Rodwell |
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| Manager |  Steve Evans |
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| League | League Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League Two, 11th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Boston United Football Club are a football club based in Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in Football League Two.
The club was founded in 1933 as a successor to Boston F.C., and had a moderate amount of success in various leagues, including the Midland League and Southern League. They were founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968, of which they were champions four times, and of the Alliance Premier League (now the Football Conference) in 1979.
Boston finished third in the Conference in 1988-89, but were unable to build on this and were relegated to the NPL in 1993. They transferred again to the Southern League, winning the title in 2000, and went fully professional in 2001. In their first season as a professional club, Boston won the Conference and were promoted to the Football League.
However, in the wake of their promotion, Boston's manager, Steve Evans, and former chairman, Pat Malkinson, were charged with breaking the Football Association's rules over the registration of players. Both men received bans from the FA, and the club were fined and docked four points from their first season in the League. This angered some, especially the Conference runners up Dagenham & Redbridge, who believed that any points deduction should have applied to the previous season, which would have meant Dagenham being promoted instead. Despite the penalty, Boston survived their first season in the Third Division, finishing in 15th place.
Their main rivals are Lincoln City.
The club's board is attempting to move to a new stadium and fans are in the process of setting up "BUFCST" a supporters trust. Boston United are one of the last clubs in the league to form a supporters trust.
Since their promotion to the Football League, Boston have never really looked like challenging for promotion to the third tier of the league and most of their time since 2002 has been spent in mid-table.
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[edit] Honours
- FA Trophy runners-up 1984-85
- Football Conference champions 2001-02
- Southern League champions 1999-2000, runners-up 1998-99
- Northern Premier League champions 1972-73, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1997-98, runners-up 1971-72
- Midland League runners-up 1955-56
- Central Alliance League champions 1961-62
- United Counties League champions 1965-66
- West Midlands (Regional) League champions 1966-67, 1967-68
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners 2005-2006 (Beating Scunthorpe Utd 2-1 at York Street)
[edit] The Ground
Boston United play at the Staffsmart Stadium. Despite being close to many a heart due to the traditional look and central town location, former chairman Jon Sotnick has claimed it not to be up to league standard and called for a new ground, of which the planning applications were discussed in June 2006. The Boston Borough Council turned down the application. This has plunged the future of the club into huge doubt.
The ground has a total capacity of 6,645, (all covered). The stands are as follows:
[edit] The Staffsmart Stand
This is the only all seater stand in the ground. It holds 1323 people. The Directors seating is situated here.
[edit] The York Street Stand
This is possibly a unique stand in football. At the lower level, there are rows of terrracing. At the higher level, which can be accessed by a case of stairs, due to Football League rules, seats had to be placed in the upper teir of the stand. This used to be wooden benching. It is situated behind a goal. This stand holds 1435 people. The Announcer and P.A are situated in this stand. For the current season a temporary block of seats has been installed in the lower part of the stand.
[edit] The Spayne Road Terrace
This is a remarkably low terrace, so much so that the roofs of houses can be seen over it from the Staffsmart Stand. It holds 2064 people.
[edit] The Town End
This is a reasonably large terrace behind the goal, with good acoustics. It is allocated to away fans, and its acoustics allow just a few hundred fans to create a significant amount of noise. It holds 1821 people.
[edit] Trivia
- Boston United frequently feature in the Sky Sports programme Soccer AM, where the team are jokingly portrayed to be the only United States team in the English football league system. Highlights of the game are shown in the feature called "Boston Goals" with typical American sports commentary by Mike Schweinburger and Randy Wakeman III.
- The highest ever attendance was a friendly against Corby Town in 1955.
- Their heaviest defeat since joining the Football League was inflicted on them on February 3, 2007 when Grimsby Town beat them 6-0 at home.
- They were the first club to start on minus points in the league.
- John Motson is apparently a big fan.
- Howard Wilkinson played for Boston United, as did former Derby manager Jim Smith. Both of them also had spells managing the club.
- United were Paul Gascoigne's last playing club before he went on to management.
- Chris Cook scored the only goal in the 1985 FA Trophy Final at Wembley, against Wealdstone. They lost 2-1. Cook played with the club since he was 16 and left only to become manager of the Reserve Team and then Assistant Manager to the First Team with Greg Fee. He is now a summariser on BBC Radio Lincolnshire with Scott Dalton, for Boston's away games.
- At the Staffsmart Stadium there is an advertising board for Radio Lincolnshire. The "Lincoln" part of this has been crossed out and replaced by "Boston" in yellow writing to read Radio Bostonshire.
[edit] Financial Situation
On the 4th of December 2006 Boston's plans to relocate to a new stadium on The Broadsides was unanimously rejected by Boston Borough Council. This has plunged the club's future into serious doubt. Chairman Jim Rodwell said the club's future was "Hanging in the balance". Rodwell confirmed that he would be meeting with shareholders over the next couple of days to determine the best course of action, but did admit that the club’s future was ultimately now in the hands of the Inland Revenue, who are owed a sizeable six-figure sum by the club.
In a statement he released to the club's official website on the 5th of December he said: "The club’s financial situation at the present moment is dire. I would urge all supporters and anybody interested in the future of the football club, be that investors or potential purchasers, to come forward immediately".
In November 2006 Boston manager Steve Evans and his former chairman Pat Malkinson pleaded guilty to "conspiring to cheat the public revenue between 1997 and 2002". Both were given suspended jail sentences. This admission of guilt means many football fans feel considerably less sympathy towards Boston than they have done towards other lower league clubs encountering major financial problems.
[edit] Current Squad
Below is the squad in order of squad numbers.
