Kettering Town v Barwell

Pitching in Southern League Premier Division Central

Saturday 16th August 2025   15:00

Referee: Benjamin  Schofield              Assistants: Luke Pilley and Nicholas Marriott

Kettering would be looking to continue their winning start to the season in this afternoon’s match against Barwell. Barwell had a difficult close season as having believed that they were heading for relegation after finishing in the bottom four. The demise of Farsley Celtic withdrawing from the 2025/26 campaign meant that Barwell having the best points per game of the relegated Step 4 teams received a reprieve. Therefore, their recruiting plans, with a view to tier 5 football, had to be hastily redrawn. An opening day come from behind win after trailing 2-0 showed that Barwell would not be whipping boys.

The KTFC starting line-up that gave an impressive performance on Tuesday evening showed two changes. Levi Andoh picked up an injury and was replaced by Archie Crowther and Finlay Corrigan, who replaced Andi Thanoj at half-time against Leiston, would start the game with Andi on the bench. Levi’s absence left a spot on the bench for new signing Brandon Barker.

The Barwell side contained 5 former Poppies, Tyree Wilson, Sidik Atcha, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner,  Lindon Meikle and  Kornell McDonald.

Thankfully, the predicted blazing sun did not materialise and the game was played under an overcast sky with no wind meaning a more manageable temperature for the players. The pitch looked dry and hard with watering unable to keep up with the ravages of the sun.

Despite warming up at the Prosaw stand end, Kettering occupied the Tin Hat half as Barwell yielded possession. Barwell in an all-lime green strip kicked off attacking the Tin Hat. Barwell had the best of the opening ten minutes with neither side displaying any attacking flair as the visitors rapidly closed down the red shirts allowing the Kettering midfield no time on the ball.

Barwell won a corner after ten minutes when Forsyth shepherded the ball behind for what he thought would be a goal kick but the Referee correctly identified that a Kettering player was last to touch the ball giving Barwell a corner on the open side. Wilson took the kick short to Dowd with Kettering being slow to respond allowing the ball to be swung into the goal mouth but it was cleared by a firm defensive header from Ranger.

Kettering responded by applying some pressure on the Barwell defence with the ball being worked forward to Loza but Jamar could not get the better of Atcha who but the ball out for Kettering’s first corner which came to nothing.

Just short of the quarter hour mark, the game got it is first yellow card when Oppong looking to initiate a Kettering attack from just inside his own half was caught very late by Mancinelli after Eddie had passed him. A couple of minutes later, Finlay Corrigan was looking to build up from deep inside his own half when he was caught by Kane Richards. The  Barwell skipper came off the worse though and required treatment before Kettering could take the free kick.

Shortly after, Richards went to the floor again requiring further treatment. The other players took advantage of the break in play to take on fluids.  Richards seemed to have recovered, and after twenty minutes of play, delivered a dangerous ball into the Kettering penalty area from the stand side. Oppong on defensive duties got in front of the waiting Dowd and headed behind for an unproductive Barwell corner as the ball fell to Wilson but Tyree sent his effort high over the bar.

A long clearance from Osborn in the Barwell goal found Wilson on Kettering’s left. Tyree moved forwards before switching the ball to Dowd on the opposite flank. He ran at the Kettering defence going past three players before returning the ball to Wilson on the angle of the penalty area. The former Poppy hit a looping shot which dropped alarmingly and struck the outside of the base of the far post with Alexander beaten. The loose ball fell to Waite who lobbed the ball into the middle where Dowd had the simplest chance to nod the ball home from 6 yards with the defenders guilty of ball watching. 0-1 Barwell 25 mins.

Kettering looked to strike back quickly. Stanly switched wings and appeared to have immediate success when he drove to the by-line inside Barwell’s penalty area. He looked to have got past Atcha when the defender threw himself bodily at the forward knocking him off his feet and losing control of the ball. Sidik looked to have come off worse colliding with the advertising boards. The Referee went over to investigate but seeing that the player was off the pitch signalled for the sports therapist to administer treatment whilst play continued. Atcha tried to shuffle back onto the pitch to halt play but Mr Schofield was having none of it. After taking as long as possible, Osborn cleared the ball up-field, the goalkeeper having received a signal from his bench went to the floor himself with an “injury” causing the Referee to have to halt the game. With the trainer busy with Atcha, Osborn had to wait his turn. It transpired that Sidik could not continue and would need to be substituted. By a strange coincidence Osborn’s treatment allowing the keeper to continue lasted as long as it took for the Barwell to ready Frances who came on as a replacement for Atcha. The treatment received by Osborn must have been of the highest order as shortly after he took a goal kick and displayed no discomfort from his previously poorly leg.

