A successful trip to London was ahead of us, and, like I said in the first part of the travelogue, we had no idea what paradise we’d walk into once we returned to Boston. But, first things first: We needed to leave, as much as…
Leaving Boston was hard, especially when you take into consideration we didn’t really get the chance to experience much of it. Nevertheless, life goes on, so our train to London via Grantham departed early in the morning and before it was 9am we have officially left Boston United territory.
Let me tell you a short story of how nobody beats Arsenal thirteen times in a row
Our visit to North London was a resounding success. Not only is it full of life and beautiful, but after eight long years (or twelve matches to be exact) of losing to the team representing the blue side of Manchester in the Premier league, North London’s Gunners have finally snatched all three points.
The score was one-nil to The Arsenal, and it was Gabriel Martinelli who decided to take upon the role of the curse-breaker, having managed to capitalise on hitting City’s defender Nathan Ake with the ball before it ultimately ended up in the back of Ederson’s net.
Just to sweeten it up, Martinelli scored a mere few minutes before the end of regular time.
To Ake’s disbelief, the deadlock was broken in the 86th minute, and, fortunately for the home crowd, Arsenal have kept the guests out for the remainder of the match, when the referee blew his whistle to signal both the end of the match and the home crowd to start celebrating.
I couldn’t have asked for a better first-time visit to the Emirates – results wise.
However, having finally visited Arsenal’s home ground and experienced its atmopshere, I give myself the right to conclude that the Emirates is a proper must-visit-before-death, modern, “gentleman’s” stadium with leather seats, incredible accomodation…
…and let’s leave it at that.
There once was a stadium known as Highbury
When it comes to stadiums, I’m a guy who, usually, rejects modern stadiums and likes the English stadiums of the past (which are slowly dissapearing!). Of course, I am not the only one, as huge numbers of football fans still hold old English stadiums in high regards for the closeness to the players, for the atmopshere, for making the home ground count for something!
So, I took the opportunity to become one of the privileged “few” to ever visit Highbury, the legendary former Arsenal ground, which boasted that title for an incredible 93 years before being replaced by the “much modern” Emirates Stadium. It is now a series of flats, but, to be fair, much of the former Arsenal Stadium has been preserved.
Photo below: A look upon the former Arsenal Stadium from the street.
After three fantastic days in North London we packed our bags and left for Boston on Wednesday.
I’m Shipping Up To Boston part II
Much like the last minute and a half of the Led Zeppelin song “Whole Lotta Love“, the weather was incredibly cool in Boston when we arrived, with both the wind and the rain throwing a tamper tantrum.
Having talked to Roy while we were down south, I knew Boston United u19s were playing AFC Fylde u19s on the artifical turf outside the Stadium at 2pm that very same day, and I promised we would come watch.
So, in spite of the weather, we repeated the same steps we took on Saturday: Walk for a few, call a taxi, get the opportunity to say the famous eight words once again: “Take us to the Boston United stadium, please”, enter Ellenders.
An Unsung Hero of Ellenders
The very same “luggage-storage-problem” hero from four days ago was at Ellenders, working her shift, about to become our “luggage-storage-problem” hero once again.
You see, as we were rushing to catch the u19s match, we didn’t have the time to check-in at our AirBnb, so we had the same problem we had on Saturday – where do we store our luggage?
Enter the incredibly nice, dark-haired lady working at Ellenders to save our day once again.
“Office“, she uttered with a smile and a slight nod to the left after I, yet again, asked her for a favour.
We didn’t have to share a single word after that – all was known.
P.S. If you come to Ellenders and she is working, make sure you buy a cake – it makes her smile.
Under Roy’s Umbrella
Still, as much as we would have liked to stick around, we came down to have a five-minute pint, as we still needed to go to the Boston United shop to buy a scarf and we were very late to the u19s match.
Roy came ’round Ellenders and asked us whether or not we had an umbrella. Upon hearing we didn’t, much like the last time we saw him, he decided to “disappear for a minute” before returning to save the day.
“Just bring it back on Friday, leave it here and I will pick it up“, he said with a happy expression on his face and a childlike grin.
He left to watch the match and we followed soonafter.
Think globally, shop locally
We entered the Boston United shop with the intent of it being an “in and out” type operation.
However, when we saw that – in order to enter the shop – a lady had to come from a different room to raise up the shutters so we can enter the shop and browse, I had to stay a bit longer. Needless to say, we came out of the Boston United shop with a scarf and a shirt.
Last season’s home shirt – a thing of beauty – costs only 25 pounds!
Photo below: Boston United home shirt for the 22/23 season
Fighting spirit of the Boston United u19s, getting soaked in the rain and meeting some more members of the Boston United staff
We said our goodbyes to the lovely shoplady and headed for the 3G, as they call the section outside the stadium with artificial turfs, where we saw Roy with a few others who also had a role at Boston United.
You see, Roy is no mere Boston United supporter.
When it comes to Boston United, he has a number of roles behind the scenes – amongst them cutting the grass around the ground, organising maintenance around the ground in the close season and helping out in the hospitality suite during match days.
“He is an unsung hero behind the scenes“, one Boston United faithful explained to me.
Lily and I came over to greet Roy, who immediately introducted us to those around him: meet Jason, the Boston United kitman, meet Steve, the BUSA chairman, and meet Jim, the head groundsman.
