Hot Day, Hot Heads, Too Hot to Handle

We squandered a great opportunity against Ipswich. From 0-1 at the end of the first-half, we were punished in the second-half, spending most of the game defending, but nonetheless conceding 2 goals. At least the journey there passed quickly. Some cars were, apparently, smellier than others, and some certainly had better tunes. We arrived beneath a blazing sun, and, as we slowly piled into a snug changing-room, we were pleased to see that Pat's moustache had escaped his face. We were keen to escape the sticky indoors, which was adorned with warnings about asbestos and motivational signs encouraging us to give 100%, so our tactical talk occurred on the pitch. Sweat soon poured from our foreheads.

The game was immediately feisty, yet it never became outright nasty. This first match in a higher league dramatically demonstrated the differences in quality, physicality, and expectations between last season's ease and the year to come. These higher standards are what we must emulate to succeed in Division 1. Despite the rough and tumble, the Kettering squad battled through the first-half, and Sam Tattersall, making his debut, continued his summer-league form, scoring our only goal. A short-corner - potentially one of Sellers's ad hoc routines rather than one we practiced - was saved, so Tatty slammed the rebound across the line. 0-1. We spent the rest of the half on top, but unable to further our lead, nor were Ipswich docile. They had a few good chances, and seemed a bit slicker than us, yet, like us, couldn't score. The first-half ended with us still ahead, though increasingly under pressure.

The game was ripe to be clinched, but Ipswich came out wanting it more. Fatigue, poor communication, and complacency all took their toll. Our basics collapsed. Ipswich scored near the half's start. From a long-corner, some quick passing found us asleep, and a tidy reverse-stick shot levelled the game. Still reeling at this frustrating start, we lacked focus, and soon conceded a second goal. 2-1. We spent the rest of the half defending. Things got increasingly physical. Grant wore an opposition player's shoulder as a facemask; Matt made a fantastic save that didn't matter because the whistle blew as he made it, and a supporter called Luke ugly. The occasional short-corner we won came to nothing. It was rare to see all 22 players on the pitch throughout this half. Ipswich won a short-corner as the game ended, but nothing came of it. All we could do was attempt to get cold and dry, enjoy the beers paid for by the umpires (take note all); and analyse where we went wrong.

MoM: Matt Coe (to quote Lewis: 'The best of a bad bunch')

DoD: Andy Sellers (inventing new and fruitless short-corner routines mid-game)

#EatYourCarrotsTatty #WorstDressedTeamInTheLeague #MeltedChocolateShowertime