Cursons the late hero as Boston United beat Gateshead in thrilling finish

With 11 minutes to go, the visitors were looking like edging home in the battle of two sides in the drop zone, despite huge home pressure after the break.

But Cursons popped up with a thoroughly deserved equaliser before producing the cherry on the cake at the death as Boston finally managed a second home win of the season and three hugely needed points.

After a scrappy start, Boston put put together some spells of possession and threatened without testing Peter Jameson.

But the visitors looked organised defensively and highly dangerous on the break which is where their opener came from nine minutes before the break as former Pilgrim Jordy Hiwula struck.

After weathering some early pressure from the visitors on the restart, Boston took a grip and, after Jake Rooney had seen a goal disallowed, were finally rewarded when Tom Cursons levelled on 79 minutes after great work from fellow sub Jack Holmes.

Then came that magic moment at the death as the stadium erupted.

The Boston side was unchanged from the one that lost 4-2 at Eastleigh on Saturday.

The visitors' starting XI contained four ex-Pilgrims in David Ferguson, Alex Lankshear, Hiwula and Billy Chadwick.

The Head arrived amid a season of crisis with Ben Clark in charge as caretaker manager and employees at the club recently finally paid their September wages while an American takeover was being sealed.

But they had lost seven games in a row in the National League and not won one in 11 attempts.

The Pilgrims were in the drop zone with them after three straight defeats and no wins in five league outings.

Rooney won Boston a free kick on four minutes which Bostock sent into the box and Grimes nodded straight to keeper Jameson.

Williams went down in the box as players challenged from a Bowen free kick on nine minutes, but no penalty was forthcoming.

Humula then went down easily in the box soon after and rightly again nothing was given.

Spellman was too high for Gateshead from distance on 23 minutes while at the other end on 31 minutes Jameson had to claw away a low Sachdev cross after he had been found by a crossfield ball by Grimes.

Bostock made room for a shot from almost 25 yards on 35 minutes that dipped too late to test Jameson.

But Hiwula, who was being barracked by home fans at every touch, almost inevitably made the breakthrough on 36 minutes.

The visitors broke well through Chapman who then slipped Hiwula into space in the left of the box and he rifled home an unstoppable near post finish past Chadwick.

Bostock made another good run down the left and crossed hard and low, but the ball deflected off a defender and rolled to the keeper with no Boston player able to reach it.

Aboh's foul on Spellman on 42 minutes saw the first yellow card produced.

Agyeman then had to clear a dangerous cross as Gateshead broke again after a loose header from Shipley set them away again.

There were boos from the home fans as the half-time whistle left the Pilgrims with work to do.

Gent replaced Shipley for the second half for the Pilgrims.

Wheeldon was immediately booked for a foul.

Gateshead had come back out all guns firing with Boston under intense early pressure.

Boston soon found their feet again and Lavery gave away a free kick on 55 minutes 20 yards from the visitors' goal. Bostock curled it low round the wall but Jameson comfortably gathered.

Another free kick soon after saw Gent fire into the wall and the Head broke away with Spellman forcing a parry from Chadwick.

Boston resumed their pressure and some neat passes worked the ball to Aboh on the right and he flashed a shot across goal and wide on the hour.

Spellman was booked for bringing down Agyemang on 63 minutes – and Boston thought they had levelled when Gent curled it in from the left and Rooney headed powerfully home.

But the referee ruled it out after spotting a foul.

Grimes headed a Gent corner at Jameson on 67 minutes as the home side continued to probe.

Cursons and Holmes were sent on for John-Lewis and Bostock,

Chapman missed a great chance to seal the points on 70 minutes when an Hiwula cross was headed to him, but he miskicked his close range volley and Boston were able to breath again.

Seconds later Wheeldon forced a good save from Jameson with a powerful low shot.

Aboh was then agonisingly unable to turn a high left wing cross on target from close in as the home side grew more desperate.

But the deserved equaliser finally arrived on 79 minutes.

Holmes somehow wriggled through several challenges on he left, cut inside and shot low at goal where Jameson saved but failed to hold onto the ball and Cursons was on hand to tuck away the rebound.

Rooney almost won it on 88 minutes as he powered a header just wide of the near post from a Gent corner.

Boston pressed hard at the end and Gateshead escaped from a melee in their box while Ferguson was booked for hauling down Aboh.

The Pilgrims forced a string of corners in added time and when Gateshead failed to clear on 90+5 amid a succession of blocks, Cursons was on hand to gleefully blast home and send the home fans into wild celebrations.

BOSTON: Chadwick, Sachdev, Shipley (Gent HT), Canavan, Aboh, John-Lewis (Cursons 68), Bostock (Holmes 68), Wheeldon, Rooney, Grimes, Agyemang. SUBS NOT USED: Faxon, McBride, Hammond, Pozo.

GATESHEAD: Jameson, Lavery, Ferguson, Lankshead, Hiwula (Supyk 80), Bowen, Williams, John, Spellman (Home 72), Chadwick (Boatswain 80), Chapman (Issaka 72). SUBS NOT USED: Leech, Robinson, Anifowose.

REFEREE: Alan Dale.

ATTENDANCE: 1,394 (44 away).