Tanser double helps Men's 3rd XI to emphatic win
Excellent start to league campaign
Kettering's ranks were bolstered for their first match of the league campaign by the presence of experienced winger Paul Brooker. Cambridge South 5th XI were the visitors and Kettering's plan was to dominate from the outset. This duly came to pass and after a period of pressure, the breakthrough came after around ten minutes. Geoff Elliott fired a pass into the circle and when the ball fell loose, Harry Tanser was on hand to tuck it home.
The home side kept the pressure up and their reward was a penalty corner. The training ground work paid off when Ben York fired his shot into the corner of the goal. A typical flowing passage of play involved great interplay from Brooker and Tom Storey down the right flank. The resultant cross was confidently swept home by Ethan Smart to give the hosts a deserved 3-0 lead at half-time.
Kettering's intention was to keep the momentum going into the second half and another short corner was quickly earned. Another slick routine saw Tanser unleash an unstoppable shot into the corner of the goal.
The home side were rampant and their passing and movement off the ball was far too much for the visitors to contend with. An elongated series of passes involving many players culminated in a cross coming in from the right wing. Elliott timed his run to perfection and his first-time shot was perfectly placed into the corner of the goal.
From yet another short corner, Kettering went to their playbook and the clever pass back to Brooker allowed him to calmly slot home. There was still time for the home side to be denied a penalty when a goal-bound shot hit a defender on the line.
With five minutes to go, Kettering slightly blotted their copybook when a run from the Cambridge South central midfielder was allowed to carry on into the circle. His bobbly shot somehow managed to evade several Kettering sticks and trickled into the net.
All in all, a very confident and dominant display that delighted skipper Neil Manley and impressed the onlookers.
Next week Kettering travel to St Neots 5 hoping to carry on in the same vein.
You can read Cambridge South's version of events here: