St Ives Town  v  Kettering Town

Isuzu FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round

Saturday 4th October 2025  3:00pm

Referee: Martin Beard                           Assistants: Aiden Murphy and Corey Green

With the team sitting out last weekend thanks to the FA Cup defeat at Quorn, Simon Hollyhead has had a 10-day period in which his squad could recover from illness, injuries, and train together to improve on their last outing where they surrendered two points to10-man Stamford. Today would see the team make a familiar trip along the A14 to St Ives for our fourth meeting in the FA Trophy since moving to Latimer Park, with only one of these competed in Northamptonshire which resulted in a 1-0 home defeat in 2013. Two seasons later, Kettering reversed the scoreline on a Friday evening. The last Trophy meeting between the teams in 2023 saw Kettering concede 3 goals before a spirited fight back left the hosts clinging on to win 3-2.

Kettering would field another new defensive line with Anthony Stewart making his club debut partnering Caden Voice in a central pairing of a back four flanked by, making his first start for Kettering, Aksum White and Levi Andoh. Alfie Lewis was restored to the starting XI alongside captain for the day Andi Thanoj and Ismael Fatadjo in midfield. Nile Ranger would lead the attack supported on either side by Connor Stanley and Jamar Loza. The substitutes bench looked particularly strong. Missing from the squad were Will Glennon suffering from a cold, Ai Fifield who received at knock at training on Thursday evening joining George Forsyth and Shane Flynn on the injured list.

Michael Richens captain of Kettering’s 2018-19 league winning squad would lead St Ives.

The afternoon was overcast but storm Amy was threatening to spoil the game as a gusting wind was blowing hard from the turnstiles diagonally across the pitch.

Kettering in red shirts and white shorts kicked off with St Ives in black and white striped shirts and black shorts defending with the strong wind to their backs.

Kettering had the first shot of the game when Fatadjo could only send his shot wide of the post. St Ives responded with a good move of their own with a long ball forward which was collected by Hadi. He sent a ball angled towards the far post where it was nodded back into the middle where Adams completely misjudged his effort sending the ball high over the bar threatening the houses backing onto the ground more than Kettering’s goal.

From the restart, Kettering moved the ball with purpose to the opposite end where Loza managed to break clear of his marker but only found the side netting with his shot.

This was followed by a period of dominance by the hosts as they took control of the game. Almost ten minutes had been played when Kettering has cause to thank Alexander for keeping the game level. Liam Cross managed to find space in front of Kettering’s back line and from 20 yards sent a low shot aimed at the bottom corner of the goal but Jason, diving to his left, needed all of his expansive reach to get a hand on the ball to turn it around the post for the first corner of the game. Kettering failed to clear the resulting corner and Richens pounced on the loose ball in the penalty area but sent his close-range shot over the bar with the goal begging.

Alexander was tested again on the quarter hour mark when Amir progressed down Kettering’s right. From a wide position, the St Ives man tried an ambitious wind assisted shot from range. Jason parried the firmly struck shot and gathered it in at the second attempt.

Three minutes later, St Ives were threatening down their left wing once more and a ball was swung into the box. Alexander punched the ball away unwilling to attempt a catch with a forward in close proximity ready to capitalise on any error. Shortly after, St Ives won a throw in on the clubhouse side level with the edge of the penalty area. Creary delivered a long throw aimed towards the near post which was cleared by Stewart but only straight back to the taker who immediately returned the ball into the goalmouth where it was contested in the air by two players with a corner being awarded to the hosts. The set piece from Kettering’s left was lifted into the area where the defence cleared the ball but once again only to the taker. Presented with a better angle from which to deliver a cross, the St Ives player sent a tantalising hanging cross swing across the goal. Richens failed to connect with the ball with his head as the ball went out for a goal kick on the opposite side passing by untouched another good chance failing to be taken.

It was all St Ives at this stage and on the half hour mark Cross was once again given the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box but sent his effort high over the bar. A couple of minutes later, fortune favoured Kettering. Awarded a free kick midway inside Kettering’s half Richens lifted the ball towards the penalty spot. Alexander made a clear loud call for the ball and advanced from his goal to collect the ball. For some reason Jason completely misjudged the flight of the ball and failed to make any contact. This caught a St Ives forward completely unaware as the ball struck him in the stomach and bounced into the hands of the relieved goalkeeper.

Having been under the cosh for the majority of the first half Kettering got a foothold back into the game in the final ten minutes of the half. Aksum White drove down Kettering’s right flank with purpose before delivering a good cross towards Ranger at the far post. Nile nodded the ball down for Fatadjo who from inside the 6-yard box and with the goal at his mercy could not hit the target and sent the ball wide.

