Men's 3rd XI second best

Kettering travelled to St Ives 4 hoping to bounce back from a couple of league defeats but unfortunately couldn't rediscover their fluent passing hockey.

The visitors competed well for the first quarter of the match without quite getting into their stride. St Ives pressed high up the pitch and when Kettering broke through, possession was lost too easily.
St Ives took the lead when a cross from the right found their left winger unmarked to tuck the ball in at the back post.

Kettering dug deep and successfully defended a handful of short corners but struggled to put the home side under any sustained pressure.

In the second half, Kettering looked to assert themselves on the match and Don Coleman ran through one-on-one with the St Ives keeper. Unfortunately for the visitors, the chance went begging.

As the match went on, the fouls became more persistent and cynical but no cards were produced. This contributed to a scrappy match becoming even less fluent.

St Ives doubled their lead midway through the second half when their forward was given plenty of time to line up a shot that evaded Kettering keeper Ray Norwood.

The visitors kept pushing forward and good work by Ben York earned them a penalty corner. Once again, the opportunity went awry. On the positive side, youngster Adam Mills played well in an unfamiliar role in attack.
Towards the end of the match, St Ives exploited the gaps that had appeared in the Kettering defence and finished the game off with two more goals.

Next week Kettering conclude their league campaign with a home match against Cambridge Nomads. The team will be looking to end the season on a high and play the kind of hockey they know they are capable of.