Match Report KTFC vs Bishop Stortford 14 December 2024

Kettering Town v Bishop’s Stortford

Pitching in Southern League Premier Division Central

Saturday 14^th December 2024   3:00pm

Referee: Richard Wharton           Assistants: Tolga Yildiztepe and Charles Braven

Richard Lavery would be looking to get back his team back to winning ways after back-to-back defeats, granted one was against a professional Football League Doncaster in the FA Cup, but a below par performance at Barwell on Monday losing to an injury time penalty had taken the shine off a season where everything was going Kettering’s way. Royston did the team on Tuesday evening defeating second place Halesowen preserving the Poppies three-point cushion and a game in hand. Today’s game against Bishop’s Stortford who were relegated from the National League North being rock bottom by quite a margin and currently sit in 14^th place in the table in the middle of a group of 10 teams separated by 4 points.

Available for selection after suspension would be Devon Kelly-Evans and Ben Hart. This would be counterbalanced by the continued absence through a groin injury to Andi Thanoj and Lewis White because of the concussion protocol following his head injury in stoppage time on Monday. Also missing from the match day squad was Kai Fifield and Tyree Wilson. Devon Kelly-Evans went straight into starting line-up playing alongside Gary Stohrer in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ben Hart resumed at right-back with Wes York playing in a more advanced position on the right with Dan Jarvis on the left. Harlain Mbayo replaced White in the back four and Dan Jezeph started in favour of Jason Alexander. The sub’s bench would see a host of attacking talent with Miller, Andrade, Ranger and Hooper present with the last spot taken by Alexander. Bishop’s Stortford would be looking to improve on their last visit to Latimer Park when they were on the wrong end on a 6-0 demolition.

The afternoon was bright but a chilly wind was blowing from the Prosaw stand end. There appeared to be little prospect of rain but the pitch looked heavy after much rain in the week preventing Ian Hopewell from conducting much work on the surface.

The teams changed ends before Kettering kicked off with Bishop’s Stortford in all yellow defending the Tin Hat. Kettering attacked from the get-go appearing to be eager to get the job done. In the first minute, York played a ball in from a wide position to the feet of Edwards inside the penalty area. Jonny had trouble getting the ball out from under his feet and was closed down before he could get a shot off and the ball broke to Jarvis. Dan’s side footed effort was blocked but only as far as Devon Kelly-Evans lurking just outside the penalty area. However, Devon Kelly-Evans’ first-time shot was well over the bar. Kettering remained on the front foot forcing two corners Inside the first five minutes but neither came to anything.

The first definitive chance occurred after eight minutes but at the Prosaw end. Bishop’s Stortford in their first real attack had got men forward in numbers. Roberts tried a curling effort aimed towards Jezeph’s left hand post but Hart managed to get in a partial block causing the ball to loop up towards the far post falling nicely for Scott who shot low across the face of goal with Jezeph stranded. With the ball rolling across the open goal Stortford’s new signing Balogun lunged in at the right-hand post looking to get a touch to score. However, the ball eluded him and stuck the base of the post and was cleared by the defence.

Five minutes later, Stortford were made to rue the miss as Kettering took the lead. The host’s showed patience gently applying pressure on the edge of the Stortford penalty area and probing down the right wing looking for an opening. York running away from goal fed the ball to Kelly-Evans on the corner of the penalty who lofted a first-time ball into the penalty area where it was met by Edwards about eight yards out in a central position. Jonny performed a textbook header planting the ball in the top left-hand corner giving the diving Krasniqi no chance. 1-0 Kettering 13 mins.

Kettering continued to look dangerous and when they came forward the visitor’s defence looked harried. Kettering were awarded a free-kick out wide on the open side some 12 yards from the by-line following the latest in a series of fouls on Noel-Williams. Hart took the kick looking to swing it in towards the near post. The kick was not the best, failing to beat the first man who headed it back to Ben. Hart faced by Roberts went to take the ball past him towards the by-line but was bundled over by the Stortford man in an attempt to stop Hart. The referee Edwards took responsibility for the kick and sent the keeper the wrong way with a coolly taken penalty. 2-0 Kettering  22 mins.

