Boston United 0-0 Southend United (National League) *abandoned after 7 minutes
I remember watching Southend United play against Forest at the City Ground in 1993, they had just sold us Stan Collymore and had Ricky Otto and Andy Ansah up front, a solid second tier side for five seasons, it was their golden era and but for a solitary campaign in the Championship during 2006/07, they haven’t been back, and sadly since have fallen from grace.
This is their fourth season in the National League after 101 previous years in the Football League. They have had a fair bit of financial trouble too, a turbulent time in non-league has seen the club put up for sale and suffer points deduction, close to going out of business the Shrimpers still somehow stand, a new takeover at the start of the season gives hope although the financial mess still sizzles.
On the pitch Southend lie fourteenth under the management of Kevin Maher, a former captain of the club with over 450 appearances, his side are on a run of three straight victories having beaten Ebbsfleet 4-0, Braintree 1-0 and in the FA Trophy Southport 1-0 last time out.
I was at Boston United’s match at the weekend against Ebbsfeet where they played well but didn’t take full advantage, pegged back in what was an exciting 2-2 draw. The result of that game was to sign a familiar face, Jimmy Knowles who scored 20 goals for the club during their promotion campaign. He returns on loan from Accrington.
Saturday’s match was in doubt because of the cold weather, only getting the go ahead at 12pm, no such worries tonight, I suspect, much warmer out, as I leave Nottingham as late as 6pm, I’m rushing behind schedule after waiting for the wife to get back from her work to swap dog duty, I’m flying down the A52 and through Grantham, then suddenly the fog appears.
It’s thick, really thick, ironically, I only tweeted about it the other day, when last season verses Scunthorpe, Boston United’s match was cast into doubt during the game which at times had misty blurred visibility. That night in October the fog lifted and as I get near the Jakemans it seems to have improved, it’s gone 7pm and I’m supposed to be in venue an hour before kick off, so I park on a grass verge and run over to the ticket office where I sign in for my pass, through the turnstile and up to the press area in a flash, where I tell the scout next to me, “fog is on the way”.
The Venue
Inside it’s already packed, Southend have brought good numbers as the players warm up ahead of kick off, the view for now seems good as the atmosphere builds, but the closer we get the thicker the air becomes, “told you so” I say to those around me as the mist rolls in from the west, in these parts it tends to stay, but the TV cameras of DAZN are here tonight, they won’t want any postponements.
The stands are full, three sides of supporters, one end behind the goal to my right still pending construction, as I finish off writing down the elevens the teams come out and I start to question if this game will make the distance?
The Game
They’ve had a couple of minutes of kicking balls about ahead of kick off whilst the Referee Craig Hicks deliberates, eventually he’s up for giving it a go but from my position in the stand, you can’t see the far corner flag, you can hardly see the goal to my left, when attacks are near it’s all good, but when they’re afar not so? Apparently, there’s a corner to Southend, but we can’t confirm from where we are sat? The radio commentators behind me are having kittens.
The Score
On six minutes the Referee holts proceedings and directs the players back to the changing rooms, Christian the PA guy who usually sat behind me is summonsed to the pitch, he announces that the game is ‘suspended’ in the hope the fog will clear.
It’s a packed press box and nobody knows what’s going to happen next, fans waiting in vain, hoping for good news, there’s a good ten or fifteen minutes pondering before a further announcement is met with cheers from the patient crowd who have turned to flashing their mobile phone torch lights, “the Referee has confirmed there will be a further check in ten minutes”… By now the conditions have hardly improved, ten minutes passes and despite a few players doing some warm ups on the pitch, despite the Referee sending his assistants out to see if he could see their flags, it’s all a hopeless expedition, as the weather wins on the night.
"The game is abandoned", everyone can now go home, tickets will be reimbursed and Southend fans making their first visit to the Jakemans, will have to do it all again in a couple of months.
The Stars
It was hard to see anything but a couple of near side throw ins and there weren’t enough play in the game to judge anyone on the night, which is a shame as I hoped to see Southend defender James Golding who’s an Irish U19 international on loan from Oxford, and Oli Coker who’s a young midfielder and a good prospect i'm told.
For Boston, they did start Jimmy Knowles who got a rapturous round of applause on his return, not quite the night he anticipated upon his loan return, hopefully though, they’ll be more to come from him.
The Verdict
The two teams will do it all again, don't know when, but when they do it'll be interesting to see who gains advantage? Southend off the back of three successive wins would no doubt have liked to have played (if they could see so much as their team-mates) on the night, whilst Boston I suspect would have wanted the game done too, one fan saying upon his early unexpected exit "the last thing we want near the end of the season is a load of games in hand".
By the time of the re-arrangement they could already be back in the National League North??
The Teams
Boston United: Tom Donaghy, Cameron Green, Tom Leak, Jacob Hazel, Jai Rowe, Connor Teale, Oising Gallagher, Tony Weston, Jimmy Knowles, Frankie Maguire, Dylan Hill.
Southend United: Nathan Harness, Gus Scott-Morriss, Nathan Ralph, Jack Bridge, Noor Husin, Macaulay Bonne, Harry Taylor, Cav Miley, James Golding, Charley Kendall, Oli Coker.
7:45pm Kick Off. Wednesday 15th January 2025, Jakemans Stadium, Boston (att 1,900 est).
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