As much as I felt like I was randomly dropped between them, they gladly accepted us into their circle – we talked about the ongoing match, joked about AFC Fylde (as you do), and gave our support to the youngsters.
Photo below: Roy’s umbrella in my hand, the newly purchased Boston United scarf around my neck, the 22/23 home shirt in the white bag and Boston United youngsters in the background in amber and black.
As much as we tried to arrive on time for the start of the match, we only managed to catch the last ten minutes or so of the first half, and Boston United were up by one.
How I learned of a new sport when I was least expecting it
Roy headed for a cup of tea during the break, and I spoke to Steve, who told me all about his adventures with a sport I have never heard of – over 60s walking football.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn Steve actually plays for over 60s walking football England national team and has just won the over 60s walking football World Cup held in England! If winning the World Cup wasn’t enough, this was the very first World Cup ever held.
“So it did finally come home!“, I said with a massive grin on my face.
“Yes it did“, he replied with a proud expression on his face – and can you blame him?
Photo below: Mr. Steve Slater with the World Nations Cup of walking football trophy.
Steve, Roy, Graham… They are all incredible inspirations and a proof that you can love sports with the same passion and intensity as you did when you were a youngster.
We concluded our chat, Roy came back and that meant only one thing – second half of the u19 match was about to start.
Domimant youngsters, rain at an angle and an invite to the Fans’ Forum
The Boston United youngsters played with flair, physicality, understanding and – above all – confidence. It was refreshing to see after the abysmal display at Curzon Ashton.
As the rain started to fall much more heavily and under a certain angle, making umbrellas obsolete, Boston United u19s scored a second goal, courtesy of Boston United’s u19s striker, literally a head above the competition.
Losing a bit of the nervousness we might’ve had before the second goal, we started chatting again and I was informed of a Fans’ Forum happening in a bit more than 24 hours.
As explained, it was an event where club leadership and fans alike gather to discuss matters regarding the club, explain certain decisions and provide insight into the club finances.
To me, unheard of – I couldn’t refuse.
“I will most definitely see you there tomorrow“, I said to Roy, who really wanted me to come.
All of a sudden, a look back on the artifical turf revealed AFC Fylde scored and reduced the deficit by one. It was a late own-goal by the Pilgrims u19s, a fluke – and I was glad to see the boys in amber and black didn’t crumble like their senior club contemporaries.
The score finished 2-1 for Boston United u19s and we immediately fled the scene (and the rain) to go back to Ellenders and pick up our luggage. Roy was waiting, as he had promised to take us to our AirBnb with his car.
Because it was raining, Roy gave us a short tour of Boston from his car, before dropping us off at our home for the next four nights.
We came home and instantly changed our clothes, as we were soaking wet and I didn’t want to get sick by any means, not now.
A tale of two pubs
The rest of the day was free from all responsibilites, so we visited two very different pubs in Boston.
First off was a Wetherspoons chain pub called The Moon Under Water, with ridiculously low prices of both food and drinks.
Photo below: Just some of the prices at The Moon Under Water
Standing in line to order a drink, I was approached by an older man I have never met, who saw me wearing the 22/23 Boston United home shirt.
“Going to the match at Worksop?“, he asked, to which I replied positively.
We chatted for a short while about the match at Curzon Ashton, the manager and the players before I needed to say goodbye, as I didn’t want to keep the staff waiting for me.
Little did I know I would soon realise who I was speaking to.
We ate and had a few drinks, before I opened up Google Maps to see what other pubs were nearby, in hopes of finding a proper, old-school English pub.
Just down the street from the Weatherspoons pub we found the Golden Lion pub, a traditional pub with low-beamed ceilings, wood panelling and leaded windows. You can also play darts, pool and dominoes at the Golden Lion, all the while drinking a proper, traditional English ale served on tap.
Photo below: Gandering at the massive Golden Lion sign before we entered.
Old fishing boat nameplates hang above the bar as a reminder of how it used to be a fisherman’s pub, which I learned from having a nice, friendly conversation with the pub owner before we left home to get a good night’s sleep.
How the English weather made me feel under the weather and how Croatian medicine allowed me to explore Boston and see the outskirts of legendary York Street
Waking up on Thursday was as close to a nightmare as I could get. I was feeling unwell and was coming down with a fever, courtesy of wearing Converse sneakers in the rain and shouting my life off on the weekend. Our Fans’ Forum attendance became a huge doubt.
Thanfully, I brought some medicine with me exactly for situations like this and it helped – to an extent.
Even though I was not at a 100%, I felt an immediate relief, so we decided to explore Boston for a bit. Both a good and bad idea at the time.
Boston is an amazing, proper English town, with incredible history and a beautiful, beautiful town centre. The St Botolph’s Church is a must visit, even though we didn’t enter it at the time.
Photo below: A closer look at the St Botolph’s Church and the Stump with English clouds in the background divided on whether or not it should rain again.
With eyes wide open we walked for about an hour, exploring every little corner we could, before finally heading for the legendary former Boston United ground – York Street.
Unfortunately, as much as we would have liked to enter the stadium, it was closed, with signs warning any possible intruders with attack dogs.
“Yeah, I want to visit the ground, but not that much“, I told Lily as I laughed.
Still, we saw the floodlights and the outskirts of the stadium, which was more than enough for our first time here.
Photo above: Outskirts of York Street in 2023, with one of the floodlights standing tall in the background.
