Men's 3rd XI made to work hard to defeat Cambridge Nomads 3
They don't like it up 'em!
Kettering entertained Cambridge Nomads in their final game of the 2018-19 season. The visitors still had aspirations of finishing second in the league, so it was by no means a dead rubber as far as they were concerned.
The early exchanges were evenly matched but Kettering shaded the possession statistics. Unfortunately for them, the only reward was a few short corners but no goals.
About midway through the half, Nomads took the lead. They broke down their left wing and put a cross into the circle. Sam Berridge was able to partially stop the shot but it still had enough power to cross the line.
Kettering looked to get on level terms and worked well transferring the ball across the pitch to get Harry Chambers and Frazer Cairns attacking down the left. However, goal-scoring chances were in short supply.
At half-time, Kettering were urged to increase the intensity and urgency of their play by skipper Neil Manley. The team duly responded and started the second period on the front foot. 50-50 balls were now being won by the home side and the energy level increased with the running of Andy Bull. Hal Robinson and Ben Smith launched attacks down the right side of the pitch while Jacob Tattersall and Ryan Smith got in the faces of the Nomads midfield to disrupt their rhythm.
As the half went on, the pressure on the visitors' defence increased. Manley fired in a pass to youngster Robinson whose deflected shot forced the Cambridge goalkeeper into a great save. Mark Hawkins put in his customary display of skills and clever play to earn a series of short corners for Kettering. After 17 minutes of the half, the breakthrough came. Neil Freeman hit a perfectly timed shot cleanly through the legs of the Nomads keeper.
The momentum was now very firmly with the hosts and they kept their foot on the accelerator as they searched for the winner. With ten minutes to go, another short corner was awarded and this time Freeman switched the ball to Robinson who was on hand to neatly deflect the ball home.
Nomads were deflated now and Kettering were able to comfortably close the game out and ensure they kept a 100% record for league matches in 2019.