The Southern League`s Outstanding Teams – Boston United 1999/2000

Another club to enjoy a brilliant campaign in the Southern League.

Boston United have only had five seasons in the Southern League in total since being re-formed in 1933.

Originally in the then-strong Midland League, they joined the Southern League`s North Western Division for 1958/59 and finished third in their first season and were placed in the Premier Division.

They ended up in ninth in 59/60. However, the following campaign was a bit of a disaster for the Pilgrims as they finished bottom of the table and would have been relegated to Division One, but instead left the Southern League and re-joined the Midland League.

They had two seasons back in the Midland League, one in the United Counties League and two in the West Midlands (Regional) League – winning three successive titles - before becoming a founder member of the new Northern Premier League in 1968/69.

After ending up in 14th place in the first season and 12th in 1974/75, Boston never finished below sixth in the eleven seasons they were in the competition, winning the title four times.

They became founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979/80 and fourteen seasons followed in the newly formed competition, with a best of third under George Kerr and Ronnie Reid in 1988/89.

However, the Pilgrims were relegated in 92/93 and returned to the Northern Premier League where they spent the next five campaigns.

After finishing second to Barrow AFC in 97/98, Boston were switched by the FA to the Southern League.

Their first season back in the competition after a gap of 38 years saw them finish a distant second to a rampant Nuneaton Borough.

But the season that saw the dawn of a new century ended up being a phenomenal one for the Pilgrims.

Steve Evans had been appointed as Boston`s manager in October 1998 having previously been successful with fellow Lincolnshire sides Holbeach United and Stamford.

But his first full season in charge was one that Pilgrims supporters had not seen for more than two decades.

Not since they lifted the Northern Premier League title in 1978 had Boston been able to celebrate a championship success.

But inspired by the astute management of current Gillingham boss Evans, Boston were at last able to toast a return to the glory days.

When Evans arrived at York Street, the club sat joint third-from-bottom of the Southern Premier Division. Eighteen months, 73 league games and 42 wins later, they were remarkably holding aloft the giant championship shield.

Evans` side couldn`t have wished for a better start to the campaign, opening up with a 6-0 drubbing of Salisbury City, with centre-forward Micky Nuttell bagging a brace, and they followed that up with four more wins before they lost at Ilkeston Town on the final Saturday of August.

They then embarked on a remarkable run of fourteen games without defeat in the league and had it not been for the fact that half of those games were drawn, then Boston`s title success would have come much sooner.

Even that was eclipsed as the year 2000 clicked in as Boston won six successive games in the league, earning Evans the manager of the month award and included in that sequence was an amazing 6-1 win away at Crawley Town – ironically a club Steve Evans would later manage - in which David Norris completed a hat-trick.

However, that match proved to be Norris` last as he was transferred to then-Division One club Bolton Wanderers for a fee in excess of £50,000 - then a record fee received by Boston.

Norris had followed Evans from United Counties Leaguers Stamford the previous year and his rise to the Football League was a rapid one, making 29 appearances in all for Boston, scoring 14 goals.

Evans brought in the experienced former Swansea City, Preston and Leyton Orient man Paul Raynor as a midfield replacement, although he was a completely different type of player to Norris.

A 2-1 defeat at Margate ended Boston`s unbeaten start to the new year but normal service was quickly resumed as home wins over Havant & Waterlooville and Halesowen Town and away wins at Merthyr Tydfil and Worcester City followed.

Indeed, as Boston ventured towards the finish line, five more wins and four draws followed.

But by that time, Boston had already clinched the title with a 3-1 victory at York Street over local rivals Grantham Town on April 22nd in front of a big crowd of over 4,137, then with three games to spare.

Evans`s side finished a whopping 14 points clear of second-placed Burton Albion and Adie Hayes had scored their 100th league goal in that win at Dorchester, Mark Rawle`s second of the game and one from Paul Watts took the total to 102.

Scoring was shared around with eighteen different players getting their names on the scoresheet, although Mark Rawle topped the charts with 22.

Although Boston dominated the league in 99/2000, it was a poor one financially in terms of cup runs.

The Pilgrims comfortably beat lower league side Oldbury United and then Isthmian Premier Purfleet in the Second and Third Qualifying Rounds of the FA Cup but bowed out in the Fourth Qualifying Round stage to Conference outfit Kingstonian, who went on to win the competition, after a replay.

They suffered a 1-0 defeat at eventual Northern Premier League winners Leigh RMI in their only FA Trophy tie and were also beaten in the first round of the League Cup by Wisbech Town.

However, that cannot take away anything from what was a tremendous season in the Southern League for the Pilgrims.