Photo below: York Street in use in 1983, with the Stump standing tall in the background.
As faith would have it, Boston United were forced to move away from York Street, no matter how iconic it might be. Club didn’t own the stadium, couldn’t make proper income from it and, if the stories other who visited the stadium told me are true, it was outdated.
However you might feel about the move, it was necessary and inevitable.
We saw what we needed to see and headed back home to get warm. Bringing only my Converse sneakers for this trip was proving to be a costly mistake, and the fever started returning.
We rested for a bit before calling a taxi at around 7pm and heading straight for The Jakemans Community Stadium.
Fans’ Forum
As is tradition, before we did anything we first entered Ellenders, where I was forced by my state of health to drink something warm like a cup of tea, instead of a nice, cold pint.
Photo below: A worrisome scene at Ellenders before the Fans’ Forum, as I drink tea instead of a pint.
Fans’ Forum was about to start, so we headed upstairs to the first floor, where it was held in the Nineteen33 suite, one of many suites Boston United’s stadium has to offer.
Graham led the way and Roy was at the entrance on the desk, doing some more “behind the scenes” work for his beloved club.
The suite was absolutely packed, with around 170 Boston United supporters in attendance for the first Fans’ Forum held in over three years.
I was very surprised to see Graham lead us all the way to the front row, right in front of the key club personnel desk.
Looking over at the desk you could see Boston United chairman David Newton, vice-chairman Neil Kempster, manager Ian Culverhouse, first team coach and u23s manager Joe Simpson, club secretary Craig Singleton and Boston United Supporters Association chairman Steve Slater.
Paul Bastock, Boston United’s assistant manager, unfortunately, wasn’t in attendance.
Having a slight fever, I did my very best not to make any sounds as my throat was sore as well and I didn’t want to interrupt a single word said with my coughing.
Truthfully, I tried to blend in with the crowd and behave like a person that truly does deserve to sit at the front table, surrounded by brilliant people such as Lynn and Graham Blackamore sitting next to us and Tom Steadman sitting opposite to us.
The feeling of me not deserving such amazing treatment was ever present, just like every single time I was surrounded by Bostonians. In my mind, all I did was come support the team I became very passionate about and meet its incredible fans.
Transparency and experiencing my equivalent of getting knighted
The presentation started, and Mr. David Newton told the attending Bostonians to prepare for “death by PowerPoint”.
At the presentation we had the opportunity – which seemed like a surreal experience – to see how the club progressed since the time Fans’ Forum was held, an insight into the clubs finances, we got an under 23s update, an update from the Community foundation and an update from BUSA.
Everything was fully transparent, and the chairman especially made sure we knew how the club operated during the Covid years and what has been going on with the finances.
I looked around the suite to see enthralled Boston United supporters listen to the key personnel.
“These people have got it very right“, rang through my head, followed by a feeling of envy.
The presentation ended, after which it was break time. For almost all in attendance this meant it’s time to grab a pint, but for me it meant it’s time to get another cup of tea.
Sad story, I know.
Croatia was playing Turkey in the EURO 2024 Qualifiers at the time the Fans’ Forum was being held, so I took out my phone to at least follow the match via FotMob, an application that let’s you see football scores in real time, including stats, lineups…
I turned my back to the key personnel desk and glued my eyes to the screen, as Croatia was losing to Turkey – an occurrence we are not that accustomed to in the past 6-7 years. The score on the screen read one-nil to Turkey and as I was going through the stats to try and figure out why we are losing I suddenly got a pat on the back from Graham, telling me to turn around.
I turned around and saw none other than Mr. David Newton holding a Boston United home shirt, signed by all the players!
“WHAT?!”
I got up as quick as I could and, much like Sam McLintlock at Curzon Ashton, uttered a single “wow!” while the Boston supporters were applauding the situation.
As I saw the photographer line up in front of was for a timeless picture, I realized I needed to take off my two jackets I was wearing to keep me warm (didn’t really help!), because I was wearing my “Wright 10” Boston United away shirt under it all.
Besides, if I’m going to take such a timeless picture with the Boston United chairman, I better wear a Boston United shirt, am I right?
I quickly said “just a moment”, took the jackets off and threw them on my chair, to the delight of all in attendance, who applauded once again.
Mr. David Newton and I grabbed opposing sleeves of the shirt, Lily stood behind it. Much like those who get knighted, I was incredibly privilged to experienced a moment to remember for a lifetime and share with everyone until I am no longer able to speak or write.
Photo below: Mr. David Newton, Lily and I. Graham sitting on the far right in his chair, proud as can be. You can tell how happy I am because my eyes are closed.
We thanked the Boston United chairman, gently folded the shirt and got back to our seats.
“What on earth just happened?!“, both Lily and I said to each other just by eye contact.
However, we were not the only ones to receive a present from the club.
Boston United stalwarts John and Maureen Blackwell celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Wednesday – with chairman David Newton presenting them with flowers to mark the occasion, which was very sweet to see and thoughtful of the club.
Turns out, the person who approached me at The Moon Above Water and spoke to me about Boston United was John Blackwell!
“Ooooooohhhhhh“, I thought, as a light bulb switched on above my head.
After all that is written, I think it goes without saying – if you’re not a familiar face in the Boston United community, people will approach you in the friendliest of manners and happily take you into their circle. A truly, truly incredible fanbase, with no gatekeeping or elitism in their genes. All that matters is that you have heart and support Boston United.
