An incredible topsy-turvy ninety minutes of action sees the ten-man Pitmen clinch their second away win of the season with a late, late Scott Bonsall goal to defeat Boston United at York Road this afternoon

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Last weekend's stinging late defeat at home to fellow strugglers Kettering Town had dropped the inconsistent Pitmen back into the relegation dogfight in the process, with John Baldwin's side starting today's game in eighteenth place in the Nationwide Conference table. Baldwin was hit with several injury and illness issues to his side as Jake Sedgemore missed out due to picking up an injury against the Poppies, whilst both Stuart Lake and Keith Russell were ruled out due to illness. This saw Stuart Evans, Neil Pointon and Stewart Airdrie return to the fray in three of four changes, the final one being Paul Bagshaw coming in for Val Owen

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Mid-table Boston - Southern Premier League champions last term and adapting well to life at the top level of non-league football once more - had been edged out of a five-goal thriller at Stevenage Borough last weekend, leaving Evans to make one change to his side for their return to York Street as Joby Gowshall replaced Lenny Curtis in defence

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In front of a packed house at York Street, the hosts made a confident start to the game with veteran midfielder Paul Raynor striking an early warning shot at Mark Gayle in the fourth minute after making an unchallenged run to the edge of the Hednesford penalty area before shooting straight at the stopper

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Three minutes later, left-back Richard Lucas swung in a free-kick from the left flank and found the head of Gowshall, whose looping header from eight yards out was watched over the crossbar by Gayle on his goal line

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The hardworking Neil Davis created a chance for himself in the tenth minute as he gave Colin Hoyle the slip to turn past the Boston defender on the edge of the penalty area before attempting a cheeky lob over the head of the experienced Paul Bastock that looked to be dropping into the net until the back-peddling Gowshall hacked the ball off the line 

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The Pitmen had done very little with the ball so far despite having plenty of possession but had a great chance to take the lead in the fourteenth minute as Evans supplied Airdrie with the ball down the right-wing, allowing the wiry winger to cut inside a challenge from Gowshall before firing in a left-footed shot from ana angel that Bastock pushed away at his near post

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Two minutes later, the returning Pointon picked Davis out with a fine threaded pass between two Boston defenders, sending the striker away to the left-hand side of the Boston penalty area. The striker took a heavy second touch, however, and allowed Bastock enough time to come out of his goal and smother the ball at the feet of Davis before he could shoot

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On twenty minutes, neat play from the Pilgrims saw former Peterborough United striker Ken Charlery played into space behind the Hednesford defence by Dan French, only for the veteran striker to lash his first-time shot into the home supporters behind Gayle's goal

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Three minutes later, Bonsall won the ball from Raynor in midfield and played Bagshaw into space down the left. The former Barnsley man jinked his way past Tom Wooding and crossed for Davis, whose weak header bounced twice before being claimed by Bastock with ease

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Despite being on top of proceedings in the opening quarter, the navy-blue-clad Pitmen conceded the game's opening goal on twenty-eight minutes as  Paul Wilson's forward pass found Mark Rawle just outside the Hednesford penalty area. The former Rushden & Diamonds youngster stole half a yard on Russell Bradley and drove a right-footed shot beyond the reach of Gayle from fifteen yards out and found the far corner of the net for his third goal of the season

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The Pitmen were rocked into a reaction and Bradley went close to an immediate equaliser on the half-hour mark as he met a Mark Cooper corner but headed over from eight yards out

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The game was level once more on thirty-three minutes as the visitors grabbed a deserved equaliser through Bonsall; Ian Robinson and Evans linked up down the right, with Evans sending over a fine cross that was half-cleared by Gowshall to former Eastwood Town man Bonsall, who brought the ball down before striking a crisp right-footed shot beyond the reach of Bastock from eighteen yards out to register his first goal for the Pitmen

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Lee Colkin was the first player to have his name taken by referee Mr Sygmuta a minute later as he pulled French down in front of the two benches and was booked for the challenge; this was to cost the left-back dearly later on in the game

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The hosts struck the woodwork with their next chance at goal on thirty-six minutes as French was afforded far too much time and space to take Raynor's pass into the Hednesford half and strike a powerful shot that beat Gayle but cannoned off the outside of the post and away from danger

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 Old stager Charlery reinstated Boston's lead two minutes later as French made another fine run down the right flank and drove a low cross-cum-shot at goal that the veteran forward turned home from close range, despite Gayle's best efforts to keep the ball out

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Raynor struck a curling free-kick at goal on forty-one minutes that had Gayle scampering across his goal, only for the ball to dip just beyond the stopper's right-hand post

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The Pitmen were showing plenty of character and spirit going forwards and continued to give Boston problems on the counter-attack, drawing level once more with the final action of a busy first period as a superb through ball from Cooper played Bonsall clean through of a hesitant home defence, who steadied himself before slotting the ball past the advancing Bastock and into the empty net from fifteen yards out with a well-taken finish

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It had been a thoroughly entertaining first half from both sides with goals aplenty, although the less that was said about the defending at both ends the better as neither back line had covered themselves in any glory during the first forty-five minutes

