Men's 3rd XI hit Cambridge South for 6

Kettering Men's 3rd XI resumed league action after a couple of weeks off and recorded an emphatic win when they visited Cambridge South 5.

Kettering welcomed back Ben Mills into the midfield and he made an immediate impact with some incisive passes into the forwards Mark Hawkins and Paul Brooker. Subsequently, Kettering forced a series of short corners early in the match. Hawkins came close with a deflected effort while Mills was crowded out by the defence. The visitors made the breakthrough when Nick Cusk took it upon himself to have a shot from yet another short corner. Cusk spotted a gap and powerfully put his flick into the bottom corner.
Kettering were bossing the game and they doubled their lead after 20 minutes. Mills fired a pass into Hawkins who cleverly deflected the ball into the path of Neil Manley. The captain's first time shot was saved by the diving Cambridge keeper but Manley reacted quickly and tucked away the rebound.
For the remainder of the half, Kettering continued to press for a third goal but they resorted to a more direct approach which the hosts were able to deal with. At the other end, goalkeeper Sam Berridge was a virtual spectator in his league debut.

After the break, Kettering made a conscious effort to rediscover the passing style from the first half and it duly paid dividends. A through ball found Hawkins in space at the top of the circle. He controlled it expertly with his reverse stick before smashing the ball into the bottom corner. Youngsters Josh Cox and Jacob Tattersall really put their stamp on midfield in the second period and they combined to create the fourth goal. Good approach work resulted in a shot from Tattersall at the back post which was goalbound until it hit a defender's foot. Manley sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to despatch the resultant penalty flick.
The visitors had their tails up now and extended their lead midway through the half. Mills slid a pass through to Tattersall who decided to go it alone instead of passing to Hawkins, who was in space. The Kettering youngster exhibited great composure and close control to evade a couple of defenders before firing a shot into the bottom corner.
Kettering continued to press forward and the Cambridge defence struggled to cope with the pressure applied by Mills, Hawkins and youngsters Hal Robinson and Harry Tanser. Another series of short corners resulted but initially Kettering were a bit wasteful and didn't trouble the home goalkeeper. Finally, in a symmetrical fashion, Cusk wrapped up a comprehensive victory with a flicked shot that was too powerful for the Cambridge keeper.

Next week, Kettering look to continue their good run when they entertain Peterborough 7ths.