Match Report KTFC v Redditch Utd 09 Nov 2024

Kettering Town v Redditch United

Pitching in Southern League Premier Division Central

Saturday 9th November 2024   3:00pm

Referee: Lewis Mountain              Assistants: Kurt Bartlett and William Doyle

After the magnificent result last week at Sixfields, Richard Lavery would be determined to have his team produce the same intensity and determination this weekend for a league match at Latimer Park. Whilst Kettering were performing in the FA Cup, the chasing pack in the league could not take advantage of the otherwise occupied Poppies and left Kettering holding onto the top spot with a healthy goal difference and two games in hand. Today would see another top of the table clash with Kettering entertaining fourth placed Redditch United just one point behind Kettering in the table. Today’s opponents Redditch, boast the best away record in the league similar to last season having won 6 of their 7 away games with the only defeat coming at Bedford. Last season saw Redditch take six points off the Poppies assisted by the mysterious dismissal of Lewis White at the Valley Stadium.

Richard Lavery would field an altered side from the cup-tie winning team being able to name only five substitutes after nine for the FA Cup. Unavailable for selection would be, captain Connor Johnson, serving a one match suspension for accumulation of yellow cards. Harlain Mbayo would fill in in the back four with Devon Kelly-Evans assuming the captain’s responsibilities. Jonny Edwards, restricted to a spectator role last weekend due to being cup-tied, is available and would bring a fresh pair of legs up front. With an eye to Tuesday’s tough trip to Telford, a careful marshalling of his forces was required. Andi Thanoj was omitted from the squad with his place being taken by Gary Stohrer making his first start of the season. Bruno Andrade dropped to the bench to accommodate the return of Edwards. The bench looked loaded with attack minded players but with little cover for defensive substitutions.

The afternoon was as it had been all week in Burton, grey and overcast, requiring the floodlights to be on from the start. There was no discernible wind and the pitch was ideal for football. Before the game started, there was brief act of remembrance including a two-minute silence which was impeccably observed by all in attendance.

Redditch, in an all-blue strip with white trim, kicked off attacking the Pro-saw stand and had the first attack of note inside the first minute. The ball was fed to the feet of Onabirekhanlen on the edge of the Kettering penalty area who then played a fine angled ball along the ground enabling the rapid Johnny Johnston to nip in behind the Kettering line to collect it. He ran parallel to the six-yard box looking for an opening to shoot, but he was shepherded by Powell who got a foot in to dislodge the ball from the Redditch man’s possession into the care of Stohrer who cleared the ball. It was followed shortly after with a Redditch free kick being lifted into Kettering’s penalty area, but it was comfortably collected by Jezeph.

Kettering’s first offensive move was a powerful run by Noel-Williams which led to the first corner of the game after only three minutes. The set-piece on the stand side was taken short by Wilson to Hart positioned on the angle of the penalty box where he lifted the ball into the middle it was met by Edwards who hit a first-time half-volley which flew just wide of the post.

Redditch won their first corner after ten minutes. The ball was lifted into the penalty area where it was cleared by a combination of the two shortest players on the pitch Kelly-Evans and Wilson.

Just before the quarter hour mark, determined work by Edwards pressurising the left back saw his endeavours rewarded with a corner on the stand side. The corner by Hart from the stand side was lifted into the middle. The keeper Smith declined to come for the ball initially, which was headed goalward by White. Smith decided to advance to this but he could not get to the ball due to the crowd of players in front of him challenging for the ball in the air it was nodded away from goal but was met by Lewis’s head a second time angling the ball towards the right-hand post. Smith groped for the ball as it passed him but it arrived at Edwards who pivoted and stabbed the ball home from close range. 1-0 Kettering  15 mins.

Kettering kept the pressure on and Redditch were struggling to hold on. Dawkins took this too literally after twenty minutes as Noel-Williams was carrying the ball forward the Redditch man grabbed his arm to try and haul Isiah back. Mr Mountain blew for a foul and produced the first yellow card of the afternoon. The resulting free kick aimed towards the far post was too close to the keeper who collected the ball with ease.

Three minutes later Noel-Williams in the middle of the park played a diagonal ball down Kettering’s left wing for Wilson. Ty skipped past the right back and squared a tantalising ball towards Edwards some six yards out but his shot was blocked behind by a vital intervention by Olofinjana. The corner from the open side by Hart found Mbayo unmarked in the middle. Harlain’s stooping header bounced towards the left-hand post but was pushed behind at the last moment by Smith for a corner on the stand side. This corner came to nothing as the Referee blew for a free kick to the visitors.

On the half hour mark, Stohrer set Hart free down the right wing. After playing a one-two with Noel-Williams, Ben cut inside and shaped up to curl the ball in the top corner of the far post but the ball failed to curl sufficiently and drifted high and wide. Kettering were straight back on the attack with Noel-Williams driving hard to the by-line before cutting the ball back into the middle but it was plucked out of the air by Smith.

One got the feeling that Kettering would be made to pay for not increasing their lead after a dominating spell of the game and they were. A looping ball was played forward by Redditch coming down midway inside the Kettering half. Mbayo facing his own goal appeared to have the situation under control but a shoulder in the back from Onabirekhanlen as Harlain went to control the ball floored the defender. The forward took control of the loose ball, and in acres of space, advanced into the penalty area before slotting the ball past Jezeph on his near post. 1-1 Redditch 33 mins.

