Former Boston United chairman Pat Malkinson has died

Mr Malkinson passed away today (Monday) at the age of 75.

The Malkinson family owned the Pilgrims from the 1930s to the early 2000s.

They still own the famous Gliderdrome, which once played host to big-name stars, and today still holds local dances and bingo sessions.

“There was something special about matchday in our house,” Pat Malkinson told The Standard in 2008, a number of years after stepping down as chairman. “It was all about the football. You looked forward to the games and booked your holidays around the season – that’s how it was.”

At the time, Pat’s favourite memory of United was seeing his team play at Wembley in the 1985 FA Trophy Final, which they lost 2-1 against Wealdstone.

A statement on Boston United’s website reads: “For the best part of 70 years, the Malkinson family, owners of the Gliderdrome bingo and dance hall, were the driving forces behind Boston United as the club established themselves as a major semi-professional side.

“The thoughts of Boston United are with the Malkinson family at this sad time.”