Spilt Tea

Boston United 2-2 Woking (National League)

Woking have sacked their Manager Neal Ardley after a 1-0 defeat at Marine in the FA Trophy. I had thought Ardley was doing reasonably well having watched Woking win on the road a couple of times this season. The Cardinals went on an eleven game unbeaten run before Christmas but have since won just twice in the league and after four defeats in five games the team are starting to look over their shoulders.

No such trouble for Boston who are in fine form since replacing their Manager in January. Paul Hurst's side are unbeaten in seven league matches and have recent wins at Boreham Wood, Scunthorpe and Forest Green amongst their scalps.

A mid table battle on paper but Woking have been creeping slowly down the division, their interim Manager Craig Ross is one who has played over 200 games for the club as a goalkeeper, he'll be hoping not to get beat in what looks a real tough match against the divisions form side.

It's 5pm and I'm the door. Traffic around Nottingham is horrendous today as a lorry has hit a low bridge in Tollerton. I'm trudging down the A52 before speeding on past Radcliffe-on-Trent, down the side of Bingham and then into Grantham, Lincolnshire, as I keep heading East getting closer to a rather big moon in the distance.

The Venue

Clear skies, it's dark, a crispy cold spring night as I get out my car with full winter clobber on and head up the road on foot past the Papa John's and Costa towards the Jakemans Stadium which is having some neat work done around the back of one goal.

The steel erection is big and bulky as the stand undergoing construction is well under way, the stadium has been home for Boston United since 2020 and in that time it's always been three sided, from next season it'll be complete and when done it will be quite the finish, a sweeping bowl like venue that wraps around to the colour of grey metal and gold seating.

Names on the list tonight so I get my ticket without hassle, but as I scan it through the gate it's coming up invalid.

It never seems to be straightforward.

After a couple of scanning attempts I'm let in and I have a quick wee before debating whether to have a cup of tea or not? There's no queue at the kiosk so I think sod it, I get my brew with a Twix and pay £4, walk up to my seat in the press area, say hello to the Radio Commentator who's in his usual seat behind me, put my cuppa down on the flip down table, before popping my laptop bag down which then flips the flip down table, tea everywhere, lost to the aisles beneath, I didn't even get to take a sup. The Radio Lincs man just looks at me and laughs.

The Game

By kick-off I'm joined by a local scout from Holbeach, Luton have a scout here watching their on loan forward Joseph Gbode who's in the Woking line-up, he's a player who really impressed me at Forest Green last month. Boston have a couple of new additions in their squad with 20 year old goalkeeper Dan Cameron on loan from Sunderland making his debut, they have some injury issues between the nets and it feels like Cameron is the sixth or seventh keeper they have used this season.

There's plenty packed into this lovely arena tonight, just 23 from Woking who stand opposite, play gets underway to a loud roar and it's the visitors on the front foot, within a couple of minutes they have the lead, Aidan O'Brien racing through the offside trap, he looks a million miles off but the flag stays down, his effort is saved by the debutant keeper but Olly Sanderson bangs in the rebound, you can hear a pin drop inside the stadium, not what the night was expecting?

It's a good battle as Boston put their starting set back behind them and search for a goal themselves that would soon see them level, they have a lot of the ball but Woking are decent on the break, it's two good National League sides going at it, tackles flying in, plenty of commitment, some last ditched defending but not many shots of worthy note.

The home sides best player is Ken Aboh, those old enough might remember Kenny Dalglish, he had a big arse and used to back into defenders and keep them at bay. Aboh is small in size but like Dalglish uses his arse, his arms, his stocky little stature, to shield the ball, and you can't get it off him. He's been brilliant down the left and has a say in the ball falling to Tom Cursons on 38, the Boston forward battering the ball left footed into the roof of the net and we are all square, which looks a fair assessment going into half time.