Kettering were starting to play with more urgency as Barwell were doing their utmost to slow the game down as much as possible with Osborn being the prime offender despite Mr Schofield telling him to hurry up several times.

With about seven minutes of regulation time left in the half, Mr Schofield had to show a second yellow card. Oppong had picked the ball up just inside of the Barwell half in front of the dugouts. He weaved past two green shirts and had just got past the left back ready to race into the open space behind him when he was taken down from behind by Grewal-Pollard who rightfully went into the book.

Kettering has their best spell of the game in the remaining five minutes of the half and the six additional minutes. Oppong looked to get even with the Barwell defence and ran at them down the right wing knowing that the full back could not afford to foul him. He beat two players before the third managed to get a foot in to concede a throw-in deep inside the visitor’s half. The ball was worked to Corrigan who threaded the ball through to Loza who turned two defenders before seeing his shot come back into play after rebounding off the bar. The move broke down when Stanley was adjudged to have fouled McDonald.

A minute later Ranger looked to be in on goal when the ball broke in his favour and he was beyond Frances. He spurned the chance to take a shot and the defender got back to foil the attack. Kettering had plenty of men forward but they got in each others way and Rowe-Turner and Frances rode their luck to crowd out Kettering and clear the ball.

As the clock approached the forty-five-minute mark, Loza broke forward bearing down on the Barwell goal but Frances once again got the upper hand putting the ball out for a corner. Kettering kept up the pressure earning another corner on the open side. The kick was taken short to Crowther who picked out Ranger at the far post who saw his powerful header parried behind by a good save by Osborn.

Inside the six minutes of added time, Oppong picked up the ball on the right wing. Eddie cut inside and ran square across the edge of the penalty area. He generated enough space to take a shot which crept narrowly over the bar. In the last significant action of the half.

  Half Time: Kettering Town 0   Barwell 1

It would have been an interesting half-time talk from Simon Hollyhead in the Kettering dressing after his side only started playing close to their potential after forty-five minutes. The manager has shown he is not averse to changing things at half time and made a double substitution withdrawing Connor Stanley and Findlay Corrigan with the experienced Thanoj and debutant Bradon Barker.

Kettering showed their intent from the kick off going on the attack straight away with a shot from Loza defecting of a defender leading to a corner inside the first minute of the half. Before the kick could be taken, the Referee was not happy with the amount of pushing going on in the goalmouth calling over Frances and Glennon for a brief word. Flynn’s kick from the stand side was cleared but only straight back to Shane where Kettering patiently passed the ball around the edge of the penalty area looking for an opening in the determined mass of Barwell players. The ball reached Barnes whose ambitious shot was high and wide. In the meantime, Kane Richards had gone to the floor for the third time in the game and after receiving treatment was found to be unable to continue and replaced by Amarvir Sandhu with Lindon Meikle taking the captain’s armband.

Kettering were playing with more urgency with Thanoj directing operations in midfield as Barwell were looking to frustrate the hosts and slow the game down at every opportunity and close down the man in possession very quickly.

Seven minutes into the half, the ball was played to the feet of Oppong on the right wing. He was quickly closed down by Sandhu but Eddie managed to get past him only to immediately face Grewal-Pollard who appeared to bundle Oppong off the ball and to the floor for which Mr Schofield awarded a free kick to the defender. The Kettering player required treatment after falling awkwardly on the hard surface with a shoulder injury.

Barwell were executing their game plan to perfection and it was not until the hour mark when it appeared that Loza had pierced the visitor’s defence following a good through ball by Barker but Jamar had jumped the gun and was flagged offside. Once again, the Barwell keeper delayed the restart for as long as possible before the Referee for at least the third time told him to get on with it.

Barwell had not retreated into a defensive shell and when then did come forward they were patient passing the ball well with Mancinelli and Meikle at the heart of things but they were met with a solid Kettering defence with Alexander untroubled until the sixty-fifth minute when Mancinelli picked out Dowd but the shot was straight at the Kettering keeper.

Shortly after, Kettering won a throw in on the open side and a second ball was thrown onto the pitch from the Barwell dug out in order to delay the game. It was not the first time in the game it had happened and Mr Schofield booked the Barwell manager Jimmy Ginnelly for unsporting conduct being responsible for the actions of his staff.