Kettering were starting to build some pressure on the St Ives goal moving the ball around well amongst themselves on the edge of the penalty area trying without success to prise an opening.

As the forty-five minutes expired, Alexandrou fouled Lewis in midfield conceded a free kick and, like Aksum White a few minutes earlier, was talked to by the Referee who left the player in no doubt that he was on his final warning and any further infraction would result in a yellow card. The kick was lifted forward to Ranger who had Idehen climbing all over his back conceding another free kick right on the edge of the penalty area. Thanoj stood over the ball but before he could take the kick the Referee had to intervene to try and reduce the amount of pushing, pulling and holding occurring in the crowded box. With order partially restored, Thanoj lifted the ball into the area where it was headed up into the air where flailing arm and bodies could not get a positive touch on the ball before Richens was able to comprehensively clear the ball for the last action of note of the first half.

  Half Time: St Ives Town 0   Kettering Town 0

Neither side made any changes at half time but the strength of the wind appeared to have decreased.

Inside the first minute of the second half, St Ives were awarded a free kick just outside Kettering’s penalty area which Richens sent straight at Alexander. Barely a minute later, the game got it’s first yellow card, the first of many in a not by any means dirty game, when Hadi committed a foul on White this time on the edge of the host’s penalty area. Thanoj sent the free kick a couple of feet over the bar.

Fifty minutes had been played when Fatadjo set up a good chance for Ranger inside the St Ives penalty area but Nile’s shot from about 12 yards, lacked power and was straight at Taylor who has no doubt fielded more forceful back passes in his career.

Five minutes later, Hadi tried his luck at the other end from 25 yards but his weak shot was watched all the way by Alexander as it passed wide of post.

Ten minutes into the half and the Referee showed the second yellow card this time to Loza after causing Alexandrou to go to the floor for a supposed accumulation of offences.

Two minutes later, St Ives got the decisive breakthrough following a string of passes by them on the edge of Kettering’s penalty area capped of by a good one-two between Hadi and Richens which saw the St Ives’ No. 7 clear through on goal giving Alexander no chance with a good finish. 1-0 St Ives 57 mins

Kettering tried to respond immediately with Thanoj taking the restart and the ball being threaded forward for Loza to run onto. Taylor was alert to the danger though and was out quickly to get to the ball before Jamar. St Ives quickly switched play from attack to defence and Alexander had to be on his toes to prevent Richens doubling the host’s lead with a fierce shot.

Five minutes after falling behind, Simon Hollyhead made wholesale changes with a triple substitution with Ranger, Stanley and Lewis being replaced by Powell, York and Oppong. St Ives also made a change with Jernade Meade who appeared troubled with a hip injury being withdrawn in favour of Jahrel McKoy.

With Kettering needing a goal St Ives were looking to strike on the counterattack as the Poppies committed numbers to the attack and with a little over twenty minutes to play, Cross attacked down the wing before sending over a deep cross aimed towards the far post where Hadi had stolen in. The cross was a little high for the goal scorer and his header went tamely behind for a goal kick.

Kettering, aware that time was slipping away, were playing with more urgency and the ball was worked forward to Loza who had drifted out to the left, He drove forward and looked to deliver a cross but it deflected behind for a corner. Jamar took it quickly short to Fatadjo on the corner of the penalty area who returned the ball to Loza who fired in a shot but again straight at Taylor in the St Ives goal.

With fifteen minutes to go, Kettering were applying pressure moving the ball well but St Ives were defending in numbers and the visitors could not generate an opening in order to make an attempt at goal. As the move broke down and St Ives moved the ball downfield, White remained on the floor in the host’s penalty area suffering from cramp. As play came to a natural pause the Referee halted the game to allow Aksum treatment from the bench continuing the work that Taylor the goalkeeper had sportingly already commenced. Kettering wasted no time as a defender was seen as expendable considering their current position in the game and White was substituted to enable Micah Anthony to come on and make his debut for Kettering with the team changing to a back three.

As the game entered the final ten minutes of regulation time, the Referee appeared to want some of the limelight and, as in the Stamford game, started to get card happy flashing yellow at every opportunity.  First up was Richens booked for a foul on Andoh, as the defender was making a direct route at goal striding up the middle of the pitch, with Michael having a nibble at Levi while he was on his way. Play was brought back as no advantage was gained for a free kick a midway inside the St Ives half. It was expected from the Poppies fans but it was a restrained Richens performance compared to what Michael is capable of providing. The free kick was wasted eventually going behind for a goal kick.

