FC Halifax Town won 2-1 at home to Boston United in Paul Hurst’s return to the visiting dugout.
The Pilgrims kicked off at the Shay Stadium, and Town created the first opening when Will Hugill received the ball on the left and found Owen Bray in the box, but Bray dragged his shot wide.
Boston’s first chance came through a long-range effort from Ken Aboh after some neat build-up play from the midfield, but his shot was straight at Shaymen captain Sam Johnson.
The first booking arrived in the 12th minute when Shaun Hobson was shown a yellow card for pulling back Aboh. Town took the lead soon after, with Owen Bray scoring his fifth goal of the season. The chance came after Town intercepted a loose Boston pass, allowing Angelo Cappello to deliver a pinpoint cross from the left, which Bray headed across goal and into the far corner.
Boston received their first booking in the 21st minute when captain Greg Sloggett was cautioned for dragging back Hugill just outside the box. The Pilgrims responded quickly, equalising four minutes later through a superb strike from Aboh. After a scramble in the area, Dylan Hill brought the ball back into the box and Aboh volleyed it first time into the back of the net.
As half-time approached, Town struggled to deal with Boston’s constant pressure, finding it difficult to escape their own half as the Pilgrims’ midfield pressed relentlessly.
Boston almost took the lead when Jordy Hiwula met a cross with a header, but Johnson produced an excellent save to keep the score level. The referee then brought the first half to a close with no added time.
Town began the second half on the front foot and created an early chance after some slick passing between Jay Turner-Cooke and Bray, with the latter laying the ball off to Will Harris, who just failed to connect.
Four minutes into the half, Town regained the lead. A precise corner from Turner-Cooke found Will Smith, whose header flicked on to Cody Johnson, and the midfielder smashed the ball home from close range.
With half an hour remaining, Boston continued to press forward, fighting for every ball and attacking the Town box at every opportunity. However, Town’s strong defensive line prevented them from finding an equaliser.
The Pilgrims came close in the 65th minute when Sam Johnson produced another crucial save on his goal line after Boston’s pressing forced a mistake. Shortly after,
Boston made the first substitution of the game, with Matty Carson replacing Alex Lankshear.
Boston almost levelled again when Aboh fired a shot from outside the box that deflected off Latty-Fairweather’s heel, wrong-footing Johnson, but luckily the ball clipped the crossbar and went out for a corner.
Town manager Adam Lakeland then made changes of his own, introducing Max Wright and Florent Hoti for Will Hugill and Owen Bray, both of whom received warm applause from the crowd. Lakeland made his third substitution late on, bringing David Kawa on for Will Harris.
The fourth official indicated four minutes of added time, with Boston pushing for an equaliser and Town remaining solid defensively to protect their lead. Lakeland made a final change in the closing moments, introducing Adam Adetoro for Angelo Cappello and switching to a back five to see out the match.
FC Halifax Town
1 Johnson ©, 4 Hugill (7 Wright 77), 5 Hobson, 9 Harris (22 Kawa 86), 11 Cappello (3 Adetoro 90 + 1), 15 Smith, 17 Bray (18 Hoti 77), 19 Warburton, 27 Turner-Cooke, 30 Johnson, 36 Latty-Fairweather
Subs: 12 Ford, 16 Mills
Boston United
1 Lovett, 4 Teale, 6 Sloggett © (22 Raikhy 79) 8 Hill (25 Waldock 79), 10 Maguire, 16 Hiwula (11 Donnelly 84), 17 Lankshear (15 Carson 71) 19 Richards, 24 Aboh, 26 Gallagher, 40 Lavinier
Subs: 21 Jones, 2 Grist, 31 Ging
Referee: Kavan Hurn
Goals: Bray 18, Aboh 25, C Johnson 50
Yellow Cards: Hobson 13, Sloggett 21
Red Cards: None
Attendance 1441 (219 away)
FC Halifax Town 2 Boston United 1
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