Q&A, street art, Roy’s wish for a photo and tomorrow’s Friday night all sorted
After the chairman did his rounds with us and the happily married Blackwell’s, it was time for the Q&A segment of the Fans’ Forum, where the fans finally got the opportunity to ask higher-ups about some burning issues regarding Boston United.
Plenty was said and asked, from “why are we playing from the back”, to “players need to treat the away supporters better”, all the way to “when are we signing strikers?”.
I wanted to ask two things. One was regarding our dreadful throw-ins at Curzon Ashton and why we do that, while the other was a bit more complex.
You see, coming from Split, Dalmatia, a region that lives for its beloved Hajduk Split, from the moment I opened my eyes I was accustomed to seeing a plenthora of street art dedicated to Hajduk Split, stickers on cars, little flags… Anything you can think of, just so every single person that walks by it knows: “This is Hajduk Split territory and we support Hajduk Split here”.
This is, basically, what all of Croatia is like, only with different teams in different regions of the country.
Photos below: An elementary school in Split with massive street art dedicated to Hajduk with the text saying “Both my grandad and my dad were Torcida (Hajduk Split supporters group)”, and a few other examples of the street art
This, unfortunately, was not the case for Boston United. Entering Boston means you are greeted by the Stump, but nothing about the town says “this is Boston United territory”. Not a single sign, no street art whatsoever… Nothing.
I found it strange and illogical. Boston United, along with its supporters, deserves better.
So I raised my hand, grabbed the mic and asked the chairman what’s going on, after first giving a long (would you believe it?!) intro to provide some context for the question, saying how I feel about football, what football is like where I live and what this club means to me and what its supporters mean to me.
Finally finishing the intro, I asked Mr. Newton if there was a way to make Boston United a part of Boston’s pop culture, an infallible part of what the town is all about. If there was a way to make a deal with the town council to allow them to make some street art (not vandalism, proper street art!) for the club on a wall not in use perhaps. All just to make the club even more recognisable. More cool.
I also mentioned stickers, but got so caught up in all I was saying I butchered it and it didn’t sound right.
He laughed and said “we’d probably get arrested!”, to which we all laughed, after which a more serious answer ensued.
“It’s a great point, especially as we’re now just outside of town. We will consider it and see what can be done“, he said and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
“It wasn’t a stupid question, thank God“, I thought joyfully, thanked the chairman, returned the microphone to Craig and sat down to my seat. I didn’t ask the second question, as I thought I already took up way too much time with my question and we won’t be here all night.
Soon, the Q&A and the Fans’ Forum ended, when Roy rapidly came to our table with the request to take a picture with him!
Of course we obliged, it’s an honour to even get that kind of question from a man like Roy.
Photo below: Lily, I, Graham, Roy and Lynn. A night we will never forget and a huge honour to be surrounded by these people.
Fans’ Forum was an incredible experience, but it was time to leave through the Boston United stadium hallways.
In there – a familiar sight, one we’ve already seen before.
Pictures on the wall, showcasing Boston’s rich history, with Graham (and this time Lynn too!) showing us who’s who on the pictures, explaining why they’re privileged to be on the wall and expanding the story with their personal memories.
Photo below: Lynn, Graham and I going through the pictures on the wall.
After seeing who’s who, we left the stadium and agreed to meet back at Ellenders on Friday night, where we would get the opportunity to meet their godson Jacob, a ten-year old boy who plays for Boston United and absolutely adores The Beautiful Game, just like I did when I was his age – and still do.
Before the meet up with the Blackamores, Roy said he’d take us for a meal at another proper, old-school English pub just outside Boston.
Lynn and Graham took us home and we were satisfied knowing Friday night was sorted.
A BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview, more rain and the dynamic duo in action
I woke up the following day feeling a bit better than I did on Thursday, but still not at a 100%.
“I’ll survive“, I encouraged myself and texted Roy that we can explore Boston with him, as I’m feeling good. He was actually supposed to drive us up to see Skegness but couldn’t because it was raining. He really wanted to take us to the seaside resort, and always talked about it, so we also weren’t happy about the rain.
BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s radio host Rob Makepeace messaged me on Wednesday asking if I would be willing to do an interview with them, explaining how and why I came to Boston, but I only saw the message on Thursday. So, we arranged an interview by phone on Friday, at 3pm sharp.
All I kept thinking about was “publicity for the club”, being genuinely happy I got to talk about Boston United to a wider audience.
Having that in mind, with Roy being especially happy and excited for the interview, he picked us up around 2pm and we headed for the Boston Guildhall, a few centuries old wonderfully preserved building, with a wealth of original features now serving as a museum, documenting Boston’s incredible past.
The story of Boston’s pilgrims and the wealth the town possesed in the past is a truly remarkable one, so we soaked up every signle detail the museum had to offer us.
Photos below: The best dynamic duo Boston has ever seen in action at the Boston Guildhall, well-preserved cannons and a massive weapon used to hunt ducks. Lily, a proper Gooner, liked the cannons the most.
Upon finishing the tour, we went to the reception’s desk to buy some souvenirs. The lady working behind the desk was incredibly nice and said how she never met anyone from Croatia before. Roy entered the conversation and proudly exclaimed to her I was about to get interviewed by BBC Radio Lincolnshire to talk about Boston United.
Trying to hide my shyness, I laughed it off, and confirmed what he just said.
