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Match Report

vo-Stik League South Premier Division Central

Saturday 1st December 2018   3:00pm

Referee: Mark Tinsley     Assistants: Karl Bainbridge  and Christopher Hunter

More musical chairs on the bench with Lindon Meikle, Luke Graham and Rhys Hoenes all returning after not starting the match against Redditch United. Graham's inclusion was explained by Declan Towers finally succumbing to an injury which he carried through the mid-week game, so Kettering effectively had, all be it a strong one, a four man bench. Two familiar faces lined up for St Ives the discarded Ben Baker and Munashe Sundire. 

On a mild dry afternoon but with a wet and heavy pitch Kettering kicked-off attacking the BM Pallets end with St Ives, looking like council bin men, clad in an all orange strip.  Kettering were on the attack from the off and were awarded a corner in the first minute but Marcus Kelly's kick failed to beat the first man. Shortly after Kelly showed great skill in turning his marker and lifting a ball into the box where Dan Holman nodded it on only for the linesman to flag for the first of many offside decisions. On eight minutes Lindon Meikle threaded the ball through to Dion Kelly-Evans but his hard low cross was blocked behind by Robert Parker throwing himself into the path of the ball, a commitment to defending shown by the St Ives team all afternoon. On the quarter hour Kettering managed to get the ball into the net. A looping cross by Lathaniel Rowe-Turner on the left was turned back into the middle by Rhys Hoenes for Aaron O'Connor to nod home but the linesman rightfully adjudged that the ball had crossed the by-line before Hoenes centred it.  Six minutes later on one of their few trips into Kettering's half St Ives were awarded a throw-in half way inside the half. It was thrown to Ben Baker who had the time to turn and pick out the unmarked  Ollie Snaith who five yards out had the easiest of chances to pick his spot to give his side the lead from their first attack.  0-1 St Ives 22 mins.   Kettering were still on the front foot and may feel aggrieved that they were not awarded a penalty.  LRT played a neat one two with AO'C and got to the by-line on the overlap but his cross into the box was cut out by the sliding Jarvis Wilson who appeared to control  the ball by almost catching it.  The referee saw no offence and waved play on. Minutes later Meikle wasted a good opportunity when he played the ball into the box to AO'C who laid the ball back into Lindon's path but he put his effort past the post without troubling Martin Conway the St Ives keeper. Just before the half hour Jarvis Wilson picked up the first caution of the day for taking out Hoenes without coming close to playing the ball. Three minutes later and St Ives won their first corner of the match.  Parker took a poor kick which was headed away by DKE but straight back to Parker who being 10 yards closer to goal produced a much improved delivery to the far post where the unmarked Sam Cartwright nodded home from six yards out. Two chances, two goals.  0-2 St Ives 32 mins.  St Ives who came into the game expecting nothing were flying. It got even better seven minutes later when the visitors broke from defence Ben Baker advanced with the ball towards Durrell Berry and pushed the ball past him and ran straight into the defender to win a free kick and a caution for Berry.  The free-kick from about 30 yards out was struck well by Danny Kelly but without a great deal of pace and from such a range Paul White had a good view of it but seemed to be rooted to the spot and watched it all the way into the net.  0-3 St Ives 39 mins.   Kettering had a chance to pull one back before half-time when a ball was played into the penalty area for Holman to run onto to produce a shot on the turn but he only found the side netting. A difficult cause became a nigh on impossible one when five minutes before half time Dan Holman was shown a straight red by Mr Tinsley.  Subsequent replays show the decision to have been rather harsh  and it is understood that Kettering will be appealing against the suspension.  It could have been even worse as two minutes before half time a free-kick awarded for a foul on Sundire.  It was taken quickly and if not for the alertness shown by DKE another 1v1 against White would have resulted.  Kettering managed to see out the rest of the half and the two added minutes with no further disasters.

Half Time: Kettering Town 0  St Ives Town 3

St Ives kicked off the second half with Kettering's usually tight defence having conceded three first half goals for a second successive game. No doubt, the half time team talks in the two dressing rooms could hardly have been more contrasting. If Kettering were going to salvage anything from the game an early goal would be vital. In the 46th minute DKE attacked down the right wing but lost his footing and possession on the edge of St Ives penalty area. Baker took the ball and travelled the length of the pitch untouched before unleashing a shot that was just wide. Kettering took the ball straight back up the other end to win a corner which managed to beat the first man for a change but the tall defenders managed to head to ball clear without being troubled.  Eight minutes in and Kettering made their first change with Gary Stohrer replacing Berry. Further substitutions followed  breaking up the flow of the game with Kettering pressing and probing to no effect with St Ives happy to defend in numbers and retain their well earned lead and take as long as possible over throw-ins and substitutions with Ty Ward booked for time wasting and George Bailey for kicking the ball away. Hoenes took a tumble in the penalty area when crowded by a pair of defenders and appealed for a penalty but the referee was as equally unimpressed, as he was, when a similar appeal was made in the first half. Rhys' reputation might be spreading amongst the match officials. Kettering caused a slight stir in the St Ives penalty area after seventy minutes where a free kick into the area was scrambled away by the defence after ricocheting around for  brief period.  Mr Tinsley was the busiest man in the second half generally trying to keep the game from grinding to a complete halt and issuing five yellow cards. White and Conway were virtually spectators for the second half not being called on to make any real saves apart from routine collections and catches. Stohrer and DKE also spent long period standing forlornly out wide in acres of space, as did Toseland on his introduction, willing for the ball to come their way but it was inevitably played up the middle for the massed ranks of orange to snuff out. Kelly was working tirelessly collecting the ball on the edge of his own penalty area ready to initiate another attack but St Ives were resolute and well-drilled. LRT picked up a yellow for dissent when after being fouled while advancing with the ball continued advancing wanting to play on. The referee objected and then objected to Snoop's placement of the ball in order to take a quick free-kick, thus ensuring that St Ives could muster a full ten players behind the ball. He insisted that the ball be placed a couple of yards further from the goal some forty yards out.  With a quarter of an hour to go Milnes was fouled some twenty yards out but his kick was wasted as it was sent straight into the wall. The referee condemned the home fans to endure a further five minutes of added time, surprisingly little for the gamesmanship shown by St Ives, but if it was fifty-five minutes Kettering would have struggled to effect the scoreline.  This was evidenced three minutes into stoppage time when AO'C was brought down from behind for the award of a penalty.  Ben Milnes took the kick and kept it low enough to hit the fix-auto sponsors board on the tin-hat rather than clearing the stand.

Full Time: Kettering Town 0 St Ives Town 3

At the risk of repeating myself “Abysmal defending by Kettering in the first half “. However with Holman in the dressing room there was no way back for Kettering to salvage anything from this game. No Kettering player produced a performance which they are capable of.  The match sponsors had the unenviable job of selecting the man of the match.  They have to take responsibility for this shocking display coupled with Tuesday's performance and step up to the plate if this season is not going to end in disappointment after such a promising start to the campaign.

Kettering Town yellow cards:  Berry – foul, Milnes-foul, Rowe-Turner-dissent

Redditch United yellow cards:  Wilson J- foul, Ward- time wasting, Bailey-kicking ball away  

Attendance: 653

Elgoods Brewery Kettering Town Man-of-the-Match – Marcus Kelly