When play restarted, Kettering moved forward again and probed for an opening in the green wall. The ball was worked outside to Crowther on the right wing. Archie lobbed the ball into the centre where it passed over the heads of Ranger and Rowe-Turner dropping on the far side of the crowd. Frances swung a leg at the ball in a desperate attempt to clear it but Loza was quicker and got between the defender and the ball and the only contact made by the defender was on Jamar sending him to the floor. No hesitation from the Referee, penalty! Loza grabbed the ball unwilling to surrender responsibility of the kick to anyone else. Osborn attempted to psych out Jamar by standing over the ball and refusing to retreat to the goal even when told to do so by Mr Schofield which, considering his behaviour so far in the match, would earn him a yellow card for unsporting conduct from a more authoritarian official. With the keeper eventually back on his line Loza approached the ball slowly and deliberately and as Osborn dove to his left sent the ball to his right.  1-1 Kettering  70 mins.

Shortly after, the restart Barwell made a change with Tyree Wilson who could be happy with his performance was replaced by Zayn Hakeem. Following a break in play due to a head injury sustained by Dowd Kettering made their third substitution with Wes York coming on for Shane Flynn.

Kettering applied steady pressure on the Barwell defence maintaining possession whilst pushing forward. The ball was played to Ranger playing as point man when he was fouled giving the hosts a free kick in a central position some 25 to 30 yards from goal. Kettering took the kick quickly but the Referee pulled it back as he was not ready. With a green shirted player standing close to the ball Mr Schofield assiduously marched the defensive wall back to the proscribed distance. York and Glennon stood over the ball before Wes moved out to the flank. Glennon struck a wonderful low drive which nestled into the bottom corner of the goal just inside Osborn’s left-hand post with the keeper having no chance. Will will remember his first Kettering goal for a long time.  2-1 Kettering  77 mins.

Before the restart, the Barwell players had a little huddle on the pitch in the knowledge that they game plan for the second half had been left in tatters and a radical rethink necessary. Unsurprisingly, it was now the visitors that were showing a degree of urgency in their play generating a lot of possession but little or no penetration.

 With ten minutes to go, Nile Ranger made way for Kai Fifield with Loza adopting a more central position. Kettering were looking to make the game safe and a couple of minutes later Thanoj set Loza free on the left. Jamar took on the McDonald the right back and cutting inside of him advanced towards goal forcing Osborn to make a good save at his near post.

Osborn, his game considerably quicker than before Glennon’s goal, was fortunate not to be punished with five minutes to go when Fifield lifted the ball forward towards Loza. The keeper came racing a long way out of his box intending to head the ball away but completely misjudged it is height as the ball sailed over his head but Jamar could not get the ball under his control.

Shortly after, Kettering made their final substitution with Lewis White possibly making his final appearance as a Poppy coming on for Eddie Oppong. No significant action was to take place in the remainder of the match. In the final minute Barwell made their final substitution with Sonny Singh replacing Will Grewal-Pollard.

In the five added minutes of stoppage time, Barker showed his experience in trying to run down the clock drew a foul from Kornell McDonald earning the defender a yellow card for dissent. Fifield also managed to collect a booking. He was shadowing a run by Mancinelli  across the pitch just trying to corral the player who towered over the diminutive Kettering player by some height. Prince stopped to turn causing Kai to lose his footing. Fifield bounced straight back onto his feet and making the slightest contact caused the larger man to tumble to the floor looking for a free kick in a good position. For this Kai received a yellow card. The resulting free kick came to nothing.

Barwell forced a corner deep into injury time and Barwell sent every player apart from the keeper into the Kettering penalty area. The corner came to nothing as free kick was awarded for a foul on Alexander.

.  Full Time: Kettering Town 2  Barwell 1

After a disappointing first forty minutes when few of the Kettering team played with the ability, we know they possess the team fished the half with a flourish but after the impressive display of Tuesday night the supporters were expecting better. Bold changes at half time saw an improvement but Barwell sought to frustrate and break play up and slow the game down at every opportunity. Kettering never gave up though and did not resort to mindless, hopeful, hoofs downfield like we experienced last season. The result was obtained in the end and Mr Hollyhead would have learnt much about his players from today’s game.

Kettering Town yellow cards: Fifield – foul

Barwell yellow cards: Mancinelli, Grewal-Pollard – fouls, McDonald – dissent,

                                      Ginnelly (manager)- unsporting conduct

Attendance: 1141

Kettering Town Man-of-the-Match – Jamar Loza –  Another good performance from Jamar who has produced three very good performances so far this season. It was a shame that he seemed to spend most of the game on the left when, after the interaction between him and Eddie Oppong in the previous two games showed great inter-play and promise for the rest of the season.