Four days with ten goals scored, one conceded and six points won, the two winning games against AFC Sudbury sets us up for a cracking Southern League Premier Central fixture on Saturday when we entertain Quorn at Latimer Park, kick off at 15:00.

Quorn in Leicestershire, is primarily famous for being the historic home of the Quorn Hunt, one of England’s oldest and most prestigious fox hunts established in the 17th century. It is also known as a picturesque, affluent village with a preserved 1940s railway station on the Great Central Railway and as the namesake for the popular meat-substitute brand.

The Methodists, achieved a convincing 2-0 home win against Banbury United with a goal in each half last Saturday. This result witnessed their sixth win in the last ten games. Quorn have three wins (2-0 Banbury United; 1-0 home win against Real Bedford; 1-4 away victory at St Ives) one draw (4-4 Bury Town away) and single defeat (4-1 versus Halesowen Town) in their last five games. This leaves The Methodists, who share previous managers Marcus Law, Richard Lavery with KTFC, currently managed by Ryan Beswick, five places above KTFC in fourth place, with just six points separating the teams with the former having played two games more. In the form league, they reside in seventh place with ten points from their previous five games. However, they are in a creditable fifth place in the comparative away standings having achieved thirty-one points from seventeen games with six away wins.

For the Poppies, with the league deadline to sign new players looming next week it is envisaged that there may be changes to the current squad. However, no club announcements have been made at this juncture. For Quorn, there is a possibility that their top scorer Zak Goodson with seventeen goals this season may be suspended for the Latimer Park fixture.

KTFC, following their 6-0 demolition of AFC Sudbury, have seven victories in their past ten games. Four wins (6-0 at home and 1-4 away against AFC Sudbury; 1-0 at home to Bromsgrove; 2-0 at home against Stratford Town) and one defeat (0-2 Alvechurch) over their last five games, scoring thirteen and conceding only three.

Kettering are in sixth place in the league’s form table taking ten points from a possible fifteen in our past five matches but are eleventh in the overall home table securing twenty-seven points from fifteen games. The run-in is beginning to sort the possible play-off contenders with both Real Bedford and Banbury (who the Poppies play on Tuesday) dropping valuable points in midweek. The Poppies recent exceptional form sees the Club relentlessly striding up the table residing in ninth place with fifty-four points, only three points off the playoff places with two games in hand on current fifth placed Halesowen Town and Quorn in fourth.   

At the top of the table league leaders The Bees travel to Alvechurch, Spalding United, in second, are away to St Ives, Real Bedford entertain AFC Stamford and Halesowen, in fifth, are at home to newcomers Bury Town.  

With the teams only meeting twice before, Kettering Town defeated The Methodists 2-0 in the corresponding away league fixture at the Farley Way Stadium on 08 November 25 with goals in each half from Fatadjo and Bitemo and Quorn won the FA Cup fixture 1-2 with Eddie Oppong scoring to make it an exciting ending to the game.

With nine games left to play, six at home, to get four points out of our next two home games would be a great achievement for Liam McDonald’s side. However, both sides have all to play for and it will be a cracking game where a win is the paramount outcome. So let’s get behind Liam and the team today to secure three points.

Enjoy the game.

                                                         QUORN

Season        V        Comp           F-A     Att:   Poppies Scorers

2025-26        A        PISLPC        2-0     690    Fatadjo, Bitemo

                     A        FAC2Q         1-2     757    Oppong

POPPIES                WINS:           1                  GOALS FOR:                      3

METHODISTS        WINS:           1                   GOALS AGAINST:               2

Played for both clubs (18)

Carl Adams, Lawrie Dudfield, Craig Attwood, Wayne Diuk, Jamie March, Scott Goodwin, Russell Hoult, Andrew Osei-Siribour, Ash Robinson, James Jepson, Kalern Thomas, Henry Eze, Ben Bradshaw, Charlie Marzano, Tyree Wilson, Devon Kelly-Evans, Declan Towers, Kai Fifield.

Managers of both clubs (2)

Marcus Law, Richard Lavery.

Managers (3)

Doug Keast, Lawrie Dudfield, Russell Hoult.

Assistant manager of both clubs (2)

Paul O’Brien, Tom Cherry.

Assistant Manager (1)

Russell Hoult

League debuts (3)

Lewis Coyle             08:11:25 (a)

Preston Bitemo       08:11:25 (a) scored on debut

Ryan Monga            08:11:25 (a)

QUORN

Manager                           Ryan Beswick

Ground                             Farley Way Stadium

Nickname                         The Methodists

Position in League           4^th       60pts from 35 games

Top League Scorer          17       Zak Goodson

FORM
POPPIES                WWLWW     12pts

QUORN                  LWDWW      10pts

THE METHODISTS SO FAR….