PILGRIMS IN PROFILE: Paul Bastock

A record unlikely to be eclipsed (although I’m sure they told Billy Howells that), Paul Bastock is the Pilgrims record appearance holder with a mammoth 679 games to his name.

Voted the club’s cult hero in a 2005 BBC poll with a landslide 80 per cent victory, quite simply Bazza is the United legend.

Theoretically, if a player was to have broken Bazza’s record in United’s last game before lockdown he would have needed to debut at Accrington Stanley in September 2006 and been ever present since.

That is how long it takes to reach 679 appearances- over 13 years (almost your average footballer’s entire senior career) without missing a league, cup, trophy or Lincolnshire Cup game.

No rests to give youth teamers a try in the Unibond League Cup or Setanta Shield, no suspensions.

Bastock racked up his appearances over 13 full and two bit-part campaigns, across two spells with Boston.

Signed by Peter Morris in 1992’s pre-season period from Kettering Town, 22-year-old Bazza had begun at Coventry City (where he won the FA Youth Cup Final in 1987, keeping a clean sheet in the final).

He moved on to Cambridge United at the age of 17 and went straight into the first team; two years later he won promotion to Malaysia’s first division with Sabah, before spending time on trial with Newcastle United and Leyton Orient.

A five-month stint at Fisher Athletic preceded two years at Kettering Town, where Bazza linked up with future Pilgrims boss Morris.

When his manager moved, so did Bastock, as he took over the number one shirt left vacant by long-serving goalkeeper John McKenna’s move to Dagenham.

Just five appearances into the season, programme notes described Bastock as ‘a big favourite with supporters’- little had changed when he played for United for the final time 20 years later.

The 1992-93 season ended in relegation for the Pilgrims who finished bottom of the Conference but Bastock was awarded the Player of the Year trophy after keeping United’s goals against column down to 69 in 42 league games.

He played every minute of every competition (53 apps in total), conceding 80 and keeping 12 clean sheets in the process.

Still lead by Morris the following season, United finished third in the Northern Premier League (sponsored by HFS Loans at the time).

Bazza missed a single game in 52 that campaign, suspended after being sent off against Canvey Island in the FA Cup. Reserves keeper John Butler deputised.

By April ’94 Bastock had already reached 100 appearances, the three figures coming up in an away win at Knowsley United.

New boss Mel Sterland guided Boston to fifth place in the newly-named Unibond Premier the following season and Bastock once again missed just one game: a red card at Hyde United in the FA Trophy saw Martin Bunce start between the posts.

Having reached 50 clean sheets in August 1995, Bazza - for the third season in a row - missed just one game (dropped in favour of Bunce) but regained his place after sitting out a 4-2 win at Knowsley watched by just 42.

The Pilgrims finished second, a point behind Bamber Bridge. His 58 appearances that campaign would be a personal record across his Pilgrims career.

Come 1996-97 Greg Fee was in the Boston dugout it was the new boss who provided the first real threat to Bazza’s place in the side, albeit short term.

Bastock was disciplined by manager Fee after being sent off following an altercation with Barrow forward Neil Morton in a 5-3 home defeat; this lead the boss to bring in John Scargill on a month’s loan and Bazza was reduced to reserve appearances.

Once that deal had expired, however, all was forgiven and Bastock continued between the sticks to complete a fifth successive 50-plus game season.

Appearance 300 arrived in 1997-98 although Bastock was stuck on 99 clean sheets until the opening day of the following campaign.

He played 52 of 54 games in United’s final Northern Premier League season of the nineties as the Pilgrims again finished second, this time trailing Barrow by six points.

Boston were moved to the Southern (Dr Martens) Premier for the 1998-99 campaign and it proved to be one of transition for the club, but Bastock made another 57 starts.

A shoulder problem kept him out of Chris Cook’s first three games in caretaker charge following Greg Fee’s transfer to Telford, but from mid-September through to the end of the season (under Steve Evans), Bazza’s place in the side was constant.

Bastock won the first of his two league titles with Boston in 1999-2000, making another half-century of appearances to break the 400 barrier.

His eighth season (having played more than 50 times in each) ended in promotion back to the Conference under Steve Evans and Bazza played every game.

United boasted the meanest defence in the league as Bastock conceded just 39 in 42 games, keeping 15 clean sheets.

The following season Bastock again played every league game, only rested by Evans in the Bob Lord Trophy and Lincolnshire County Cup after starting the Scot’s first 106 games in the Boston hotseat.

A fourth sending off of his United career arrived at Hednesford- both keepers were dismissed as United raced into a 3-0 lead before eventually winning 4-2.

The game had been goalless when Bastock was dismissed just before half-time.

The suspension was carried over to the opening game of the following campaign and Bazza missed a 1-0 defeat to Margate at York Street.

It would be his only day off in 2001-02 as United won promotion to the Football League, Bastock keeping clean sheets in the final three games as Boston won promotion on goal difference- in no small part thanks to his efforts throughout the season, particularly away from home as Boston let in just 18 on the road.

In fact, that Margate game proved to be the last game Bastock sat out of until August 2004.

The Pilgrims’ first two years in the Football League (led by Neil Thompson and Steve Evans) were enough time for Bastock to claim 28 Division Three clean sheets as United’s number one enjoyed uninterrupted appearances.

Voted Player of the Year as United survived a points deduction in 2002-03, Bazza was on the verge of history as the season ended with Boston in 15th.

Bastock was made to wait for the outright club appearance record, finally bettering Billy Howells’ 572 games in a County Cup season-opener against Scunthorpe and, by the end of the season, he had amassed 624 games in United colours.

The summer of 2004 proved to be the beginning of the end for Bastock’s first spell with Boston.

The signing of Nathan Abbey saw his starting place properly troubled for the first time in 12 years and after a single start in the Lincolnshire Cup competition Bastock left the club he had represented 625 times. By this stage he was already aged 34.

Time with the likes of Dagenham & Redbridge, St Albans City and Rushden & Diamonds followed before the stars aligned for Bazza to return and top-up his already substantial United record in 2011.

When Dan Haystead tripped over his dog's toy and injured his ankle in late March, new management duo Jason Lee and Lee Canoville brought Bastock back for their first game in charge at Solihull Moors... and Bazza would make nine appearances as United lost on penalties to Guiseley in the Conference North play-offs.

Lee and Canoville’s only full season at the helm saw 42-year-old Bastock re-instated as Boston’s first choice keeper.

Finishing 11th in the Conference North, Bastock reached 650 United games away at Histon in October and sneaked over the 200 clean sheet mark with a further nine shut-outs that campaign.

By the time his final appearance came in a 3-3 draw with Guiseley in April 2012, two of his fellow starters (Conor Marshall and James Reed) had not been born when Bastock debuted for the club in August 1992.

After leaving for the final time as Lee took sole charge in the summer of 2012 Bastock would go on to break the all-time senior appearance record held by his idol Peter Shilton (1,249) in 2017 at the age of 47.

Bastock faced 160 different teams during his time as Pilgrims’ keeper, playing for seven managers across 15 different seasons.

In each of his 13 full campaigns with the club he played at least 40 times, making 50 appearances in 10 of those seasons.

He represented the club in four leagues across three tiers of the game and in 11 different knock-out competitions.