Boston United away for the first round of the Worthington Cup was one for the ground hunters amongst us. Their first season in the football league and so not a ground that Cardiff fans have had a chance of visiting before.
Boston is a long way from anywhere, it's only reachable by single track A roads for 30 miles in all directions to the nearest dual carriageway. The welcome afforded to the travelling City fans was superb compared to what we normally find on the road. An excellent pub just over the road from the ground called the 'New Inn' provided a sixties soundtrack in combination with free sandwiches and chips for the dozen or so city fans in attendance. The Boston fans we met were extremely friendly and wished us all the best as we left for the game
York Street is a good third division ground, the away end is excellent, a steep terrace with a low roof, great for making lots of noise, to the right was the home singing support and their main grandstand to the right. Behind the opposite goal was a small two tier stand with terrace at the front and seats at the back.
The game started very even between City and their third division opponents. Boston stroked the ball around well and looked very dangerous, especially their Ricky Otto lookalike number 30 Douglas. The two sides traded chances tit for tat, Margetson having to be on his guard to smother a couple of slick Boston attacks, while City played their usual pressure football to force some close things in the box.
The scoring was opened on 25 minutes as a strong run from Leo Fortune West down the left hand side barged the right back out of the way before playing an intelligent cut back to pick out Earnie in space to strike low across the ball into the bottom corner of the net. The keeper Bastock didn't even move. One nil.
Boston came at us after this, a strong run in from the left hand side through our midfield by Angel with slide rule through ball put in Douglas, but Margetson was quick to come out and smother. Margetson was called on again minutes later to tip a dipping volley onto the cross bar, it was a superb save and kept city's nose ahead.
Earnie doubled the city lead latching onto a neat throughball from Boland before coolly slotting past Bastock again. This flustered Boston who were knocked out of their stride and never really regained it.
The third goal was a belter, the ball dropped to Earnie 20 yards out from the Boston defence and he caught it first time on the left side of the D and hit it across and over the goalkeeper into the top corner of the net to complete a quick fire hat trick. A contender for goal of the season already.
The game slowed as it approached half time, and the fourth came from a Barker cross which was cruelly deflected on its way and it looped over and in at the far post to give a 4-0 scoreline which flattered the away side as they went in at the break. So a relaxing time for all in the half time interval.
HT Boston 0 - 4 Cardiff
The second half of games where teams take a big lead are always an anticlimax, and this was no different. Most of the entertainment was provided by the home fans to our right who kept up a non stop array of songs "More sheep than you, we've got more sheep than you" was the pick of the bunch.
Boston got their consolation on 52 minutes as Ellender stroked the ball high into the net from close in. Cue ironic celebrations from both sets of fans. City got their fifth when a cross field pass from Boland was scooped over the advancing goalkeeper by Thorne, who was clearly chuffed to get onto the scoresheet.
Earnie had another chance from a long ball down the centre, heading on before shooting from a narrow angle. Bastock in the boston goal did well to parry it onto the post and it was cleared away.
Boston continued to threaten forcing Margetson into a full length diving save as one shot seemed destined for the top corner and also a tip round the post from close range.
A quick word on the home fans who were superb throughout, singing non stop throughout even in the face of a crushing home defeat. It was an extremely pleasant evening, the Boston fans still have the friendly nature that is associated with non-league football and it was a nice change from the drudgery of the Nationwide League.
The game petered out towards the end, as City booked their place in the second round draw on Saturday. Fingers crossed for a premier league side away on Tues 1 October.
A long trip back getting home at 1.00am was for once worth the trip.
Report from FootyMad.
Cardiff City turned on the style to dish out a Worthington Cup drubbing to the Football League's newest members.
Inspired by a first-half hat-trick from Robert Earnshaw, the Welshmen made light work of progressing into round two at the expense of Boston United.
It was a scoreline which belied the closely fought nature of the opening exchanges, when both sides carved out good chances.
First for Boston Paul Ellender, crashed a shot against Spencer Prior after Neil Redfearn and Stuart Douglas had opened up the City rearguard.
Then in reply home keeper Paul Bastock, had to save well twice, first punching aside a Peter Thorne deflection from Graham Kavanagh's free-kick and then when holding a fierce angled drive from Kavanagh.
The visitors continued to look dangerous and went ahead on 25 minutes when Leo Fortune-West shrugged aside Mark Clifford and pulled the ball back for Earnshaw to slot in off the far post.
Boston didn't buckle and hit back with close calls for Douglas and Simon Weatherstone, but the sharpness of Earnshaw dented their hopes when latching on to a 36th minute pass from Kavanagh to double City's advantage.
Then three minutes from half time Earnshaw completed his treble when blasting high past Bastock after Fortune-West had headed on another Kavanagh free-kick.
Seconds before the break a lofted cross by Chris Barker was deflected into his own goal by Tom Bennett as Boston's world fell apart.
Boston pulled back a goal on 52 minutes when Ellender fired home after Weatherstone, had flicked on a Neil Thompson cross.
But City responded in kind and wrapped up a decisive win on 68 minutes when Thorne cleverly chipped over the advancing Bastock.
Cardiff boss Lennie Lawrence said: "I was really pleased for Robert. It was great for him to come back into the side and get right back on song. It certainly gives me a selection headache, but that is good for Cardiff City.
"We treated this match seriously and didn't want it to be a banana skin for us because you always get an upset in this round. The whole performance was very pleasing."
Boston acting manager Neil Thompson said: "It was a bit disappointing because I thought we started well and then they had a purple patch when everything they hit seemed to go in.
"We came out and gave it a go in the second half and I thought we at least got some pride back. We got a well worked goal and might have had some more, but Cardiff showed their qualities and we couldn't quite compete with them."
Report from the BBC (click here for full report inc audio)
First half hat-trick heroics from Robert Earnshaw helped fire Cardiff City into round two of the Worthington Cup with a 5-1 thrashing of Boston.
Earnshaw hit the target three times in 17 minutes to effectively kill off the Pilgrims at York Street.
Earnshaw started the rout with a neatly executed finish from a Leo Fortune-West cut-back on 25 minutes.
He doubled the lead with another low drive and then smashed home a stunning 18-yard volley three minutes before the interval.
To rub salt in Boston's wounds, home midfielder Tom Bennett then deflected a Chris Barker cross into his own net with only seconds of the half remaining.
To their credit, Boston tried to salvage some pride in the second half and pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute when Paul Ellender fired the ball high into the net after Simon Weatherstone had flicked on a Neil Thompson cross.
But Cardiff hit back and went further ahead when Peter Thorne executed a fine lob over Paul Bastock in the 68th minute.
External match reports
The Western Mail