Report by Frank Bridges.

BOSTON United defender Tony Crane came up with a last gasp winner to condemn Alfreton to a 2-1 defeat at York Street on Saturday.
Crane’s strike ended a run of seven straight defeats for the Pilgrims, after his Reds counterpart Tony Butler’s 66th-minute goal had cancelled out former Reds favourite Jon Stevenson’s opener for the former Coca-Cola League club 13 minutes earlier.
Following the Boxing Day 2-2 draw at Hucknall, Reds boss Nicky Law introduced new defender Georges Santos for his debut in place of Mark Barnard, and up front Peter Knox was given the nod ahead of Danny Reet.
Alfreton keeper Phil Senior was in early action, scampering out of his goal to boot the ball into touch after Michael Wood played Jon Froggatt through.
A minute later it was home keeper Curtis Aspden’s turn to be called into action, holding Josh Law’s driven cross shot at the far post.
Senior did well to punch clear under pressure from Froggatt when Ashley Nicholls pumped the ball into the Reds’ box, but at the other end Crane needed a well-timed tackle as Knox tried to put Brian Cusworth in on goal.
Aspden was out smartly to clear when Anton Brown picked out Knox with a long punt forward as Alfreton exerted a spell of pressure.
But when the Pilgrims hit back, Stevenson had two chances within a minute to punish his former club. Firstly he made ground to the by-line to set up Nicholls who fired straight at Senior, then with a chance of his own he blazed over from David Galbraith’s cross.
Laurie Wilson had to dig out in defence for Alfreton in the 39th minute to head over his own bar as Froggatt steamed into the box. And Santos headed behind for a second flag-kick as Froggatt homed in to meet the first.
With the first half drawing to its close Froggatt had two good chances to break the deadlock – Senior’s vital touch took the ball away from the striker following a corner, and then in stoppage time, with Alfreton expecting an offside flag which never materialised, he fired past the far post.
Alfreton engineered the first chance of the second period, Aspden palming Kris Bowler’s free kick behind as Santos challenged.
Senior saved well from Nicholls in the 51st minute, but two minutes later he was beaten. Adam Smith’s long clearance found Stevenson, the keeper went down low for the little front man’s angled drive, and got his hands to the ball but could not prevent it from squirming in at the near post.
Kyle McFadzean could have done better when given a clear chance by Wilson’s free kick on 64, but his 12-yard shot lacked both direction and power.
The scores were level, though, two minutes later. Wood conceded a corner as Knox chased Brown’s through ball, but from Wilson’s flag kick Butler netted a back post header from almost under the bar, with home skipper Paul Ellender complaining in vain that he had been impeded.
For the next 20 minutes or so the game went into a quiet spell, but five minutes from time there was a major let-off for the Reds. Tom Matthews crossed, Frogatt’s shot ricocheted off the head of Santos onto the bar, and Butler was on hand to clear Froggatt’s follow-up off the line.
But Boston were not to be denied, and in the 89th minute McFadzean blocked Froggatt’s header onto Nicholls’ free kick on the line, only for Crane to follow up and drill home the loose ball from 10 yards.
BOSTON UNITED: Aspden, Matthews, Smith, Ellender, Crane, Wood, Galbraith (Leabon 85), Nicholls, Froggatt, Stevenson, Rowan. Subs not used: Bloomer, Thompson, Green, Alexander.
ALFRETON TOWN: Senior, McFadzean, Brown, Santos, Butler, Warne, Law, Bowler, Cusworth (Reet 57), Knox, L. Wilson. Subs not used: Glass, Walton, M. Wilson, Sutcliffe.
REFEREE: Robert Atkin of Scunthorpe.
ATTENDANCE: 1,303 (away end 76).
GOALS: Boston – Stevenson 53; Crane 89. Alfreton – Butler 66.
CAUTIONS: Boston – Crane 2 (foul on Law). Alfreton – Cusworth 15 (foul on Crane); Brown 26 (dissent); McFadzean 88 (foul on Nicholls).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Laurie Wilson.