Afterwards, as we “needed to” visit St Botolph’s Church from the inside, we headed in that direction on foot, despite the rain falling once again.
Photo below: Dynamic duo in action once again, with syncronished footing to prove the beforementioned statement, heading for St Botolph’s Church.
Boston’s St Botolph Church from the inside is a marvel to be seen at least once before you “check out”.
I had the feeling Roy was just as amazed at its sheer beauty as we were, leading us along the church and showing us some hidden details with the same level of curiousity we had – despite being here so many times!
We explored a bit more and, at Roy’s request, signed in the Visitors’ book.
Realizing the time for the interview is two minutes ago, I looked around where I could sit down and have a normal chat. Unfortunately, the Church was closing for visitors, so we decided to head back for Roy’s car.
I got the call midway, spoke for maybe a minute before I realised I couldn’t hear Michael Hortin, my interviewer, properly. Not only was it raining, but people were loud in the background and vehicles were passing by.
Photo below: An unsuccessful attempt at doing a phone interview in the pouring rain.
“Can you call me in five minutes, please?“, I asked Michael, not sure whether or not I’m asking too much.
Fortunately for me, a positive answer arrived from the other side, so we rushed to the car and the interview began.
I was sat at the front passenger seat, with Roy in the driver seat and Lily at the back seat.
All in all, the conversation lasted for about eight minutes and I couldn’t help but notice Roy in my peripheral vision listening to the conversation carefully, with his excitement being as subtle as an earthquake.
Seeing him genuinely happy that this is happening made me love the town and its people even more.
A great Friday night with amazing people
Roy took us back home, knowing full well he only has the time to change and then come back for us, as we were heading for a pub meal.
Before dropping us off, Roy told us Jason, the kitman, was coming with us, as they often have a meal together on Fridays. We didn’t mind one bit. Jason is a gem, just like everyone we met.
We entered his car for the third time that day and it was nice seeing Jason once again after the u19s match at 3G, so we joked around for a bit, spoke about music from the 70s and soonafter arrived at the Bull & Dog pub.
I had never tried the famous English fish and chips in my life, so now was the perfect opportunity, much to Roy’s joy. I understood him completely. After all, as a person from the Mediterranean, we too are happy and excited when we see someone try our food for the very first time.
Photo above: Lily and I with a massive portion of fish and chips. Roy took the picture!
Photo below: Roy and Jason enjoying their meals.
Bull & Dog, much like the Golden Lion, impressed me a lot. It had that “home” feeling we were used to seeing on the telly watching the much beloved TV show “Only Fools and Horses” and its characters spend their time at The Nags Head, with Del Boy falling through the bar that one time.
Needless to say, everyone is welcome at the Bull & Dog, people strike up conversations with you to meet you, they joke around with each other and wear a smile on their face.
After all, they are coming to the perfect place to forget about their problems.
We finished our meals, drank our pints and it was time to go back to Boston. Roy had to drop Jason off at his favourite pub first, before we headed to Ellenders to meet the Blackamores and a few others.
Meet the Sykes family
Entering Ellenders, we immediately saw Lynn and Graham, who were accompanied by the Sykes family – also massive Boston United supporters.
We introduced ourselves to the Sykes couple, Hollie and Andrew Sykes, who told me their 10-year-old son Jacob was looking forward to meeting me.
Jacob already plays for Boston United’s youth and shares the same level of passion and love when it comes to football as I did when I was his age – and still do.
He told me all about his football adventures and how he made a deal with his father: For every goal he scores he gets five pounds.
“He’s not going to need an agent the way he started“, Andrew told me, laughing.
We spoke about Croatia, how they all need to come visit us in Kaštel Stari and they happily agreed.
“We’ll work something out“, they said.
The conversations ranged from Boston United and football all the way to how raising up children goes. It felt good talking to Roy, the Blackamores and the Sykes’ and we felt right at home – especially when they were around.
Our night out at Ellenders came to an end and it was time to head home – trip to Worksop awaits tomorrow.
We came home and once again fell asleep with a smile on our face, knowing full well we spent a day with fantastic people in a fantastic town.
Croatian Pilgrims on Tour part II
A massive away following was expected, with as many as 500 Boston United fans heading up north to Sheffield to watch Worksop Town host their team in the FA cup fourth qualifying round.
It is also worth mentioning the expected crowd was 1.500 people – with no segregation. A first for me. It would not end well in Croatia.
Lily finally had a Boston United shirt to wear, so we suited up, picked up the scarf and Croatian flag and headed to the Jakemans Community Stadium with a taxi. While it was very cold, it was however sunny, with clear blue skies above us.
Arriving at Ellenders during the day and not having the problem with luggage storage was odd, but you know what they say – third time’s a charm.
We talked to a few Boston United faithfuls at Ellenders, who told me we need to be vary of Worksop Town, as they just knocked Blyth Spartans out of the Cup with an absolute battering of 5-0 (with all five goals scored in the second half!). They also had an absolute titan for a center forward, who suited them perfectly as they are a very phsyical side.
This meant only one thing – hoofball extravaganza. Not good news for Boston United.
“If we score first, we’ll win. If they score first, it’s a loss“, one the Boston United faithfuls told me.
With that in mind, and knowing the BUSA bus was waiting, we left Ellenders, greeted everyone on the very same bus we were in last week and took a seat in the second to last row, but this time sitting on the left side, with little Jacob and Andrew sitting in front of us.
