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Pilgrims 3-3 Scunthorpe United

Lincolnshire Senior Cup

by Rob Singleton

Only the lottery of a penalty shoot-out knocked Boston United off the Lincolnshire Senior Cup trail. And even then, it took a total of 18 kicks to decide which team earned a passage through to a semi-final against Stamford AFC. In the end, it boiled down to visiting midfielder Scott Brough smashing the ball past Paul Bastock after Pilgrims' teenager Andrew Long had seen his sudden-death effort beaten out by Iron keeper Richard Siddall. It was certainly an exciting finale to an evening which had seen both sides take the opportunity to mix youth and reserve team players with a clutch of senior squad members. And the ingredients made for an entertaining cocktail. Brian QUAILEY fired the Iron ahead on 13 minutes converting a low cross from the left by Jonathan Hunt. Boston responded with Jamie Cook crossing from the left to the far post where stretching triallist Alan Bailey headed over and shortly afterwards a Cook corner was headed wide by teenage defender Paul Taylor. After 24 minutes, QUAILEY doubled the visitors' lead when he latched onto a pass from first team assistant manager Russ Wilcox and fired beyond home keeper Bastock.

But six minutes later, the goal hero turned villain when he bundled over Taylor and Ken CHARLERY buried the resulting penalty. Boston upped the tempo at the start of the second half and drew level on 58 minutes when right-back CLIFFORD bizzarrely popped up on the left flank, waltzed round Siddall and netted from an acute angle. The Iron hit back and regained the lead in the 64th minute when former Charlton striker Kim GRANT fired in unmarked after Mark Anderson had provided the ammunition from the right. Both sides had further chances to have added to the scoreline. For Boston, James Gould twice saw efforts cleared off the line while Clifford and Charlery were denied by a quick-fire double save from Siddall. In response, Anderson and Wilcox forced Bastock into good stops before Boston earned a penalty shoot-out courtesy of a stunning equaliser three minutes from time. CHARLERY was the executioner with an exquisite lob from the edge of the penalty area which beat Siddall who was barely two yards off his line. Eighteen spot-kicks followed with every player hitting the target - but the ultimate difference between Conference side Boston and Third Division Scunthorpe was that Siddall saved twice Boston efforts while Bastock could only manage one.

Boston team: 1. Bastock, 2. Clifford, 3. Fletcher, 4. Taylor, 5. Gould, 6. Roach (Elding), 7. Bailey (Long), 8. Charlery, 9. Eaton (Town), 10. Brown, 11. Cook. Subs (not used): Conroy, Sneddon.