Kettering Town’s opening fixture in the Southern League Premier Central features an away trip to Royston Town where we have a chequered past as we focus on the future seasons prospects with the match preview.
Ground Garden Walk
Manager Chris Watters
Nickname Crows
Position (last season) 11th 57 points (20 behind the Poppies)
Pre-season
Wingate & Finchley 1-3 L
Ware 1-0 W Laciofano
Cambridge City 4-0 W Laciofano.2, Price, Boorn
Chesham United 2-2 D Laciofano, Boorn
Hemel Hempstead Town 0-3 L
Hitchin Town 0-1 L
Cheshunt 2-2 D Toiny-Pendred, Trialist
New players – Anton Matthews – Witham Town, Josh Boorn – Bracknell Town, Joe Laciofano – St Albans City, Oxford City, Hampton & Richmond, Jack Thomas – Cheshunt, Freddie Price – Bowerspitsea. The return of Luke Warner-Eley.
Head 2 Head
Season V Comp F-A Att: Poppies Scorers
2013-14 H CLD1C 5-0 669 Gooding (p), Sandy, Moreman, Logan, Jepson
A CLD1C 0-0 234
2014-15 H ESLD1C 5-0 607 Kolodynski.3, Hall, Sandy
A ESLD1C 2-1 446 Sandy, Ogbonna
2017-18 H ESP 4-1 500 Solkhon, Stevens, O’Connor, Meikle
A ESP 3-4 410 Meikle, Stevens, Solkhon (p)
2018-19 H ESLSPC 1-0 661 O’Connor
A ESLSPC 1-0 559 Holman
2023-24 H PISPLC 3-1 555 Mellors-Blair (p), Own goal, Lewthwaite
A PISLPC 0-4 446
2024-25 H PISLPC 1-0 1326 Loza
A PISLPC 0-1 584
Most goals in a game for the Poppies v Royston Town (3)
David Koloyndski (2014-15)
Most goals in Poppies career against Royston Town (3)
David Koloyndski, Elliott Sandy.
Played for both clubs (11)
Goalkeepers
Richard Nugent, David Theobald, Paul Bastock, Tommy Hull, Rhys Hoenes, Tom Knowles, James Brighton, Josh Oyinsan, Claudio Ofosu, Jonny Edwards.
League debuts (3)
Andrew Osei-Siribour 22:02:2014 (h)
Reubus Richard-Noel 25:10:2014 (a)
Andrew Watts 13:12:2014 (h)
Kettering Town players sent off v Royston Town (1)
Dan Jezeph 07:09:2024 (a)
Royston Town players sent off v Kettering Town (2)
Sam Corcoran 2018-19 (h)
Oluwakoyejo Dawodu 2024-25 (a)
Kettering players scoring an own goal v Royston (1)
Tom Marshall 03:02:18 (a)
Own goals scored by Royston Town v Kettering Town (1)
Harvey Beckett 2023-24 (h)
TRIVIA
Dan Jezeph controversially sent off last season (hand ball) in the 0-1 defeat. A game the Poppies dominated but couldn’t find the net. Both teams were later down to 10 men as the Crows Dawodu was also controversially sent off (on the field for 24 minutes).
Only 3 Poppies remain who started that game, Wes York, Kai Fifield and Andi Thanoj.
Royston have 3 of the 12 encounters against the Poppies – all at Garden Walk, and successive wins 1-0, 4-0.
Last away win 2018-19, 1-0 – goal scored by Dan Holman.