We chatted away, listened to me playing “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by the Dropkick Murphy’s on my phone and looked at Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside.
The trip to Sheffield was shorter than the trip to Manchester, and it only took us an hour and a half to arrive at our destination.
The Windsor Foodservice Stadium, home of Worksop Town – the sixth oldest active football club in the world
Once again the BUSA bus parked very close by the turnstiles. As we walked towards the entrance, on the right I couldn’t help but notice the massive Worksop Town FC badge and the year it was founded. The numbers 18 and 61 on opposite sides meant it’s the sixth oldest active club in the world, founded just four years after Sheffield FC was founded.
Oldest cup competition in the world against the sixth oldest club in the world. You live for these days as a football fanatic.
No segregation – no problem?
Knowing how supporters are in Croatia, I was cautious about my behaviour around Worksop Town supporters, as not to aggrevate them in any way and being as respectful as I could. Definitely didn’t want to cause a scene, but I also didn’t want to hide I’m here to support Boston.
So, in what is the “Dalmatian” way of wearing a scarf, I proudly let the Boston United badge rest on my right leg.
Photo below: The Boston United scarf resting on my right leg, as I pose next to a 100 litre keg.
Immediately the Worksop supporters started with the banter, but upon hearing where I’m from and why I’m there, they sang a different tune and extended me their hand as a sign of respect and friendship.
Same happened at the Worksop Town bar, where – while waiting in the queue to buy two pints – I spoke to some older Worksop Town supporters who told me it’s going to be a great day, how I’m welcome to their stadium and this is what it’s all about – grassroots football.
Nobody was trying to bash my head in, nobody was insulting me, I didn’t sense anyone staring at me… It was a huge culture shock.
This, of course, gave me additional wind beneath my wings, so we headed to the East terrace once again, where a plenthora of both Boston United and Worksop Town supporters were.
We hung our flag on the fence, this time a bit more easily than at Curzon Ashton, even though we didn’t have laces and watched Boston United players, who were a few feet distance from us, warm up.
“I naravno, da se ne zaboravi“, the words said in the video mean “And of course, just so you don’t forget”.
Lynn, Graham, Andrew and Jacob were standing with us to watch the match.
A look upon the North terrace told a different story though. That’s where the most passionate Boston United supporters were situated, as were some Worksop Town supporters.
I am going to be completely honest and say I expected it all to kick off sooner rather than later. In Croatia the match would’ve been abandonded a long time ago.
Not a single incident the entire match, despite a few Worksop Town supporters trying to provokate Bostonians. They wouldn’t budge, fortunately for all of us, and just watched the match and supported their team.
Peter Wright and The York Street Years
Just before the start of the match, enter Peter Taylor, who messaged me on Facebook five days earlier while we were in London, asking me if I had a copy of Christian James‘ book, “The York Street Years” and if I didn’t, he’d get me one.
As the book is a comprehensive review of the history of Boston United Football Club, and I am huge history buff, I planned on buying it myself, so I told him that.
“Please don’t buy one. It’s a gift from me mate“, he replied.
I had to oblige. We agreed on him giving the book to me when we arrive at Worksop, as he took a different bus to get here.
I told him where we were located on the stadium and he arrived, gave me the book, carefully wrapped in a massive envelope with the name “DINO” written on it, shook a few hands, traded a few smiles and went back to where all his mates were located at the stadium.
“What a guy“, I couldn’t help but think to myself as I watched him walk away gleefully to watch his Pilgrims play.
The referee blew his whistle soon after and we were under way.
The art of hoofball
As expected, Worksop Town started hoofing the ball to their giant center forward, while Boston United struggled to keep the ball on the ground.
“Keep the ball on the ground, you’re making it easier for them!“, I shouted – once again as hard I could.
To my surprise, the hoofing from our players stopped and after just 13 minutes Boston United were up by 1-0, after Jordan Richards cooly slotted away an easy ball right in front of the opposing goal.
“That’s it, we’ve got them now“, I thought to myself, legitimately believing in that.
After all – we scored first.
Two-minute joy, bad weather and getting stuck in queue
Just TWO minutes have passed and Worksop Town scored to bring the score back level. There was a bit of confusion in Boston United’s defense, which Liam Hughes, the dreaded Worksop Town centre forward, gladly took advantage of and scored.
Not much has changed during the first half and, after thirty odd minutes of the match, I gave Lily the responsibility of safeguarding the flag and decided to grab two more pints, so I’d avoid getting stuck in the queue at half time and miss a big portion of the match.
Oh how I was wrong.
I entered the Worksop Town bar and was shocked to see four massive lines of people standing in the queue, waiting to order a drink.
I stood there for over ten, maybe even twenty minutes, keeping my ears peeled to what’s happening on the pitch, in case someone scores.
I spoke to a couple more Worksop Town supporters while stuck in the queue and the response was the same as it was before the match. The love for (grassroots) football surpasses everything else, including hatred and violence.
When I finally got my pints I headed for the exit only to see a downpour happening outside.
“Fow how long have I been waiting for?!“, I wondered, worried I missed a huge portion of the match.
Unfortunately I didn’t, as Keith Harrison, a Boston United supporter, collapsed in the North terrace while I was stuck in the queue. Play was suspended as an ambulance rushed to help him and take him to a hospital.
