Nomad-ness from Kettering in 3-1 win

The first league game back saw the KM2s travel to Cambridge (again) with 8/13 of the team being under 18! Desperate for a win to restart the league and get to some position of relative safety, Kettering knew they'd have to battle hard to secure three points against a team third in the table.
The game began and Kettering looked poor for the first 15 minutes. Easy turnovers, poor decisions and general cluelessness all contributed to Nomads' goal; the last in a series of short-corners which ended up allowing a Nomad all the time in the world to pick his spot. He roofed it. Fair play. 1-0. However it is a credit to Kettering that they only conceded one, the overall standard of defending was excellent. The KM2s managed to pull themselves together and rallied. After some calm build-up play, Ben York rose above the melee in the opposition 'D' and made the score 1-1. Game on. Kettering now looked all over the game, the level-headed passing play was cutting Nomads wide open. It was nice to see the Kettering players (for the most part) taking time to consider their options and almost always making the right decision. Before the half had died, young Harry Tanser had grabbed a second goal for the away team, elegantly beating the Nomadic keeper with some tight skill after George York had driven along the baseline and found him with a perfect pass. 2-1. Kettering were thrilled to be up at the break, vowing not to let the momentum slide.
The second half began. The away crowd would almost certainly agree that what they were seeing was some of the best hockey that the KM2s had played all season. Too many pieces of individual skill and fantastic team play were witnessed to all be recorded. Tanser grabbed his second and Kettering's third when he scooped the ball reverse-stick over the keeper with the composure of someone who has been playing a lot longer than he has. Nomads were probably regretting filming this bout by that point, especially as their players were barely touching the ball. After the third goal, Tanser decided to start killing the game with twenty minutes to go. At times Nomads seemed to be rallying; in one instance Maxwell Foster gifted the opposition forwards the ball in the 'D' with loose dribbling in a crowded area. Luckily, Archie Colwill was there to clean up and quick transference to Adam Mills and then Mike Lavender relieved some of the sudden pressure. Kettering rode the game out adequately. 3-1 win!
Another trip to Cambridge next week. Let's hope that a similar result occurs...

MoM: Harry Tanser
DoD: Maxwell Foster