It's probably fair to say that Evans has 'matured' somewhat since his days at Boston but rightly or wrongly those times are well documented. Always controversial, he nearly served a prison sentance in 2006.
Here's how Wikipedia reports his time with the Lincolnshire club.
After resigning as Stamford manager he was appointed manager of Boston United in October 1998. He managed Boston to promotion from the Southern Football League to the Football Conference in 2000 and subsequently to the Football League in 2002. Both promotions have since been overshadowed by revelations of off-the-field cheating.
Evans was suspended by Boston as manager on 4 July 2002 after a much-publicised Football Association investigation into "contract irregularities". He later resigned as manager of the club in September 2002, after still being suspended by the club. He was found guilty by The FA in December 2002 of impeding an FA inquiry into contract irregularities.
Evans was also suspended from the game for 20 months in January 2003 for involvement of the affairs of Boston, in which players' contracts lodged with the FA contained false salary details. Evans was further accused of impeding the inquiry and fined £8,000. Evans lodged an appeal against charges in May 2003, but The FA rejected his appeal later that month and the punishment stood.
An announcement was made on 20 February 2004 that Evans would return as Boston's manager on 2 March. In September 2005, Evans and four other people connected with Boston appeared in court, denying fraud charges.
In November 2005, Evans was given a £1,000 fine, suspended for a year, after admitting to using insulting or abusive words to the match official in a match against Peterborough United in October 2005.
On 11 February 2006, he was escorted from Grimsby Town's stadium Blundell Park by Humberside Police at half-time, after he berated the fourth official after being incensed when Grimsby goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall appeared to handle the ball outside his area and was immediately spoken to by a police officer after a complaint of alleged foul and abusive language. After the match Boston chairman Jon Sotnick accused the football authorities of waging a "conspiracy" against his manager.
In October 2006, Evans was linked with the vacant Darlington managerial vacancy, but Boston chairman James Rodwell and Evans both denied the link Also in October, Evans was sent from the dugout after an altercation with Wycombe Wanderers player Tommy Doherty.
After pleading guilty to conspiracy to evade tax, on 3 November 2006 Evans received a one-year suspended sentence and a £1,000 fine. Despite these events, Evans kept his manager's position at Boston, a decision that angered the Boston United Supporters' Trust.
In March 2007, Evans was left with only 11 professional footballers for the relegation clash with Bury. Although players were back from suspension, Evans was left frustrated after players such as Barnsley's on-loan striker Nathan Joynes quit the club, which left him with just 12 fit senior players and he was forced to put 16 and 17 year olds on an incomplete substitute's bench. After drawing 1–1 in their penultimate match of the season against relegated Torquay United, Boston needed a win against relegation rivals Wrexham to avoid the drop out of league football.
On 5 May 2007 Boston faced Wrexham in a win or bust situation, and things were looking good for the team when Francis Green opened the scoring for Evans' outfit, who lead 1–0 at half-time, but in the second half United conceded a penalty kick, which Wrexham defender Ryan Valentine converted, and so was the goal that sent Boston down. Two late goals from Chris Llewellyn and Michael Proctor rubber-stamped Wrexham's survival and saw Boston lose 3–1.
On 8 May 2007, Evans pledged his commitment to the club despite their relegation and return to non-League football. However, on 27 May, Evans and his assistant manager Paul Raynor resigned from Boston with immediate effect.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Steve Evans at Boston