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If any of the travelling supporters were expecting the Pitmen to play for a point in the second half, they were in for a surprise as their side came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second period and took the lead within three minutes of the restart through Bagshaw. Airdrie was involved once more down the right, pulling the ball back from the byeline into the path of Davis, who in turn picked out Bagshaw with a clever reverse pass to the far post that allowed the winger to turn the ball home from close-range

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Once again, however, the Pitmen were the architects of their downfall as they invited Boston back into the game just four minutes later - Wilson played Raynor into space down the left, who took the ball past Evans with relative ease and sent over a deep cross that Gayle flapped at and missed, allowing Rawle to turn the ball home unchallenged for his second goal of the afternoon

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With their tails up, Boston pushed forwards as they looked to take advantage of more hesitant Hednesford defending. Bradley's clearing header from a Lucas cross fell to Jim Dick on fifty-seven minutes, who chipped the ball back into the danger zone and found Charlery - his low shot was blocked by Mark Haran before Colkin completed the clearance

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Pointon's long throw on the hour mark found Davis in the Boston penalty area, with the striker controlling the ball with his chest before laying it off to Cooper, whose curling shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily saved by Bastock

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Bonsall and Bagshaw exchanged passes in midfield three minutes later before sending Airdrie away behind Lucas down the right. The winger's trickery saw him get the better of the former Sheffield United man before sending over a cross to Davis that forced the striker to stoop to head the ball wide at the far post from ten yards out

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Wooding stung the palms of Gayle midway through the second period as the former Rushden full-back latched onto a neat passing move involving Rawle, Wilson and Charlery before driving in a shot from twenty yards out that the stopper held at his near post

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Haran's towering header from a Cooper corner kick was narrowly off target for the visitors on sixty-nine minutes as the former Emley man got the jump on Hoyle but headed high over the crossbar from six yards out 

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The game took another intriguing turn on seventy-three minutes as the Pitmen were reduced to ten men; Colkin and French came together once more on the Boston right, with Colkin once again sending the tricky young winger sprawling with a mistimed challenge. French was angered at the tackle and reacted to the challenge by squaring up to the full-back, prompting a bout of pushing and shoving between both sets of players. Once calm had been brought back to proceedings, French was shown a yellow card for his reaction and Colkin was sent off for a second bookable offence

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You would have expected Boston to go on and grab themselves a winning goal in the remaining seventeen minutes of the game, but, in truth, they simply ran out of ideas as the Pitmen closed ranks and made it difficult for the hosts to break them down. A long-range drive from former Nottingham Forest man Raynor on seventy-six minutes was watched wide by Gayle after the visitors had cleared their lines from a Rawle cross

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A minute later, Bagshaw joined Colkin in the book as he was yellow carded by Mr Sygmuta for kicking the ball away on the left to stop Boston from taking a free-kick quickly

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Davis was pulled up for a frustratingly tight offside call on eighty-one minutes as he scampered onto a pass from Cooper, only to be denied by the tightest of offside flags against him

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With five minutes of the game remaining, Bagshaw's superb pass picked out Bonsall just inside the Boston penalty area, with Bonsall presented with a shooting chance to grab his hat-trick but instead choosing to lay the ball back to Bagshaw - his bobbling shot from eighteen yards out was off-target and dribbled past the post

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Boston substitute Paul Fewings was pulled up for a foul on Gayle with a couple of minutes remaining, out-jumping the goalkeeper at a Dick free-kick but illegally holding onto the stopper's arm as the pair challenged for the cross

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With the game looking as though it was headed for a point a piece, the Pitmen grabbed themselves a dramatic late winner through Bonsall, as the youngster completed a memorable hat-trick to seal the points for the hosts. Bagshaw's intelligent pass to Davis once again found the striker playing off the shoulder of Gowshall, nipping in behind the centre-back and striking a shot at goal that came back off the base of Bastock's right-hand post. Bonsall followed the play into the Boston six-yard box and was on hand to turn the rebound into the net from close range to spark wild celebrations from players and supporters alike

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The game was to end on a sour note for the Pitmen's three-goal hero as he was carried off in added time after landing heavily following a challenge on him from Hoyle and was replaced by Adam Shakespeare for the two remaining minutes of the game

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A superb win for the Pitmen and one that will live long in the memory of all that were there of a Hednesford persuasion as they pick up back-to-back away wins for the first time this season with three crucial points. They remain in seventeenth place in the table but move three points clear of Kettering down in twentieth place with this win. A welcome break from league duty sees the Pitmen make the trip down to Essex to face Ryman Premier League side Billericay Town next Saturday as they enter this season's F.A. Cup at the fourth qualifying round, looking for yet another memorable run in the world's most famous cup competition 

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Boston United: Bastock, Wooding, Lucas (Nuttell 79), Hoyle, Gowshall, Wilson, French ▆, Charlery, Raynor, Rawle (Fewings 72), Dick      Subs Unused: Stanhope, Lodge, Martin

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Hednesford Town: Gayle, Evans, Colkin ▆ ▆ (73), Pointon ©, Bradley, Haran, Cooper, Bonsall (Shakespeare 90), Airdrie, Davis, Bagshaw ▆       Subs Unused: Brown, Rhodes, Goodwin, Carney

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