I later found out the referee wasn’t aware of what was going on and wouldn’t stop the play, so one brave young Boston United supporter entered the field to make him aware Keith needed urgent help.
We were all worried and afterwards glad to hear (from the club, nonetheless) that he was in stable condition and thanked well wishers for their many messages.
Since it was raining so heavily, everyone moved under a roof, including Lily and the flag. The first half continued and the score remained the same.
Picture below: Courtesy of Worksop Town Facebook page. Notice anything familiar?
Two minutes of sadness followed by even more twists and turns
After spending the half-time break hearing about the events that unfolded while I was waiting, it was time for the second half to start.
Just three minutes after it began, Worksop Town shocked us and scored.
Miscommunication between our defender and our goalkeeper meant Worksop Town’s Starčenko scored one of the easiest goals he’ll ever score, capitalising on a bad backwards pass, which he intercepted and almost walked in the goal.
This time around, however, it was Boston United who equalized after only two minutes.
After a well taken Boston United freekick, it was Brad Nicholson who met the ball with a delightful header to make it all square once again.
“Thank God“, I thought as we all breathed a sigh of collective relief while celebrating.
The weather had cleared up, so we headed back to the fence. I needed to hang my flag once again and, besides, wanted to watch the match from a smaller distance.
The match was a stalemate until the 63rd minute, when Boston’s defense made another silly mistake and brought down a Worksop Town player in the box. Terry Hawkridge made no mistake and slotted it home from the spot.
This sort of a match (going back and forth with the scoreline) is extremely mentally draining for the players, especially if they’re playing away from home, so I didn’t really expect a miracle any longer. That is, until the 74th minute when Worksop Town were reduced to ten men, after Hamza Bencherif got sent off for a reckless challenge.
A smile reappeared on my face, and I thought we’ve got our chance now.
Behind us there were many Worksop Town supporters, one of which had his young son on his shoulders, who repeated everything they chanted. “Come on Worksop!“, he shouted and I turned around to give him a smile, before I told his dad it’s “parenting done right”.
Photo below: Rainbow over Sheffield and a mix of supporters.
However, Boston United were chasing a goal, especially motivated with the sending off, so I tried to be as loud as I could.
“Come on Boston!“, I shouted, among other things, when I heard a familiar voice of a child shouting that very same thing.
I turned around and what do you know – the small boy sitting atop his dad’s shoulders started chanting for Boston!
“You can’t say that little man, you’re Worksop“, I told him as I struggled to contain my laughter, just like everyone else around us.
And this is what it should always be like. Banter, jokes, sharing a laugh with opposing supporters (provided they’re not your rivals) – not violence.
A loss is only a bad thing if you never learn from it
Despite several tries, Boston United failed to score and the referee blew his whistle for the end of the match.
Boston United, unfortunately, didn’t manage to overturn the deficit and were officially out of the FA cup for this season. Once again I watched Boston United lose and once again the Boston United supporters headed home with dropped heads.
“We love you Boston, we do, ooooh Boston we love you!“, I started maniacally shouting while kissing the badge on my chest, letting everyone around me know I love this club even more now and no loss could ever shake that.
This, for me, is the right mentality. Of course you’re not going to tolerate bad performances week in week out, but results are temporary, which is a good thing to know when your team is winning. It might not last forever. Appreciate it while you still can. On the other hand, if your team is in a bad spot, at least you have the solace of the fact the next win (or even title!) will taste even sweeter than it ever could if you were winning all the time.
Besides, a loss is only a bad thing if you never learn from it.
Last night in Boston
The loss hurt, I’m not going to lie. But having little Jacob in front of me in the bus forced me to put on a smile and try to be as positive I could, to show him how it’s alright to lose sometimes.
The back of the bus talked and joked around, and were once again untalented with the score predictor and the raffle.
Jacob, however, won a box of small cholocates in the raffle, which he immediately decided to share with us. Bless his heart.
We arrived in Boston, thanked everyone for their incredible welcome and hospitability and promised to come back again – as soon as we could.
Lynn, Graham, Andrew and little Jacob all came down to Ellenders, and sat on the couches, just like the week before. Roy, who was still en route, was going to join us.
Soon, other Boston United supporters started pouring in, understandably frustrated with the result.
“Utter shite that was“, one of them said as soon he entered Ellenders.
It was the Boston United supporters from the other bus, commonly refered to as the “Party Bus”, entering Ellenders.
One of them was Harvey Cooper, a Boston United supporter in his 20’s, who messaged me on Facebook saying he’ll buy me a Jager if he saw me away at Worksop. Unfortunately, he didn’t, but as soon as he entered Ellenders we recognized each other and shook our hands.
He sat on the far end of Ellenders with some mates and I remember walking past them to use the loo, when he asked me if I was going to come back.
“Of course I would. Boston United for life. For life!“, I said while kissing the badge. He was over the moon. We both were. Passion is incredibly contagious and Boston United is worth every single bit of it.
Roy soon arrived and we were having a conversation about the match on the couches, while rugby was on the telly, which was also a conversation piece, as Ireland were playing New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
With rugby not being a big thing in Croatia, as football is king, Andrew, Graham and Jacob all tried to explain the rules to me.
Suffice to say, I still haven’t got a clue about rugby.
So I took out my phone out to show Jacob a few screenshots from my Boston United Football Manager save, playing him videos of some of the goals Boston United scored in the Premier league, including a screenshot of when Manchester United eliminated Boston United in the semi-final of the FA cup.