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[edit] History
- 1933 - Formed and elected to Midland League
- 1933-34 - 14th in Midland League (17 teams)
- 1934-35 - 5th in Midland League (20 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1935-36 - 7th in Midland League (21 teams)
- 1938-39 - 8th in Midland League
- 1939-45 - World War II
- 1945-46 - 8th in Midland League (19 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1946-47 - 13th in Midland League (22 teams)
- 1947-48 - 11th in Midland League
- 1948-49 - 14th in Midland League
- 1949-50 - 22nd in Midland League (24 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1950-51 - 15th in Midland League (22 teams)
- 1951-52 - 9th in Midland League
- 1952-53 - 16th in Midland League (24 teams)
- 1953-54 - 14th in Midland League
- 1954-55 - 5th in Midland League; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1955-56 - 2nd in Midland League; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1956-57 - 3rd in Midland League; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1957-58 - 3rd in Midland League; Resigned from Midland League; Elected to Southern Football League
- 1958-59 - 3rd in Southern Football League North West Zone (18 teams)
- 1959-60 - 9th in Southern Football League Premier Division (22 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1960-61 - 22nd in Southern Football League Premier Division; East Anglian Cup Winners; Resigned from Southern Football League; Elected to Central Alliance
- 1961-62 - 1st in Central Alliance (17 teams); Resigned from Central Alliance; Elected to Midland League
- 1962-63 - 6th in Midland League (20 teams)
- 1963-64 - 11th in Midland League (22 teams); Resigned from Midland League; Elected to Boston & District League
- 1964-65 - 12th in Boston & District League (14 teams); Resigned from Boston & District League; Elected to United Counties League
- 1965-66 - 1st in United Counties League (19 teams); Resigned from United Counties League; Elected to West Midlands Regional League
- 1966-67 - 1st in West Midlands Regional League (22 teams)
- 1967-68 - 1st in West Midlands Regional League; Resigned from West Midlands Regional League; Elected as founder members to Northern Premier League
- 1968-69 - 14th in Northern Premier League (20 teams)
- 1969-70 - 3rd in Northern Premier League
- 1970-71 - 4th in Northern Premier League (22 teams)
- 1971-72 - 2nd in Northern Premier League (24 teams); Eastern Professional Floodlit Cup Winners
- 1972-73 - 1st in Northern Premier League; Non-League Champions of Champions Cup Winners
- 1973-74 - 1st in Northern Premier League; Northern Premier League Cup Winners; Northern Premier League Challenge Shield Winners
- 1974-75 - 12th in Northern Premier League; Northern Premier League Challenge Shield Winners
- 1975-76 - 5th in Northern Premier League; Northern Premier League Cup Winners
- 1976-77 - 1st in Northern Premier League (23 teams); Northern Premier League Challenge Shield Winners; Non-League Champions of Champions Cup Winners; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1977-78 - 1st in Northern Premier League (24 teams); Northern Premier League Challenge Shield Winners
- 1978-79 - 6th in Northern Premier League (23 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners; Resigned from Northern Premier League; Elected as founder members to Alliance Premier League
- 1979-80 - 4th in Alliance Premier League (20 teams)
- 1980-81 - 8th in Alliance Premier League
- 1981-82 - 10th in Alliance Premier League (22 teams)
- 1982-83 - 5th in Alliance Premier League
- 1983-84 - 17th in Alliance Premier League
- 1984-85 - 17th in Football Conference (Gola League); FA Trophy Runners-up
- 1985-86 - 13th in Football Conference (Gola League); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1986-87 - 6th in GM Vauxhall Conference
- 1987-88 - 16th in GM Vauxhall Conference; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1988-89 - 3rd in GM Vauxhall Conference (21 teams); Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
- 1989-90 - 18th in GM Vauxhall Conference (22 teams)
- 1990-91 - 18th in GM Vauxhall Conference
- 1991-92 - 8th in GM Vauxhall Conference
- 1992-93 - 22nd in GM Vauxhall Conference; Relegated to Northern Premier League
- 1993-94 - 3rd in Northern Premier League
- 1994-95 - 5th in Unibond League Premier Division
- 1995-96 - 2nd in Unibond League Premier Division
- 1996-97 - 6th in Unibond League Premier Division; Unibond Challenge Cup Runners-up
- 1997-98 - 2nd in Unibond League Premier Division; Resigned from Unibond League; Elected to Dr Martens League (a sideways step)
- 1998-99 - 2nd in Dr Martens League Premier Division
- 1999-2000 - 1st in Dr Martens League Premier Division; Promoted to Nationwide Conference
- 2000-01 - 12th in Nationwide Conference
- 2001-02 - 1st in Nationwide Conference; Promoted to Nationwide Football League Division Three
- 2002-03 - 15th in Nationwide Football League Division Three (24 teams)
- 2003-04 - 11th in Nationwide Football League Division Three
- 2004-05 - 16th in Coca-Cola Football League Two
- 2005-06 - 11th in Coca-Cola Football League Two; Lincolnshire Senior Cup Winners
Source: Ken Fox's independent site
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Ken Fox's independent site with lots of historical information about the club as well as up-to-date news and stats
- Supporter's Trust
- Boston United F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
- Boston United Mad
- Boston United Vital Football
- BostonPilgrims Forum
- Unofficial Boston United Website
- Unofficial Boston United Forum
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Accrington Stanley | Barnet | Boston United | Bristol Rovers | Bury | Chester City | Darlington | Grimsby Town | Hartlepool United | Hereford United | Lincoln City | Macclesfield Town | Mansfield Town | Milton Keynes Dons | Notts County | Peterborough United | Rochdale | Shrewsbury Town | Stockport County | Swindon Town | Torquay United | Walsall | Wrexham | Wycombe Wanderers edit |
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