BOYNTON SPORTS PROMOTION PUSH CONTINUES

BOYNTON SPORTS 4 CARIBBEAN SPORTS RES 1
SHEFFIELD COUNTY SENIOR LEAGUE DIVISION 2 @ CONCORD SPORTS
10 MARCH 2018 --- 3PM

BOYNTON SPORTS V CARIBBEAN SPORTS

The promotion ambitions of Boynton Sports continued in this entertaining and keenly contested encounter in the north east of Sheffield.  With a narrow 2-1 lead at half time it was only a fourth goal five minutes from time that sealed victory against a determined Caribbean Sports.
Following on from the habits of this season a large proportion of local non league fixtures had been wiped out by the, once again, wet weather is there any end to this seasons mad planning it will be a luxury to finally attend a game not thinking about rain and waterlogging.  So that's were Boynton Sports comes in playing on 3g at Concord Sports Centre in Firth Park Sheffield and having been on the cards a few weeks previous today a prompt text reply from the club sealed the fixture.

TODAYS EATERY AND A RETURN TO THE GOOD OLD FISH AND CHIPS

Todays travel plans were sorted out and then amended when great news came through that Barry Dyke would be joining Mick and myself with the added bonus of a lift to and from todays encounter, thanks Barry a pleasure as always.  So arrival in Firth Park saw us circle around the busy shopping area a few times before we found a car parking spot for a meander around, far from being aimless of course because an eating establishment had been previously researched.  The bustling shopping area has a wide selection of independent shops and centres around a traffic roundabout that has a superb touch in a gated area in the centre of it with former tram lines still embedded in the road structure.  There is a break to buildings on one part of the roundabout and the excellent Firth Park recreational area wins the day.  Time could be wasted no more it was off to The Codfather another in the great names of chippy's for a sample of Yorkshire fish and chips and they were certainly bubbling under in the top echelons of the chippy table.  It was rather like a scene from Last of the Summer Wine as three sprightly young gentleman sat outside the shop on the wooden benches surrounded by a selection of ever hungry pigeons and discussed the game ahead.

THE BUSY CENTRE OF FIRTH PARK WITH ITS TRAM LINES STILL IN PLACE

Back up t'ill to the sports centre and around to the back is the slightly worn 3g pitch which has clearly had a lot of local use its as ever caged in but with a walk way down one side and with a small grass bank on the far side so its far from a hemmed in feel.  The floodlights look impressive with three poles adorned by 8 lights on each, somewhat of a small scale eastern European football ground look about it, skywards anyway.  Having made contact with referee Carl Wallace about the team sheets and then to be greeted pitch side by John Gough from Boynton it was a warm welcome to start the afternoon off.

THE FLOODLIGHTS AT CONCORD PARK

In an afternoon of 'John's' the club chairman John Heritage caught up with us in the second half and we talked all things Boynton Sports with a clear enthusiasm for advancing the club it will be good to watch their developments as next season with hopefully a promotion in their grasp they will move to the south east and take up residence at Westfield's a St Georges Park corporate facility to play on one of the new grass pitches.  The club historically were founded in 1952 and they are rightly proud of John Hogg who spent most of his life with the club joining as a 15 year old and then going on to be a proud stalwart off the pitch in latter years.  Sadly join passed away two years ago but everybody you talk to mentions him, now there's a great touch for a man who clearly continues to mean so much.  This is Boynton's first season in the County Senior after a short break they reformed as a Sunday side in The Blades Superdraw League a position they still hold but with the addition now of Saturday football.  The chairman tells me of the proud history of players taking up higher position in the football structure and non more so this season than Kurtis Turner and Callum Littlejohn, son of former Sheffield United Adrian, who are now plying their trade at Stocksbridge Park Steels and Retford United respectively. The name Boynton Sports was the other question to be asked and this came from the name of the road by the Devonshire Arms were the club was based around in the nearby Shirecliffe district of the city.

DIRECTION FROM THE CARIBBEAN SPORTS MANAGER

So to the game and with a threatening murky cloud todays pictures are not up to much so apologies but hopefully the words give a feel to the friendly welcome of the two clubs.  Sitting at the side of one another in third and fourth position we hoped for a good game and so it turned out as early as the first minute when John Mellor latched on to a defensive error only to put his shot just wide of the post and following this he was denied on two further occasions by visiting keeper James Bailey.

BOYNTON DEFEND IN NUMBERS WITH NIMMO [8] IN ON THE TASK

Amid the collection of early chances though Boynton took after just two minutes when Chris Nimmo made space for himself to fire home from 20 yards for a quality finish.  Caribbean Sports had been more than a threat in the game and after a degree of possession they got a deserved equaliser when former Boynton player Matt Betts pounced on an un-cleared corner to loop the ball back into the home net, 25 minutes.  Both sides were now in 'going for it' mode and it was to be Boynton who went into the break ahead Danny Marcus beat the offside trap from just over the half way line to chase down a lose ball on the right as the Caribbean keeper Bailey came out onto the wing to challenge him the Boynton frontman skipped the ball past him and converted from a tight angle.

MORE BOYNTON SPORTS ACTION WITH THAT MAN NIMMO AGAIN

After a good old pitch half time break non of this wandering off to the changing rooms it was the home side who started the second half in the ascendancy with their third just one minute into proceedings when Mellor got the goal his efforts deserved cutting in off the left and firing past the out coming Bailey.  The chances continued to fall to the home side but make no doubt about it the visitors were more than in this game and should be credited with the entertaining encounter we were witnessing.  Those chances though fell to Dominic Dallas who struck the post before Daniel Parker placed his effort wide and then Marcus saw a lovely effort superbly saved by Bailey.  But not to be denied the game was finally settled with five minutes remaining with an acrobatic overhead kick from Parker nestled itself in the back of the visitors goal to make it 4-1.

REFEREE WALLACE IS ASKED THE WAY TO THE CHANGING ROOMS

Time to bid farewell to Boynton Sports and no complicated public transport routes just the chance to jump into a nice comfortable warm car for the journey back down the M1 and arrival at base around 5.30pm.