Is it ok to shed a tear over the demise of a neighbour?

I wrote this after I had been accepted by Give Me Football but before I was given a password etc. I've kept it ever since and not submitted it for publication and never will now because it's not really what gmf are looking for but I enjoyed writing it and it's from the heart. It's not necessarily how my fellow fans would feel but perhaps their attitudes will change when they get older. I thought at one time I could send it in whilst on holiday and I still might write something along these lines but it will need a complete re write. The picture on the right is a game I attended many many years ago with my friend Dennis Reeson, we both watched City together but also went far and wide in search of a game, in particular we went to see Derby County as they were in the first division. We had been to see Derby v Boston in the FA cup and Boston played ever so well to secure a draw and in fact almost won it. They came unstuck in the replay which was played on a weekday afternoon because of restrictions on the use of electricity, may have been the miners strike.

Little did I think I would end up working in Boston or indeed having work published on the subject of Lincoln City.





About ten years ago I went to work in Boston. I was staying late one day as City were playing a pre season friendly there. I went to get some fish and chips and went back to the office to eat them and make a cup of tea and one of my new bosses stopped by the kitchen and asked me if everything was ok. I explained I follow the Imps and my boss Richard told me he was a Pilgrims fan, it was the start of a friendship over and above the usual employer/employee. After all these years we're still mates and enjoy a chat about the footy and of course these have been tumultuous times for Boston United.

Richard asked me if I'd come to watch a Pilgrims game with him and I said yes provided he came to watch the Imps with me. At that time Boston were riding high in the conference and were to be promoted to the football league that season. We all know what happened next........

I took Richard to see us play Hull City, we sat in the Coop stand. It was when Alan Buckley was manager and when we got it right we looked a good side. We played particularly well that day and won. There was a big crowd and a fantastic atmosphere, to be fair there usually was when we played the Tigers. Richard was not just impressed he was seismically shocked. Boston played in front of about 1500 not bad for such a small town; we had about 6000 in the Bank. He thought the players looked, well, bigger than he was used to certainly far more skillful and athletic. He couldn't see how they were going to bridge the gap.

Boston took their place in the league; this isn't an article about them although there's plenty of material, perhaps some other time. Football chat became banter; we had our financial problems. We had to accept them as equals. It was a shock, Radio Lincs gave them equal prominence, I don't know, what do you think? More than parity sometimes it was like Lincoln who? Lincolnshire Echo too, it did get to me a bit. I started to dread the day they finished higher than us: I would never hear the end of it. When we played that first game at York Street Richard invited me to his house for a cup of team and some cake before the game. Part of me was excited part of me wished it wasn't happening.

Gradually City's financial position improved, Pilgrims started to unravel. After a relatively short illness Boston United all but died, the whole story came out, it wasn't a normal story of bad luck, bad planning, they were relegated and began their descent down, down. They were out of my way. I was glad, not that Boston United were down, just my particular awkwardness with the situation was removed from me. I think it's fair to say we Imps generally are well disposed towards Boston United. It seemed to me they were subsequently punished and it affected the fans, ordinary people like us, just wanting to support our team. I know the chairman, he's a good man, I know a lot of their fans, they're just like us, decent people, bit cocky perhaps but then who isn't where local rivalry is concerned?

Now I feel very different, I wish them well, glad they got promoted, at least one Lincolnshire team had a good season.

A few years ago, the time I'm writing about we had Hull, The Iron, Stags Grimsby Magpies Peterborough now all gone one way or another. The latest of course, Mariners. How are we supposed to feel? Well of course part of me wanted to go ha ha ha, just like they must have done when it happened to us, them on their lofty perch safe and secure. How the mighty have fallen and for all our thoughts of parity with Grimsby Town from where we've been they have been high; and mighty.

I didn't go ha ha ha as it happens, I thought of that day with them damn dog at Torquay and Burnley, yes thank you Mr Des Lynam, a very good day for football, not if you come from Lincoln mate. I thought of the awful football we had to watch and how we were everyone's cup final, which Grimsby are going to have to come to terms with because it will be "former Championship side" and everyone will want to teach them a lesson just like they did with us. I didn't laugh; it just brought it all back.

I started logging on to the Grimsby Evening Telegraph. They were saying what we would say, bravado, delusion then realization and a bit of horror. Well just you wait my fishy friends.

I hope they come back, soon, along with Mansfield. I want to shout "oo are yer" at them. I want to feel their distain and stare at them across the pitch I want games with a good competitive atmosphere, I want to hate it when they beat us and I want to gloat when we beat them and laugh when their manager has them on the pitch at half time and most of all I don't want to travel two bloody hours and kid myself it's a local derby!