Redditch were fired up looked to build on their equaliser. Four minutes after the goal, Powell became the second player to be booked for a foul on Shaw who was looking to hit Kettering on the counterattack. Onabirekhanlen almost doubled his tally five minutes after his first. Atwal sent another looping ball forward. Powell having just been booked refrained from doing anything rash and Onabirekhanlen broke into the Kettering penalty area this time he tried to put his shot to Jezeph’s right but also put it past the far post.

Inside the final five minutes of the half, Mbayo conceded a free kick some thirty yards out. Atwal lifted the ball into the penalty area but Jezeph came out to collect. No further action occurred in the remainder of the half including an additional minute.

Half Time: Kettering Town 1  Redditch United 1

Kettering kicked off the second half with no changes to either team but it was the visitors who started the second half the better team. An early Redditch corner had to be defended being cleared by Noel-Williams. Johnston showed well advancing down the open side but his curling effort drifted wide of the far post. Long balls from keeper Smith were giving Johnston a chance to use his pace but Kettering’s defence held firm.

With just under ten minutes of the second half gone, the complexion of the game changed completely. Kettering pressing forward moved the ball outside on the open side to Kelly-Evans. Devon’s lifted ball into the box was met by a Redditch head but the ball went almost straight into the ground where Edwards latched onto it. Jonny pivoted and shot in a fluid movement and his powerful shot struck the arm of Rowley who was attempting to block the shot. Much to the disgust of the Redditch players, Mr Mountain pointed to the spot. Ranger stepped up to take the kick and planted the ball cleanly to the Keeper’s left. Smith planting his right foot to drive off appeared to lose grip resulting in the ball hitting the back of the net.2-1 Kettering  55 mins.

Redditch’s feeling of injustice aimed towards the Referee were increased as straight from the restart they pressed forward. Johnston, carrying the ball forward, took a tumble just inside the Kettering penalty area with White shadowing the forward but Mr Mountain waved the appeals away. Redditch kept the pressure on winning a corner but Atwal’s set piece was dealt with by the Kettering defence.

With an hour played Ram was advancing down the middle of the pitch but was stopped with a foul by a defender earning the visitors a free kick just about central some thirty yards out. Atwal looked to catch Jezeph napping but Dan was fully alert and caught the ball with ease and started a quick counterattack bowling the ball out to Wilson. Ty took a touch and looked to be racing into yards of open space on the stand side, before being cynically taken out by Burton with the ball nowhere near earning the defender a rightful booking.

A couple of minutes later, Edwards was fouled out wide on the open side level with the edge of the penalty area. Hart lifted the ball into the penalty area the ball was nodded on it’s way by  defender. Wilson scurried after the ball and turned it back into the crowded penalty area. The ball broke to Kelly-Evans on the edge of the box who pushed the ball towards White. Lewis with his back to goal squared the ball to Edwards four yards to his left in space who hit a first time left footed volley which gave Smith no chance.  3-1 Kettering  63 mins.

With a two-goal cushion, Kettering looked to play the game out and made their first substitution after seventy minutes with Luca Miller coming on for Isiah Noel-Williams. Four minutes later, Kettering swapped out another two players with Ranger and Wilson departing to make way for York and Hooper. Redditch added to the disjointed nature of the game by making a triple change a minute later with three dangerous players leaving the fray Johnston, Onabirekhanlen and Atwal to be replaced by Fitzgerald, Cameron and Davidson-Miller.

The game was very scrappy at this stage with the multiple substitutes causing disconnects in both teams. Redditch made their fourth substitution with just over five minutes to go with Leydon coming on for Burton.

The Redditch’s opinion of the referee got even worse when with just under five minutes of the match remaining Redditch got a corner on the stand side. Substitute Fitzgerald’s kick played towards the near post was flicked towards goal by the head of Cameron. The header was directed into the ground and bounced up onto the thigh of Jezeph before clawed away by Dan being very close to or over the goal line. The linesman on the right side of the pitch to judge decided that the whole ball had not crossed the line and Mr Mountain waved play on to the disbelief of the visiting players and fans.

There was one moment of controversy left in the game when, with under two minutes left on the clock, Redditch looked to break from the halfway line. Mbayo on the shoulder of the player gave a gentle tug on the players shoulder to halt the move. Much to everyone’s surprise Mr Mountain produced a yellow card followed by a red indicating that in his opinion he had already booked the player. Harlain was unaware of the booking, and if he had of done, would not have committed the offence as there were at least two Kettering defenders between the forward and the goal.

The referee must have realised his mistake as he played no additional time and blew on the dot of ninety minutes despite a slew of substitutions, the penalty and treatment to Redditch’s Atwal.

Full Time: Kettering Town 3  Redditch United 1

Any fears that the performance level would drop after the glitz of last Saturday at Sixfields were unfounded. Jonny Edwards came into the side and led the line well with a brace and it was his shot which led to the penalty. Richard Lavery has a squad with a bench full of subs who are more than capable of matching the performances of the starting players. Changes were made due to suspension and the need to rotate the squad, but the spirit in the camp is such that normal service was continued.

Kettering Town yellow cards: Powell – foul Yellow followed by Red Mbayo – foul.

Redditch United yellow cards: Dawkins, Burton fouls.

Attendance: 1846

Kettering Town Man-of-the-Match – Jonny Edwards –  Jonny put the disappointment of missing out on the team’s cup exploits by demonstrating why the club were so keen to bring him to Latimer Park. Two goals to add to the one scored at Bromsgrove proves that he knows where the goal is and will score given the service. He is the player that Kettering has been missing for many seasons a proven goal scorer.