St Neots Town F.C.
Supporting the saints online

The real winners at Rowley Park last Saturday were Daventry Town away in Suffolk in the FA Vase as two of their main challengers each surrendered two further points in a match that both were desperate to win. St Neots climbed back to the top of the division but their success was quickly tempered in the knowledge that Daventry now have no fewer than five matches in hand. St Neots came back from behind to lead 2-1 but slovenly defending allowed Paul Goodhand to fire in his second goal of the match equalling the achievement of Josh Sozzo who had taken his goals tally to four in the week. Manager Steve Lomas on duty with Sky Television again will be unhappy that this was the second successive Saturday that his side had surrendered a late goal and two points but in fairness to the visitors they probably deserved their point because they competed well and took their limited chances when they came. He will also be alarmed that two of his regulars Jon Mitchell and Andy Lodge both picked up injuries that will further disrupt his attempts to find a settled line up.

Boston have a good record at St Neots with eight wins and four draws in fifteen visits and they began strongly after two wide efforts on goal by Paul Garrett and Andy Lodge. There were thirteen minutes gone when Boston leading scorer Gary Bull went down under an innocuous looking challenge by Fuff and the Referee pointed to the penalty spot. Paul Goodhand’s fiercely hit shot sent Luke McShane the wrong way but rebounded from a post and in the ensuing mêlée the same Boston player forced the ball in the net only to be ruled offside. However three minutes later Goodhand cut in from the right to unleash a low shot that went across McShane and into the net to put the visitors ahead. Two minutes later at the other end Mitchell went down under a strong challenge by Shaun Baker but this time play was waved on. After 23 minutes St Neots were level when a lengthy clearance by McShane was allowed to bounce over the Boston back line and Josh Sozzo nipped in front of goalkeeper Nick Conroy to head home an equaliser. Jon Mitchell wasted one good chance with an angled shot that was just too high but five minutes before the break St Neots were in front when the best move of the match saw Jon Mitchell split the visiting defence allowing Sozzo through to claim his second goal of the match. That was the last meaningful action for the unlucky Mitchell led off with a knee injury to be replaced by Greg Usher.

Andy Lodge failed to reappear after the break so Nicky Hurst came on in his less favoured full back slot and neither side looked to be able to stamp any authority on the contest. Only one shot from either side – Sozzo for St Neots and Liam Ogden for Boston – both wide of their target merited recording in the first twenty minutes but Boston refreshed their challenge with two substitutions. A free kick by Lawrence Lambley one of the two was allowed to bounce in the St Neots penalty area and only just cleared the crossbar and then after 73 minutes the St Neots defence was caught in a tangle allowing the other substitute Nathan Iley to pick out the unmarked Paul Goodhand to beat McShane from the edge of the area to level the scores. That was enough for the visitors who created no further chances and seemed to concede ground to St Neots for the remainder of the match. Disappointingly St Neots created only two other chances to snatch a winner – the first a rare shot by Tony Scully well saved by Conroy and the second a low effort by Garrett deflected for a corner at the far post by the outstretched leg of a defender.

• Team: McShane, Hyem (M), Lodge, Hughes, Fuff, Gent, Scully, Hyem (C), Sozzo, Mitchell, Garrett.
• Subs: Usher (for Mitchell 43 mins), Hurst (for Lodge 46 mins), French (for Scully 81 mins), Harrold & Docker.
• Man of Match: Josh Sozzo

Match date: Sat 5th December 2009