YORK CITY 2 BOSTON UNITED 2: Rollins and Wright complete Pilgrims fightback

Boston United secured a second-half comeback to pick up a point at York City.
Jay Rollins.Jay Rollins.
Jay Rollins.

The Pilgrims looked dead and buried after an ineffective first half, before goals from Jay Rollins and Max Wright changed the whole complex of the contest.

Substitute Tom Clare deserves his share of the credit too, the substitute playing a role in both goals, which cancelled out efforts from Sean Newton and Maculay Langstaff.

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The result shunted United up a place to ninth, five points off seventh, but with Telford having two games in hand.

The first half was a tale of two free kicks, Newton handing the hosts a 25th-minute lead with an inch-perfect 30 yarder which found George Willis’s net vis the underside of the crossbar.

The second, delivered by Jon Parkin, was parried by the Pilgrims keeper but helped home by Langstaff with 38 minutes gone.

But that was about as good as the goalmouth action got in the first half, Boston struggling for a focal point without injured target man Gavin Allott.

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Rollins, flanked by Wright and Nicky Walker, was full of running but there was no end product in a first half which lacked serious ideas in the final third.

United looked livelier in the second half as Wright was denied by Kallum Griffiths’s covering tackle and Ryan Qualter’s drive, like an effort from Patrick McLoughlin at the opposite end, landed the wrong side of the post.

And when Wright did get the better of Griffiths, Adam Bartlett saved with his legs.

That pressure paid off in the 61st minute as substitute Clare flicked the ball in the direction of Walker who bravely squared for Rollins to slide home at the back post.

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Former Pilgrim Jordan Burrow flashed an effort across goal after beating United debutant Ryan Cresswell for pace far too comfortably, the defender’s last bit of action as he was replaced by Ashley Jackson.

A moment of brilliance drew Boston level in the 78th minute.

Clare’s thundering tackle and Nicky Wroe’s reverse pass set Wright free, the Grimsby loanee turning left and spinning back on himself before curling an inch-perfect effort beyond Bartlett.

A huge let-off for Boston followed as Wes York somehow fired wide from close range after Willis parried another powerful Newton free kick.

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YORK: Bartlett, Griffiths, Ferguson, Newton, Mirfin, McLoughlin, Moke (Kempster 73), Burgess, Parkin (York 63), Burrow, Langstaff (Harris 81); Subs (not used): Bencherif, Whitley.

UNITED: Willis, Davies, Smith, Wroe, Cresswell (Jackson 74), Qualter, Thanoj (Clare 59), Abbott, Rollins (Wafula 81), Walker, Wright; Subs (not used): Johnson, Slew.

REF: Adam Williamson.

ATT: 2,594 (260).

STAR MAN: Tom Clare - his arrival off the bench sparked the comeback.

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