Match Report

A spirited late fight back was not enough for FC United to get anything out of their opening day fixture the UniBond Premier Division at home to Boston United as they slipped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat.

The Reds threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Boston goal and despite Adam Tong pulling one back with 10 minutes to go, they couldn’t find the late equaliser.

The teams were fairly evenly matched early on but it was Untied that got the early upper hand with good breaks from the back and Jerome Wright causing all kinds of problems for the visiting team down the left flank.

It seemed like the hosts had opened the scoring about half way through the first period when the ball fell to Rob Nugent in the box but his effort was ruled out for an infringement when the ball was played into the area.

After this United lost their way a little bit and invited the visitors onto them, which resulted in Sam Ashton making good stops from short range against Danny Sleath and Danny Davidson to keep the scores level.

But Davidson soon broke the deadlock when a free kick from deep was headed back towards the striker and he acrobatically put the ball into the United goal with an overhead effort that my dad assures me ‘Dennis Law would have been proud of.’

The Davidson goal came nine minutes before half-time and was the difference at the break but United emerged for the second half looking like Margy had put the proverbial rocket where the sun didn’t shine and attacked the opposition goal straight from the whistle.

But against the run of the whole second half it was Boston who again found the net and again it was Davidson who bagged himself a brace for the day. Tong’s missed headed interception was pounced upon by Marc Newsham who squared for Davidson to pass the ball into the United goal.

The Reds didn’t let their heads drop and were almost back in the game straight away when Carl Lomax was put through by Wright but Lomax’s right footed effort was pushed away by Boston ‘keeper Tom Evans. Evans then got to his feet and saved well at the near post from the on coming Adam Carden who must have felt his shot was a sure goal when it left his boot.

Lomax and Danny Williams were brought off and replaced by Carlos Roca and Ben Deegan and the big man, little man combination proved a catalyst for United’s most attacking football of the match.

Roca had a great chance from six yards out but as he tried to loft the ball over Evans he put too much on it and saw it go agonisingly over the visitor’s crossbar.

United were suddenly thrust back into the game when Tong scored a great goal; cutting in from the by-line and smashing the ball past Evans from the tightest of angles to set up the grand stand finish.

United saw efforts from Simon Carden, Roca and Deegan all saved by Evans who was undoubtedly the hero of the hour for Boston as he seemed to get hand to anything and everything that United threw at him in the closing minutes.

The season began as the last one finished with Karl Marginson’s team pushing for a late goal to get something from the game but, much like last season’s closer against Bradford Park Avenue, it just didn’t seem to be United’s day no matter how hard they tried.

The superb effort put in by United in the second half and mostly the closing period will be a great morale boost for the coming season and talk coming out of Gigg Lane was more towards being unlucky than being out of our depth. But for now attention turns to Bradford on Monday evening as United renew old rivalries and look to get those first points on the board for the season.

Report by Craig Phillips.