Before the game restarted, St Ives made their second substitution with forward Jamal Adams being replaced by Gibou Njie. St Ives were content to hold on to their lead looking to soak up pressure with plenty of men behind the ball and hit Kettering on the counterattack when the opportunity arose as the visitors wee forced to commit more players forward.

Kettering supporters feared the worst when Cross on a forward run into Kettering’s penalty area tumbled to the floor after coming together with Voice. The sounding of the whistle could have meant curtains for the visitors but the decision went in Kettering’s favour with the forward having pulled down the defender. The wind had affected the home players all afternoon losing their footing on the slippery surface. Shortly after Andoh was penalised on the edge of Kettering’s penalty area with a free kick awarded and Levi booked. The set piece came to nothing.

Inside the final five minutes, Powell drove into the St Ives penalty area before pulling the ball back to Anthony who set up Fatadjo with a shooting chance just outside the penalty area but once again the shot was directed straight at Taylor for an easy stop.

Ismael showed his frustration shortly after at the opposite end conceding a free kick on the edge of his of his own penalty area when Alexandrou went to ground despite looking to have already lost his footing before Fatadjo made contact. Thus becoming the third Poppy to be cautioned. Richens direct free kick bent wide of the goal.

As the ninety-minute mark was reached and seven additional minutes were announced, St Ives lifted the ball forward towards Kettering’s penalty area. Alexander came out to collect the ball but Hadi chasing ran into the keeper and went to the floor in apparent agony. Jason cleared the ball downfield as time was fast running out but the Referee stopped the game and scampered over to the downed player to check on his condition. The Kettering keeper remonstrated with the official in with his opinion that it was an attempted deception to waste time. He was promptly booked for offering his opinion as St Ives’ medical team raced on to treat their player. The injury must have been real as after having been treated the player could not understand why he was forced to leave the field despite him being the cause of the game to be stopped. Judging by the pace he returned to the field when being waved back on by the Referee the injury was nothing physical.

At the death, Kettering forced a corner for which Alexander went forward in a desperate attempt to force penalties. Before the kick could be taken, the Referee had to try and quell the understandable amount of pushing and pulling going on in the crowded goalmouth. After a melee in the box, Stewart headed the ball towards the far post but nobody could get a touch on the ball as it trickled past the post for a goal kick along with Kettering’s interest in the competition.

 Full Time: St Ives Town  1  Kettering Town  0

Another short FA Trophy campaign by Kettering. It is now 5 years since the team contested more than one match a season in the competition going back to 2020. Like storm Amy, Kettering showed plenty of bluster but the team showed little in attack. Taylor in the St Ives goal was not tested materially once in the whole 90 minutes with every Kettering attempt at goal either being off target or directed straight at the keeper. The team showed a little more urgency after the triple substitution but St Ives effectively choked Kettering’s attack by defending in numbers and breaking forward quickly when offered the chance of a counterattack. Kettering’s forward play was too pedestrian giving the well organised hosts time to marshal their defence with Richens taking command and leading by example. In contrast, Kettering have had three different captains’ in the last three matches with the captain’s armband being nothing more than a fashion accessory rather than denoting the leader of the team there to inspire, encourage and motivate the team to battle for the team and it is supporters. Kettering supporters want to see a side willing to strive for victory and are comfortable with defeat when the loss is despite a concerted effort by all those wearing the Kettering shirt rather than a meek surrender. Too many times, clever flicks, tricks and insightful through balls went straight to the opposition losing possession. One goal in the last two games, and that a superb individual effort will not cut the mustard with the fan base. With the next game at Alvechurch doing well on a fraction of the Kettering budget it is vital that a game is rearranged for the vacant Saturday due to Redditch’s continued involvement in the Trophy. Not only to generate some much-needed cash flow due to the run of away fixtures but to convince the Kettering public of the quality and ability to produce consistent results and prevent a winter of discontent settling over Latimer Park. One positive point from this game was the performance of the new defensive unit with Stewart and White making their first starts for Kettering. The one problem is that Voice is only on a 28-day loan when he shows a maturity in his game beyond his 19 years.

 St Ives Town  yellow cards: Hadi, Richens – fouls

 Kettering Town yellow cards:  Loza, Andoh, Fatadjo – fouls  Alexander – dissent

Attendance: 322

Kettering Town Man-of-the-Match –Levi Andoh.