PILGRIMS IN PROFILE: Shaun Pearson

In a new series of columns, Christian James (@bostonutdstats) takes an in-depth look at the great and good at Boston United, beginning with defender Shaun Pearson...

When Shaun Pearson started, more often than not Boston kept a clean sheet.

The centre-back was named in the starting XI 74 times in his two-year spell with the Pilgrims; United conceding in just 36 of those games.

The two seasons Pearson was with the club (2009-10 and 2010-11) were the most successful of recent times.

Under the leadership of Rob Scott and Paul Hurst Boston won promotion via the Unibond Premier League play-offs, the Lincolnshire Senior Cup and the Unibond Challenge Cup in Pearson’s debut season; making the Blue Square Bet North play-offs in his second.

But Pearson’s clean sheet record is not simply reflective of the fact he played in a strong side.

Those two seasons saw Boston keep 48 clean sheets in 102 games (one every 2.13 matches), but that record improved to a shutout every 1.95 games when Pearson started.

Just 15 defeats arrived in the 78 games the centre back featured in, a remarkable loss percentage of 19.2%, perhaps unsurprising given the number of clean sheets United were keeping at the time.

Pearson lined up in back fours consisting of a number of players during his two years in South Lincolnshire, most commonly Lee Canoville (the pair started 57 games together), James Cullingworth (45), Gareth Jelleyman (31), Chris Wood (31), Liam Parker (20) and Kieran Murphy (20).

The centre-back developed a useful knack for finishing off set-pieces as he reached 20 goals in the two seasons he was at York Street.

Twelve of those goals put Boston ahead in games- demonstrating how crucial his input in tight games often was.

Coupled with fact the Pilgrims’ defence was the meanest in the league in 2009-10, and only seconded by Telford United the following campaign, his efforts often secured the points.

Nine of those 12 games ended in a single goal victory: in fact, every game the defender scored in, Boston won.

Pearson wasn’t without his faults, however, having collected 12 yellow cards (almost one per six appearances) and scored two own goals across his Boston career.

Hurst and Scott were persuaded to join Grimsby Town in March 2011 and once the season ended with a penalties defeat to Guiseley, a raid by the former United pair looked inevitable.

Pearson was followed North by Anthony Church as both moved to Blundell Park, and it was the two-time BUFC Player of the Year who made it with the Mariners.

A dispute over compensation for the pair went to tribunal, but no matter the size of the undisclosed fee the centre back was surely worth every penny to the North Lincolnshire club, as Pearson made more than 200 appearances and won promotion to the Football League and an FA Trophy runners-up medal.

Having left in 2017 Pearson joined National League Wrexham, who he now captains.

Alongside Lee Canoville, Shaun Pearson formed a defensive duo unrivalled by those in amber and black arguably until Carl Piergianni and Scott Garner arrived in 2013.

But few defenders have kept as many clean sheets as the then-youngster did in his two years at the club - a rate better than a clean sheet every other game is a rarity in any division and goes a long way to demonstrate the key role Pearson played in two of the club’s greatest seasons in recent years.