United 2 - 0 Boston

Last updated : 10 November 2002 By Patrick Hill

Saturday was the first Lincolnshire Derby between Scunthorpe and Boston since an FA Cup tie had paired the two clubs together forty nine years ago.

It was also the first return to Glanford Park of Scunthorpe resident Ben Chapman. In case anyone's had a knock on the head recently, Chapman was the man who ended Peter Morrison's career.

There was no second chance for Terry Barwick this week, on loan Lee Featherstone getting the nod ahead of both Barwick and Brough.

The eleven who filed out of the tunnel were Evans, Stanton, Mccombe, Balmer, Dawson, Featherstone, Graves, Garcia, Beagrie, Torpey and Martin Carruthers.

The match was hardly a spectacle, in fact I'm probably being kind in just leaving it at that but the Iron got the three points and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

The first fifteen minutes set the tone of the game, neither team taking the initiative in a scrappy game in which a contentious refereeing decision helped separate the teams.

Referee Danson awarded a penalty after fifteen minutes when he spotted ex Iron Paul Ellender tugging on Steve Torpey's shirt in the box.

Beagrie stepped up to face Pilgrims keeper Paul Bastock in front of the away end and scored...just.

Peter Beagrie gave Scunthorpe the lead from the penalty spot, although goalkeeper Paul Bastock was unlucky to see the ball trickle inside the post having got a big hand to it.

Beagrie almost added a second soon after, but this time his shot was inches wide.

Boston offered little as an attacking force all afternoon but almost snatched an unlikely equaliser in the 40th minute when Alex Higgins' header hit the woodwork.

Just after the hour mark the unmarked Carruthers somehow failed to make it two following a pin point cross from his strike partner Steve Torpey.

That was soon forgotten four minutes later though when Torpey did put the Iron two ahead albeit in controversial circumstances.

Beagrie crossed from the left to Torpey who's header appeared to just cross the goal line, the bald headed Bastock clawed the ball back in an attempt to fool the match officials and at first glance he seemed to have succeeded.

The referee allowed the game to go on and Bastock kicked the ball up field but the linesman called over the referee and a goal was signalled.

Ex Hull City man Mark Greaves had obviously lost his rag and a few minutes later committed an atrocious tackle on Beagrie who collapsed into a heap as a result.

Luckily for Greaves he had committed the foul right next to the tunnel and so didn’t have far to walk once he had been given his marching orders.

The rest of the game was played out with a few half chances falling to both sides.

The afternoon will be remembered for the constant barrage of (deserved) abuse which Boston left back Ben Chapman received rather than the actual football played which actually on this occasion I'm quite pleased about.

The Iron now find themselves in eighth place on twenty seven points.