BY Liam O’Brien
In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Vanarama National League North
Saturday, February 1 2020
BLYTH SPARTANS 0-1 BOSTON UNITED
Blytg h Spartans suffered a 1-0 defeat against play-off hopefuls Boston United with Jay Rollins’ second-half goal making the difference.
Lee Clark named one change from Tuesday’s game AFC Telford United with Lewis Hawkins replacing Damen Mullen.
Spartans goalkeeper Zach Hemming was busy in the opening minutes as he was forced to make a save from a Jay Rollins shot with a major hint of offside in the build-up.
Boston continued to put pressure on Blyth when in the 17th minute, a free-kick was whipped into the box, It fell to the feet of Luke Shiels, whose shot was saved by Hemming.
Clear cut chances were few and far between in the first half for both sides with Spartans best chance coming when Jack Lambert had an audacious strike from outside the box that went well wide of the goal.
Boston had a golden chance to score in the 37th minute when a series of quick passes ended with Shiels chipping the ball over the top for Frank Mulhern.
He ran onto and had a shot that went narrowly wide of the far post – luckily for Spartans.
In the second half, Spartans had a great opportunity to score in the 56th minute.
Substitute Olly Scott charged forward with the ball then played it to Robbie Dale who back heeled it for Michael Sweet, whose shot went just over the bar.
Sweet and Scott managed to add some energy to Blyth’s second half performance but Spartans struggled to create any clear cut chances.
Boston opened the scoring in the 67th minute when Dominic Knowles had a shot at goal that was saved by Hemming but fell to the feet of Rollins, who hammered it into the back of the net.
Spartans had a decent chance to equalise when Hemming aimed a free kick into the box for the head ofKris Thrackray but his header went just out of the reach of the foot of Tom Devitt.
Boston thought they’d doubled their lead in the 81st minute when Alex Penny had a shot towards goal that was hammered into the net by Jordan Thewlis but he was offside.
The Pilgrims managed to hold onto their lead with relative ease and leave Blyth still three points from safety after Gloucester City’s defeat to Spennymoor Town.
Spartans: Hemming, Evans, Wilson (Devitt, 11), Hunter, Sanders, Thrackray, Lambert (Scott, 55), Hawkins, Harmison (Sweet, 52), Waddington, Dale (C). Subs not used: Mullen, McKeown
Boston United: Crook, Penny, Whittle, Platt, Ainge, Shiels (c), Rollins, Thanoj, Knowles (Wafula, 88), Thewlis (Jackson, 90+1), Mulhern (Wright, 85). Subs not used: Garner, Woolford.
Goal: Rollins (67)
Attendance: 576
Referee: Adam Williamson