Reborn on the fourth of July! The story of the Newton-Kempster Boston United takeover... 13 years ago today

The Pilgrims' ship was sinking. Boston United had crashed out of the Football League with debts of £3.5 million. Liquidation was imminent.

One final throw of the dice saw the club host a public meeting at York Street on Sunday, June 17, an event organised more in desperation than hope.

John Blackwell, these days the club's president, took to the mic for an emotional plea to those in attendance. Former Leicester City chief executive Barrie Pierpoint, who had been working to help try to save the club from extinction, suggested that if 500 fans could each raise £1,000 then 'half a million quid was a good place to start'. He also unbuttoned his blazer and challenged businesses to sponsor him to lose two stone.

As fans solemnly filtered out the stadium pledge sheets were handed to those keen to help raise desperately-needed funds.

But from that gathering on Father's Day came the mother of all plot twists.

Among the people in attendance was David Newton, owner of Chestnut Homes, the Pilgrims' shirt sponsors for the previous three seasons, who was moved by what he'd seen.

"I sat there with a lump in my throat," Newton later told The Standard. "I spent the rest of the day pondering what could be done to save the club and trying to get back to my head ruling my heart rather than the other way round."

Newton may have the stomach for a fight in the boardroom, the tens of thousands of pounds United were to receive in compensation after losing managers Rob Scott and Paul Hurst, plus players Shaun Pearson and Anthony Church, to Grimsby Town is testament to that. But this internal struggle was one battle he lost and a plan was hatched.

Bizarrely, had Neil Kempster, United's vice-chairman and Newton's number two at Chestnut Homes, not been on holiday the takeover may never had happened.

Kempster, a Pilgrims regular, was in Cyprus when the public meeting was called. Had he been in the country he would more than likely had been the one representing the sponsors on that day.

"If Neil had gone I don't think he would have ever brought up the idea," Newton, himself a Lincoln City supporter, suggested.

"He may have thought about it but I think he would feel as if he was looking to use company money to back a personal interest, and that's not something he would do."

Kempster, himself, was sceptical about the takeover as the two discussed their plans.

"I had to attempt to do what I thought would work for the business," he said at the time. "But taking my work hat off for a moment, I must say I'm delighted."

United were reborn on the Fourth of July, 2007 as, at a 10.30am press conference at York Street, Newton and Kempster were officially unveiled as new owners, taking on the roles of chairman and vice-chairman.

Day one saw £250,000 pumped into the ailing club to pay owed wages - many players and members of staff had been unpaid in weeks - as well as the first installment of the club's Company Voluntary Agreement.

"We didn't have a clue what we were doing," Newton half-joked at a fans' forum several years later when asked about their early experiences running the club. The closest either had come to running a football club was when Kempster had once taken the reins at Boston local league outfit the Carpenters Arms.

They had to learn.. fast.

The club now had a future to look forward to., but with just exactly three weeks between the completion of the takeover and the first competitive match of the season, things needed to be put in place fast.

The first signing made by the Chestnuts - the collective term given to the duo by fans - was manager Tommy Taylor, a former West Ham United defender and well-travelled gaffer who was recommended by ex-Pilgrim Keith Alexander.

The graft began and on July 25 fans saw the Pilgrims - demoted a further division into the Blue Square North due to their financial troubles - do what they feared may never happen again, play competitive football.

The fact that Scunthorpe United won the county cup clash 3-0 didn't matter one jot.

Paul Ellender, Stewart Talbot and David Galbraith remained from the side which had been relegated from League Two the previous season while Chris Wright and Lee Thompson - bringing along his mates Tony Crane and Jon Froggatt - returned.

Taylor worked swiftly, using his contacts to bolster the squad with the likes of Dwayne Clarke, Ashley Nicholls, Mbiyeye Medine, Guadeloupe international Ludovic Quistin and Kieran Leabon.

The most eye-raising acquisition was undoubtedly Rob Wesley. The stocky left back impressed on trial, but the only problem was he was a serving inmate at nearby North Sea Camp.

Wesley - who, as Newton steadfastly declared, deserved his second chance - made his debut in that defeat to Scunthorpe but - despite travelling home and away with the club after being given permission by the open prison - didn't feature again until the final day of the season, replacing Leabon in a 2-1 victory over Hyde United.

Prior to kick off in that curtain closer against Hyde, Newton took to the pitch, mic in hand, and ordered the fans to savour the day and 'have a party' as then club's finances remained in a precarious position.

The summer of 2008 saw United put a deal in place to pay off their creditors, but that wasn't enough to impress league officials who demoted the club again, to the UniBond Premier, despite a 10th-place finish.

The 2009-10 campaign saw United return as they secured their only promotion to date under the Chestnuts, Scott and Hurst guiding the side to a 2-1 play-off final victory at Bradford Park Avenue.

Since that champagne-soaked day at the Horsfall Stadium, the Pilgrims have reached the play-offs three further times. Following two semi-final defeats, they are hoping to secure a return to non-league's top tier later this month while work to have the under-construction Jakemans Community Stadium ready for next season continues.

MORE PILGRIMS: United launch play-off donations schemeMORE PILGRIMS: In profile: Carl Piergianni