BOSTON UNITED (Jakemans Community Stadium)

FA CUP 4th QUALIFYING ROUND, BOSTON UNITED 1-1 STRATFORD TOWN, ATTENDANCE: 1,627

This afternoon I headed cross country to Lincolnshire to complete my trilogy of the three brand new grounds in the National League North that I needed at the start of the season (Gloucester City and York City were the others).

Boston moved into their new stadium at the end of 2020 after leaving York Street after 77 years. The ground move had been mooted since 2006, when Boston were a football league club, but it finally came to fruition last year.

The new ground is part of a redevelopment of an area on the outskirts of Boston in Wyberton. As well as the ground, there is a new housing estate and the ubiquitous retail outlets.

The ground is easy to find if you are driving, as it is off the main A16 road. We parked on a residential street about a 10 minute walk away. However, if you are walking it from the town centre then you are looking at about a 40 minute stroll.

The ground is currently three sided, a main seated stand and two sides of terracing. The fourth side behind the goal will be developed in the future.

The Pilgrims played their first game at the new Stadium on 5 December 2020, a 2-0 loss to Chorley in the National League North. Due to Covid fans were not permitted to attend until the start of the current 2021-22 season.

Today I was attracted by the magic of the cup. Both teams were playing for the chance of getting into the first round proper, and all of the possibilities that entails, but for the visitors Stratford Town the occasion was more special as this was the furthest they had ever gone in the FA Cup in their 80 year history.

Boston will be wondering how this one got away. After dominating the opening proceedings, they eventually took the lead courtesy of a Fraser Preston free-kick after 22 minutes. Preston thought he had bagged a second five minutes later, but an assistant referee's flag came to the visitors rescue.

This let off galvanised Stratford and on 32 minutes they were level when Jaanai Gordon headed home from a corner kick.

Stratford had a spell of pressure before half time as Boston were clearly stunned by the disallowed goal and equaliser, but it was all square at the break.

Boston began the second half as they began the first, putting the Stratford under pressure but in truth they failed to trouble Liam O'Brien in The Bards goal. On 75 minutes there was a bit of melee in the Stratford penalty area which resulted in a red card for Jake Wright Jr and with that both teams seemed happy to settle for a replay.

Result!

EDIT: Stratford Town won the replay 3-2 and were rewarded with a home tie with Shrewsbury Town, which will be shown live on television. A very lucrative reward for their efforts, which is why the FA Cup is still important to the majority of clubs.

KETTERING TOWN (Latimer Park)

SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE, KETTERING TOWN 2-0 STRATFORD TOWN, ATTENDANCE: 508

I was quite lucky that I managed to get to a game today after the heavy snow that had battered my particular part of the country over the previous 24 hours. Despite it being bitterly cold there were no issues with the pitch, or indeed the motorway network, as I made my way south to Northamptonshire.

Kettering Town were hosting Stratford Town at Latimer Park, in the town of Burton Latimer. If you didn't know, Burton Latimer is the home of Weetabix, with the famous breakfast cereal having been produced there since 1932. You certainly got the smell of the wheat wafting over the football ground!

It has been a difficult last few years for Kettering Town. In 2011 they left their home of 114 years, Rockingham Road (which was demolished earlier this year) and moved to Nene Park, the former home of Rushden and Diamonds. The upkeep of the ground nearly cost the club their mere existence. The club did go into administration and dropped two divisions from the Conference National, of which they were founding members in 1979, into the Southern League.

In 2012, in mid-season, the club moved from Nene Park to Steel Park, the home of Corby Town before agreeing a groundshare with Burton Park Wanderers at Latimer Park. This has been 'home' since 2013, the year in which Kettering dropped another level to the Southern League Central Division, though the club were promoted back to the Southern Premier in 2015 as Champions.

Latimer Park has been home to Burton Park Wanderers since 1973. Last year Kettering Town agreed a 25 year lease to remain at the ground but are actively seeking a site within the town that would be suitable for a new stadium. Kettering had to bring the ground up to Southern League standards, with the addition of new stands to the ground.

Despite it being a groundshare, when I arrived at Latimer Park I got the feeling, rightly or wrongly, that Kettering were the more senior partners. For example, the signage around the ground, the posters in the clubhouse and even the stands themselves all gave me the impression that this was definitely Kettering's ground.

The Poppies made the breakthrough after just 4 minutes thanks to a somewhat controversial goal from Matthew Stevens. A corner from the right was curled into the box and there was a coming together between Stratford's 'keeper Louis Connor and Stevens. The ball and Connor ended up in the back of the net. In this day and age you would expect a referee to disallow such an effort but the goal stood and Kettering were on their way.

As Stratford failed to trouble the Kettering back line, apart from the odd free-kick, Kettering applied plenty of pressure but couldn't find that second goal. They thought they did in first half stoppage time when Rene Howe headed home but the referee disallowed it for (what was presumed to be a push) by the striker. Maybe he was was righting the wrong of the first goal?

The second half continued in a similar vein and as the game went on there was a feeling Stratford will get a big chance to level things. It never came. After Kettering's Tom Marshall had a goal disallowed for offside, the Poppies finally killed off the visitors stubborn resistance when Howe scored a fine individual goal with a couple of minutes remaining.