Boston Town are breathing down the necks of leaders Sherwood Colliery once more after powering to a fourth successive win.
They were in control for most of the game after Fraser Bayliss gave them the lead early on.
And while the visitors dominated for long spells with a purposeful display, their supporters grew increasingly excited on the sidelines as news filtered in that their closest promotion rivals were both slipping up.
Sherwood lost 3-0 at relegation-threatened Ashby Ivanhoe to allow the Poachers to cut the gap to just two points. For good measure, third-placed Grantham also dropped points with a goalless draw against struggling Blackstones.
Chris Funnell’s side had no such problems despatching a Melton side who are also languishing near the lower reaches of the table.
The Poachers were quick out of the starting blocks, as they so often have been in recent weeks. Finley Ging headed it into the danger area after four minutes and when it broke to Harry Limb on the right, he lofted a clever ball to the far post where Bayliss cushioned a volley in off the far post to make it 1-0.
They could have added to that lead as they bossed the first half, Jordan Tate impressing on his return after missing the whole of February.
Melton came back into the game for a quarter of an hour before the interval, but Luke Wilson’s precise finish from a set-piece routine after 51 minutes eased any nerves.
From then on, Boston never looked back and it was Finley Ging who smashed home a third after 83 minutes to seal the points.
Funnell had the luxury of a strong bench, with Layton Maddison coming on for his first appearance since being injured in mid-January.
Town: Portas, Ging, Smith, Tate (Priestley), Ford, Wilson, Bayliss (Gurney), Archer (Maddison), Munton (Nuttell), Limb (Gibbons), Cotton
Pic: Joshua Hallam
Words: Simon Ashberry
