SPALDING UNITED 1 KETTERING TOWN 1
So it was a trip to Spalding for the Poppies on Saturday to take on The Tulips. This was always going to be a difficult fixture for us as Spalding were a much different side to the one we tore apart at Latimer Park in August. Ex Peterborough Sports and Scunthorpe United manager Jimmy Dean was now in the home dugout and on Saturday's showing he's put together a side that might not be the prettiest team to watch but one that will be very difficult to beat.
Kettering were again without Andi Thanoj who's still not recovered from the injury he picked up in the FA Cup game with Doncaster Rovers. We really missed him I though as he is definitely one that could have unlocked the well organised Spalding defence. Add to that Isiah Noel-Williams didn't feature to as he was unavailable for the game our legs and energy (Isiah) and playmaker (Thanoj) in that midfield were not there and it did show at times.
I'm not going to try and dress the game up into something it wasn't. It was a pretty poor game with neither side really taking control. The pitch wasn't great and the wind was pretty strong so good football was always going to be hard to play. The first half was a pretty non event. Spalding had a half chance when Darnell Johnson, who I thought was easily Spalding's best player sent a volley from a corner straight at Dan Jezeph.
Now we have had some pretty poor refs this season but the man in black on Saturday is easily one of the worst we have had. Not giving a free-kick right on the edge of the Spalding area after Luca Miller had his legs swiped away from underneath him was one strange decision but not as strange as him awarding Spalding a free-kick when Tyree Wilson was clearly fouled in the area. I've just watched the highlights back and it's as clear a penalty as you will see, how the ref came to the decision he did is just baffling really.
There were no goals at the break and as the teams came back out for the second half the match pretty much followed on from where the first ended. It was scrappy with neither side really in control. Some chances were carved out though, ex Poppy Lamine Sherif missed his kick when only a few yards out from goal and lanky striker Bartosz Cybulski saw his header deflect wide for a corner.
At the other end Wes York saw his effort well saved by Tony Breeden in the Spalding goal and Ben Hart shot into the side netting when he found himself eight yards from goal. The game was looking as if it was going to fizzle out into a nil-nil bore draw but on 82 minutes we took the lead. Hart put over a corner and skipper Connor Johnson, unmarked planted his header past Breeden and The Poppies were ahead.
Now all we had to do was manage the game and see the lead out. But just four minutes later another ex Poppy Nathan Fox found his way past Hart and into The Poppies area where he went down under a challenge from Johnson. From my view at the other end it looked a stone wall penalty. But the highlights clearly show CJ didn't even go to make a challenged, he's slipped and him doing so has taken him into Fox. But either way the penalty was given and Cybulski stepped up and beat Jezeph low to his left.
There was no more chances in the game and the referee blew for full-time and both sides took a point. A point each was the right result but after going a goal ahead with eight minutes left I'm sure Lavs and the lads will be gutted we have only drawn. News then came through that Halesowen had netted a 95th minute winner in their game and the lead at the top of the table was down to just one point.
As I said earlier in this write up we really missed Thanoj and Noel-Williams, having said that I thought young Luca Miller who came in for Noel-Williams was superb and probably our best player on the day. Being top of the league and our two FA Cup games being on TV is seeing teams raise their games when they play us. They will defend deep, sit back and look to hit us on the break and the last few games it has been a struggle to break these teams down.
A little bit of creativity is needed, hopefully Andy Thanoj will be back fit soon, Isiah will be back for Boxing Day and the big rumours at the game yesterday of Callum Powell is on his way back to Latimer Park almost three years after he was sold to Southend United will only help us try and unlock these tight defences we are coming up against.
Full-Time : Spalding United 1 Kettering Town 1
Att: 935 (I'd estimate a good 300 from Kettering)
Poppies Team: Jezeph, Hart, Mbayo, Johnson, Powell, Kelly-Evans, Stohrer, Miller, York, Edwards, Wilson (Sub Ranger)
Subs (Not Used) : Jarvis, Fifield, Andrade, White
Bookings: Hart, Edwards, Kelly-Evans
#UTP Kettering Man Of The Match: Luca Miller
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