Missed chances proved costly as Boston United crashed to a slender home defeat against fellow strugglers Bury on Saturday afternoon. Andy Bishop struck the decisive blow, four minutes from time, to hand Bury all three points, when a draw would have been a fairer outcome, after some wasteful finishing from the Pilgrims in the first half. Drewe Broughton and Francis Green both spurned good opportunities as the Pilgrims dropped back into the division's bottom two, following Wrexham's goalless draw against Mansfield Town.
Going into the fixture, midfielder Ernie Cooksey replaced suspended captain Paul Ellender in the only change to the side that drew 0-0 at Wycombe Wanderers eight days earlier. The Pilgrims opened brightly and forced three corners inside the first two minutes. From one of Jamie Clarke's inswinging deliveries, Stewart Talbot saw his header deflected over by Dave Challinor. Visiting goalkeeper Andy Warrington was alert to grab Green's crashing drive in the fourth minute, after he had cut in from the left to drill goalwards. Neat interchange play between Broughton and Nathan Joynes then freed Green down the left and he dinked the ball just over Warrington's crossbar from 15 yards.
Warrington made a good stop in the 22nd minute when he blocked Broughton's flick following Green's reverse pass, moments before Green blazed high and wide when well placed in the area. Boston came within a whisker of taking the lead six minutes later when Broughton got himself into a good position and drilled agonisingly wide from 18 yards, after latching on to Talbot's ball forward. More good Boston play saw Cooksey feed Green and his smart turn on the edge of the box afforded him a shooting opportunity, which flew inches wide.
Bury's first meaningful effort on goal arrived in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half, with David Buchanan drilling just too high from 25 yards. At the beginning of the second period, David Farrell's energetic burst down the left saw him outstrip William Mocquet and his dangerous cross was nodded just over by a relieved Colin Woodthorpe, with Broughton in close proximity to capitalise. Ex-United loanee Jason Kennedy felled Talbot 25 yards from goal and Clarke curled the resulting free-kick high and wide as Boston struggled to build on their good work from the first half.
Joynes' curling 25-yarder almost caught Warrington out, but the veteran keeper responded to grab his effort at the second attempt. Bury missed an open goal in the 63rd minute when Glynn Hurst somehow lifted the ball over an empty net from four yards, following Mocquet's driven cross from the right. Andy Marriott made a great stop to deny his own team-mate Mark Greaves, who had inadvertently headed towards his own goal, under pressure from Bishop.
At the other end, good play involving Talbot and Green freed substitute Brad Maylett and he drilled wide from 15 yards on the angle in his first outing since returning from a loan spell at Chester City. However, the visitors stole all three points with the game's defining moment arriving four minutes from time. Challinor's deep free-kick was nodded down by Darran Kempson and Bishop swivelled to fire home from 12 yards to send the away supporters into delirium.
As reported by the Official Boston United Web Site