Still hurts, that one.
It was getting late (especially for Jacob) so Lynn, Andrew, Graham and Jacob all said their goodbyes to us and wished us a safe trip home.
And then there were three
Roy, Lily and I stuck around for one more pint, having a conversation about Boston in general, with Roy saying how sad he is we didn’t go to Skegness, nor climbed the top of the Stump.
“Next time, definitely“, I told him. “But first, you need to come to Croatia next summer and visit our pub in Kaštel Stari“.
He promised to try his best and come with the Blackamores if they decide to visit.
The Croatian flag
After talking for a while, I decided to give Roy a parting gift – my flag, which was with me for years now.
It was there with me when Croatia got second place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, it was there with me when Croatia got third place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. It was hoisted at the pub in Kaštel Stari whenever Croatia were playing.
It means so much to me. My father was one of brave Croats who decided to pick up arms when Croatia got invaded and defend his homeland as a young man in his 20’s so that his son today could proudly carry the Croatian flag and show it to the world with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye.
Unfortunately, his sacrifice to our country and to our flag was enourmous, and he was captured and held in a Serbian concentration camp for almost two months, where he endured day-to-day despicable horrors and torture. He was never the same mentally and physically after the War and passed away when I was just ten years old. My right to carry a Croatian flag ultimately cost him his life, which is a sacrifice I will never, ever forget.
This is why I take the Croatian flag wherever I can, representing our people in the best way possible, trying my damn best to make sure my father’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
“Look dad, I too am fighting for our flag, so that people know and understand what it means to us“, I found myself thinking several times while looking at the sky, both at Curzon Ashton and at Worksop Town when people commentated on the flag or even took a picture with us.
For me, this was the least I could give to Roy after everything they did for us.
“Maybe you could put it up on a fence at the Jakemans Community Stadium, so that, even when I’m not there physically, I can at least be there in spirit“, I told Roy.
“We’ll figure something out“, he said.
We left Ellenders soonafter and Roy drove us home. I think we thanked him one hundred times that night, and it was hard to say goodbye – both to the people and the town.
Our last night in Boston has passed and 24 hours later, we landed safely in Croatia and got back to our homes.
“WE ARE BOSTON” corner
We stayed in touch with everyone we could from Boston, especially Roy and Graham, who I still talk to every single day if possible.
As Roy was yet to figure out where to put the flag, he explained every step to me, including how he would climb up and put up the flag if nobody else can.
“No chance you will do that, Roy“, I told him. “It’s no rush. God forbid you get hurt“.
He obliged.
Just a few days later, right before Boston United hosted Gloucester City on October 28, he told me the flag was “finally” up.
I was at an absolute loss of words. I figured my flag at a fence somewhere wouldn’t bother anyone, but Boston United’s staff went the extra mile.
They put the flag right next to a massive sign saying “WE ARE BOSTON”, in the northeast corner of the stadium.
This was more than I could have ever asked for. Rare were times when I felt so proud in my life. A Croatian flag, brought by me, proudly hoisted at the Boston United stadium, right next to a badass sign. Everything was made even better when Boston United supporters started texting me, saying they saw my flag at the match against Gloucester City.
Shedding a tear was the only thing I could do. To have the Croatian flag and Croatia associated with something good and positive in a town filled to the brim with amazing, kind and incredibly welcoming people is an achievment I will hardly ever replicate.
I hope you’re looking, dad. Every time I see the flag on the TV when I watch Boston United play a home match, I will think of you. And I hope others will as well. I dedicate all of this to you and I want you to know your sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Your son is doing the very best he can.
Final chapter: Roy Hackford and Graham Blackamore
A whole lot of people have lost the very point of life, which is having a fully open door for the child inside them. To be, have and joyfully use that child inside you, who, despite your physical age, forever holds you in the arms of sincere innocence and childlike love.
When you’re a child, you love everyone around you, you’re happy when they approach you, you want to meet them and share your love of life with them, and Roy and Graham (like all the other Bostonians I’ve met) are just like that.
And never, no matter how selfish it sounds, never will I forgive Mother Nature for not bringing me into this world fifty years ago, so that I could make my life even better and richer surrounded by people worth living with.
Boston United is a special club because, with some kind of unique magic, it has an incredible ability to bring out the child in you.
And that’s why Boston fans are fantastic people, who really light up when they get the chance to mention their beloved club, which, despite bad results and a low ranking in the world of English football, has a monopoly on the unconditional love of people who have opened their arms to it.
But such love, unfortunately, has its limits, and therefore everyone who currently or will have the unprecedented privilege of wearing the sacred Boston United shirt must reciprocate with effort, passion and their own love for the supporters of this club.
When you are one of the 11 players that an audience of over a thousand came to watch so that, at least for 90 minutes, they could forget how cruel adult life is, you have a huge responsibility.
You have a huge responsibility, because for that hour and a half they become just like they were when they were children.
That is the most important essence of the most beautiful sport that ever was or ever will be – football.
And through these words, all the people mentioned will, I hope, remain sealed in the vault of time, as an example to future generations of how to live and love properly.
Thank you to everyone who made the trip an unforgettable experience. And a special thank you to Lily, a real-life superhero, who provided many of the pictures that made this travelogue what it is. I love you.
I am forever a Bostonian and I will forever love Boston.
End of part 2 of 2.