The Score

But Woking aren't here to accept failure tonight, they open up the Boston defence on the break as O'Brien is set free again, he cuts inside shoots and with aid of a deflection gets a second. It turns out that team-mate Sanderson got the last touch, wrong footing Cameron in goal, the poor debutant hasn't had an awful lot to do bar twice pick the ball from the back of the net.

That gives the away side advantage at the break and they make a change at half time to take off Timi Akinola who's on a booking, the game in the second half ebbs and flows with Boston more dominant, Woking happy to defend and break, Frankie Maguire has been plucky and courageous all night, by now his heads wrapped in bandage (not for the first time this season) and he's full of energy trying to get that goal. A lovely move that again involves Aboh ends up at the playmakers feet, Maguire smashes a shot against the bar, but moments later he's fed through again, and drives low into the corner of the net to send the support behind the goal and all around me, into raptures.

There's a rally of notes which follows before both teams decide to shake on a point, Woking's intentions are clear when they take off their own playmaker Harry Beautyman for a centre half in Timi Odusina, the last moments are more of caution than seeing sinks thrown against the wall, both teams happy not to lose, it's after all a good point on the road for Craig Ross in his first game in charge, whilst Boston, twice coming from behind, themselves will be pleased they didn't lose.

The Stars

Ken Aboh has star quality, strength and pace and he gets better every time I watch him, the onlooking scouts around me will have sure been impressed, as they would with Frankie Maguire, I've been saying it for years but he's a footballer who has the attitude to keep improving and i'm sure we'll be seeing him in the Football League sometime soon.

Boston actually have a really good side right now, Jake Rooney on loan from Derby is far too good for this level, not the biggest, he reads the game so well and is more powerful than you think. Jamie Grimes has been a fabulous signing beside him at centre half, a captain, a leader, experienced, a player who makes good decisions both in and out of possession. Connor Teale will learn from playing besides them, he's done well as a makeshift right back but really, he's a decent centre half, whilst Matty Carson at left back has one of the best deliveries in the division.

In midfield, Oisin Gallagher on loan from Lincoln is another that is perhaps too good to be playing in the National League, whilst besides him, Jordan Richards, the more I watch him, the more I like him, just casually mopping up, defensively astute, keeping the ball simple, he's the son of former Notts County cult hero Pedro Richards, and it's no surprise that he has educated football DNA.

As for Woking, they have some bloody good players too. The Luton scouts might have been disappointed, as I was, with Joseph Gbode who at times shown promise but was largely on the periphery, their real class act is fellow striker Olly Sanderson, on loan from Fulham, he's a goalscorer who I have no doubt will forge a decent career in the game, whilst on the night Jamie Andrews battled well in midfield, Chinwike Okoli was very good at centre half.

The Verdict

Woking on 39 points sit six above the drop zone and I have no doubt, they'll be ok this season as they have some pretty decent footballers at their disposal, question is, who will they get in to take the reigns on a permanent basis?

Boston have got their man, Paul Hurst's side are now seven unbeaten and are not going down, they aren't going up either, but all be it still under construction, heading in the right direction, in some ways their fans will be hoping to crack on to next season already, where excitement about what might happen builds further towards ground and squad completion, if they can keep a few of their loanees and add some more to what they have, they might be serious about a return to the football league.

The Teams

Boston United: Dan Cameron, Connor Teale, Frankie Maguire, Matty Carson, Jordy Hiwula (Luca Barrington 62), Tom Cursons (Kieren Donnelly 83), Jordan Richards, Jake Rooney, Jamie Grimes, Ken Aboh (Liam McCarron 90), Oisin Gallagher.

Woking: Will Jaaskelainen, Aaron Drewe, Caleb Richards, Chin Okoli, Jamie Andrews, Harry Beautyman (Timi Odusina 89), Aidan O'Brien (Jake Turner 68), Tunji Akinola, Timi Akinola (Roy Syla 46), Joe Gbode (Matt Ward 78), Olly Sanderson.

7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 3rd March 2026, Jakemans Stadium, Boston (att 1,565).