Possession Doesn't Equal Points

With two away fixtures this weekend for the ladies it was always going to be a challenging weekend following last weeks home defeat. Kettering were determined to take a result from today's game with North Staffs having started their season in a similar way. Right from the starting whistle Kettering played some of their best hockey to date with succinct passing and a strong defence seeing them dominate across the pitch. A through ball to Jess Moricca, at about 15 minutes into the half, put her on a 1v1 with their goal keeper and her calm composure saw her slip the ball past to put Kettering in lead. Joint players of the match Meg Forader and Linzi Webster worked without fatigue putting pressure on any forthcoming attacks and creating a number of attacking opportunities. Webster was unfortunate to not score a few goals herself on a number of occasions only being held at bay due to some excellent saves from their keeper. Unfortunately Kettering couldn't retain their lead when one of their players fought through the defence in a scrappy fashion to bumble the ball past Kettering's keeper going completely against the flow of the game. The second half started in much the same fashion as the first with Kettering piling on pressure from all angles of the pitch, with the percentages of missed chances increasing by the minute. Once again a loose ball found an opposition player who gained a questionable short corner which was they tucked away in another scrappy fashion to give the home team the lead. Despite everyone's best efforts Kettering couldn't find the finish they needed and undeservedly lost the game. Positives can be drawn from the game as Kettering's performance and dominance couldn't be faulted and they were only out-done in places due to excessive physicality from the opposition that wasn't reprimanded. Kettering's new look team are building towards a win.