National League 2024/25: Boston United remain on course to perform ‘The Great Escape’

Boston United kept their hopes of retaining their National League status alive with a stunning 3-2 victory at promotion-chasing Rochdale on Tuesday.

After embarking on a six-game unbeaten run during March, the Pilgrims are now just two points adrift of safety with ten games remaining.

Jacob Hazel and Zak Mills set the ball rolling with goals in the first half, before Jimmy Knowles extended the advantage in the 69th minute.

Ian Henderson and Jay Bird scored for the home side in the final ten minutes, but United held on to claim another three points and boost their survival hopes.

As highlighted by Sports View, the turnaround in the club’s fortunes since Graham Coughlan was appointed as manager is remarkable.

Coughlan’s Impact

When Coughlan arrived at the club on November 19, they were seven points from safety in 23rd position. Relegation looked to be nailed on.

However, they have subsequently won seven and drawn five of Coughlan’s 18 league games in charge and look a good bet to stay in the division.

Coughlan won his first game in charge against Braintree Town, but a subsequent six-match winless streak left United deep in the relegation mire.

However, after losing just two of their last 11 league games, they have whittled down the gap to 20th-placed Wealdstone to just a couple of points.

With games in hand on several of the teams above them in the standings, the Pilgrims have given themselves a great chance of avoiding the drop.

The result at Rochdale was particularly noteworthy given it came against a team who are well on course to secure a place in the National League play-offs.

As noted by Football Today, the result took on even greater significance given that the Crown Oil Arena has not previously been a happy hunting ground for United.

They picked up just one point from five visits when the two sides were in the English Football League, and also drew 0-0 there in the 2019/20 FA Cup.

Coughlan Delighted

Coughlan was understandably delighted with the result after the game, although he admitted at feeling frustrated by his team’s inability to prevent Rochdale from scoring.

“It’s three points and a really good result, but it’s a shame we didn’t keep a clean sheet,” Coughlan said. “We had little bit of lack of concentration and one or two basic errors near the end.

“You get punished if give opponents opportunities and chances if you make mistakes. However, apart from the goals conceded, I thought we were really good.

“Our organisation and our set-up I thought were great. Our two lads up top (Knowles and Hazel) were an absolute handful all night, so I think we fully deserved it.

“They had a lot of possession but I think we were very dangerous on the counter-attack. Fair play to the lads – we need to get sorted for our next challenge now.”

Season Permutations

Boston will continue their quest to avoid relegation with a trip to Hartlepool United this weekend, before two home games against teams with play-off aspirations.

Southend United and Sutton United are still in contention for the post-season shoot-out and will be tricky tests for the Lincolnshire-based club.

A visit to relegation rivals Wealdstone is next on the agenda ahead of two tough matches against Aldershot Town (A) and Altrincham (H).

The reverse fixture against Wealdstone could be a pivotal game in the relegation battle, while the subsequent trip to Solihull Moors will not be easy.

United will hope to have pulled clear of the drop zone ahead of their final two games against Gateshead (H) and Maidenhead United (A).

While United have some testing fixtures still to come, Coughlan believes his players have the ability to keep themselves afloat in the National League.

“Our team have got a lot of work to do behind the scenes,” Coughlan added. “But if you look at this group, they are fit – one of the fittest teams in the league.

“We’ve got a target and if we can reach that target, we’ll be okay. If we fall short, we won’t. We can’t make the basic errors we made at Rochdale as they can hurt us.”

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