Match Report  |  Boston Town vs Gresley Rovers

Alfie Burley

Gresley Rovers shocked the league’s early table-toppers as they dismantled Boston Town 4-0 at the DWB Stadium.

Gresley’s hosts for the afternoon, Boston, came into this game having taken maximum points from their opening three games of the season.

Yet, a dominant performance in all areas of the pitch saw the visitors stun the Poachers and secure their first three points on the road since a win over Walsall Wood last year.

A first Rovers goal for Lucas Powell, coupled with Danny Munday’s header, put Rovers in a commanding position at half-time - and they pushed home that advantage with Lucas Harrison’s free-kick and a first ever senior goal for Riley Crawley.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Boston used the momentum of their electric start to the season to push Gresley back in the opening stages.

Long throws looked as if they were going to be a thorn in the side of the visitors, with a volley going over the crossbar, and Bailey Dilley shooting straight at Lewis Fenney in the first few minutes.

However, Gresley’s first foray forward resulted in the opener. A long ball into the left channel was latched onto by Powell, and the young winger did superbly to hold off the attention of his marker before neatly finding the far corner.

The lead did almost prove to be short-lived though, as Fenney was forced into action a few minutes later. He first had to deny Abou Sylla, pushing a swerving shot away from goal before jumping back to his feet to keep out the rebound from Harry Limb.

Having negotiated this scare, Rovers began to gain more control in the game, and after a spell of pressure they doubled their lead after 26 minutes. Ryan Seal’s delicious delivery from a corner kick was met by Munday, who scored his sixth goal of the season with a flicked header into the far corner.

Rovers were also improving at the other end of the pitch, confidently dealing with the long-throws and looping free-kicks that Town were sending into the penalty area.

The Boston defenders, however, could not cope with the work ethic of Munday, and the striker nearly profited again when he chested down a goal-kick and drove towards goal. After winning a foot race down the right, the striker could only find the side-netting with a powerful effort.

Despite making a sluggish start to the second half, Rovers would all but wrap up the points just eight minutes after the break. After George Clark was fouled on the edge of the box, Harrison stepped up and rifled a shot past Travis Portas into the bottom right corner.

Rovers were now in full control of the tie, and they really should’ve added to their tally. Munday came close to a second when he slid in to meet Kane Lee’s centre, but a good challenge denied him.

Just seconds later, Ryan Seal would find himself with space in the box following a smart cut-back from Powell. Yet, the midfielder’s shot was wide of the target with Portas rooted to the spot.

A fourth would eventually materialise though as academy product, Riley Crawley came off the bench and tapped into an empty net following good work from Munday down the right-hand side.

With a first senior goal under his belt, Crawley was hungry for more, and he nearly bagged a second when he won the ball high up the pitch. After cutting inside a recovering Boston defender, the young striker could not direct his shot either side of Portas.

Nevertheless, Gresley’s statement to the rest of the league had been made, four goals against the table-toppers meaning they climbed to sixth after taking seven points from their opening four games.