A potentially serious injury was the focus between Boston Town v Deeping Rangers in the United Counties Premier League.
On a chilly Tuesday at Tattershall Road, Deeping United were in high spirits following a good run of form which lead them to second place in the league. Boston Town were also on a good run, a mini resurgence moving them out of the relegation zone, though hanging precariously close still in 15th.
The game started at a fast pace, with both teams clever in possession. Although there were no real clear chances in the first 11 minutes, Deeping had the better of the play, spreading the ball whenever possible attempting to exploit Boston’s full backs. It was clear they were hoping to utilise big man Alex Beck, the striker using his broad presence to hold the ball up well. Although Deeping looked more likely to score, the first goal came against the run of play. Matt Kennedy, who returned to the club this year after scoring 30 goals for Louth Town last season, took an ambitious 20 yard strike. A horror error from ‘keeper James Doherty somehow allowed the ball to squirm past him into the net. 1-0 to the Poachers, must to the frustration of Rangers manager Tuncay Korkmaz.
A resurgent Boston town started to take the game to Deeping, and moments later in the 19th minute, Josh Ford used his body well to wriggle past a couple of defenders before unleashing a rasping shot that whistled past the left hand post. It was clear Deeping could not handle Boston’s physicality, and in the 29th minute goalkeeper James Doughty made amends from his earlier error to produce a cracking save from Boston defender Michael Wood.
In quick succession, both Ford and Kennedy had glorious chances for Boston, which were not duly taken. With the first half drawing to an end, Rangers needed some serious hair-dryer treatment to improve what was a dismal 45 minutes.
The half-time interval allowed the British weather to resume normality as rain lashed down, making the surface greasy and susceptible to errors. Boston were made to pay for their missed chances, as in the 53rd minute full-back Daniel Flack produced a wonderful cross to Alex Beck, who duly obliged with a left foot volley past the helpless keeper. 1-1 and all to play for.
The main incident occurred in the 57th minute. A 50-50 between Matt Kennedy and Deeping’s Scott Bogusz left the latter on the floor holding his neck, clearly in agony. The game was stopped for around twenty minutes while medics and coaching staff attempted to keep Bogusz warm whilst waiting for the paramedics. The injury was serious enough for the ref to call for the game to be abandoned. Poacher’s midfielder Tom Hobson was unaware of the incident. “I didn’t see it to be honest. All I saw was him on the floor in pain; I didn’t think it would be that serious.” It has yet to be decided when the reply will take place.