Boston United Ram Raid Derby  

Boston United have had their problems recently but it has always been bad news for the Lincolnshire club. 

One of the most amazing giantkilling feats in the history of the FA Cup took place on December 10, 1955 when Midland League Boston United travelled to the Baseball Ground to take on Third Division (North) side Derby County in the Second Round proper.    

The Rams, a Division One club only two years earlier, were adapting well to life in the Third North and would finish the season as runners-up before being crowned champions in 1957. 

Boston United, then, travelled more in hope than expectation and even their most diehard supporters wouldn’t have dreamed of the final outcome. 

But Boston too were enjoying a fine season and were establishing themselves as a powerhouse in a competitive league which included the reserve sides of a dozen Football League clubs. 

United had reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup in each of the previous three seasons but this year had beaten Cheshire League side Northwich Victoria 3-2 to earn the chance of a crack at Football League opposition. 

Although most pundits didn’t give the Lincolnshire club a chance of an upset Boston United had the motivation of half their side being former Derby players and all felt they had a point to prove to the club that had released them from the professional game.   

One of the former Rams in the United side was goalkeeper and player-manager Ray Middleton.  A former England ‘B’ international Middleton was a Boston town councillor and whatever the sporting politician said in his pre-match pep talk his team certainly responded to it.   

After soaking up early pressure Boston stunned the 23,000 crowd by taking the lead in the 26^th minute through Derby old boy Ray Wilkins and it was 2-0 within ten minutes when yet another of the Boston ex-Rams, Geoff Hazledene, netted his first of the tie.   

Former England star Jessie Pye pulled one back for the home side from a penalty but the NonLeaguer’s had restored their two goal advantage before half-time through Johney Birbeck. 

With injury reducing Derby to ten men for the second half there was no way the Football League side were going to get back into the game and Boston United completely dominated the rest of the match.   

Geoff Hazledene scored twice more to complete his hat-trick with Wilkins bagging his second and the final goal in an amazing 6-1 rout; still the record score for a NonLeague team beating Football League opposition away from home in the FA Cup.   

It was an unbelievable result and though the cup run came to an end in a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in the next round the NonLeague side had created history. 

And, in one of those delicious twists that always seem to happen in football, Boston United once again had the opportunity of humbling Derby almost 20 years later when the two sides again squared up to each other in the FA Cup.   

In the County side was Steve Powell whose father had been in the Derby team which had so spectacularly lost to Boston in 1955.   

Again the NonLeague side put a great fight and a 0-0 draw left the now Northern Premier League side confident of creating another upset in the replay.  It wasn’t to be.   

Yet again the football fates came up with a degree of symmetry with another 6-1 scoreline but this time in favour of Derby.