After scoring, Edwards felt fit to have verbal’s with the Stortford keeper. Russell got involved with the debate and the net result was that both players were shown a yellow card by Mr Wharton. Three minutes later a high ball was played out of Kettering’s defence. Warner-Eley misjudged the flight of the ball and allowed it to bounce the defender then lost track of where the was, as he was turning round York sprinted in and stole the ball away. Wes advanced to the edge of the penalty area and looking up saw that Krasniqi was off his line. The Kettering man attempted to lob the keeper but his effort drifted narrowly over the bar. Before the match restarted, Noel-Williams went to the floor and required treatment from the sports therapist.

After quite lengthy treatment, Isiah was able to continue. Hart was lucky to escape injury after an awful “tackle” from Roberts which did not even warrant a talking to by the referee but Mr Wharton did see fit to call both captains to him for a discussion when it was Stortford committing all the fouls. Hart looking to punish the visitors took the free kick but it was easily cleared by the defence.

With just under eight minutes left in the half, Jarvis showed his footballing brain and earned a corner on the open side but once again Hart’s delivery was poor going directly into the side netting at the near post.

Kettering finished strongly in the final five minutes of normal time. Kelly-Evans picked out Jarvis on the left wing and Dan worked himself a shooting opportunity but it was blocked by a sliding Thompson. The ball rebounded back to Jarvis who touched the ball inside to York but his shot was straight at Krasniqi. Shortly after, a Jezeph clearance was helped forward by Powell into the path of Noel-Williams. Isiah hit a first time shot from the edge of the area which crossed the face of the goal to narrowly pass by the far post with York unable to cover the distance to force it home.

An additional five minutes was to be played most of it accrued from treatment to Noel-Williams who had received plenty of attention from the Stortford players. As this time was coming to an end Stortford won their first corner of the match. The set piece was partially cleared but only as far as Russell who hitting it on the full sent it high and wide with Mr Wharton call a halt to the half before a restart.

Half Time: Kettering Town 2  Bishop’s Stortford 0

Bishop’s Stortford started the second half showing more ambition than they did the first. In the first minute, they won an early corner which was dealt with efficiency by the Kettering defence. Kettering were also busy at the other end with Noel-Williams creating chances for Stohrer and Jarvis, which both players sent the wrong side of the box. During this spell, Oluwatimilehin exhausted the Referee’s patience who booked for yet another foul by the visitors this time on Stohrer. The defender did try to draw attention to himself for the right reasons with an ambitious shot from range but it sailed high over the bar.

Another Stortford player was cautioned after fifty-five minutes. This time it was Roberts for another foul in the middle of the park. Kettering worked the ball down the right wing and the move finished with a York snapshot from the edge of the area.

Balogun was showing well on his Stortford debut, and was full of running holding up play as support arrived using his strength to hold off defenders before setting up Dasilva with a shooting opportunity which went well wide. Shortly after, he was at it again before feeding the ball back to Scott who, despite the attention of three defenders managed to get a looping shot in from the edge of the penalty area which Jezeph had to palm away for Powell to clear.

Just over an hour had been played when another free kick conceded by Stortford gave Hart the chance to lift the ball into the visitor’s penalty area with Johnson and Mbayo up from the back. Connor managed to get his head to the ball but could only direct it past the post.

Shortly after, Bishop’s had their best spell of the match. A corner from the stand side was delivered right into the danger area by Dasilva needing to be punched clear by Jezeph it fell to Warner-Eley who fed it out wide to Dasilva to try again. The full-back delivered another precise cross which once again had to be punched away by Jezeph. The clearance fell to Roberts who hit the ball far over the Tin Hat. A minute later Stortford earned another corner this time on the open side. Dasilva once again sent in a good set-piece which was met by the head of Thompson which flew narrowly over the bar.

Kettering attempted to alter the flow of the game by making their first substitution after seventy-two minutes with Bruno Andrade replacing Dan Jarvis. The switch did not have the desired effect as the restart after the substitution saw Dasilva from the half-way line lift a high ball forward. It was nodded on into the penalty area where Ogwuazor and Noel-Williams had a coming together. Isiah was making a run for the loose ball and contact was initiated by the Stortford player stretching his leg out across the path of Noel-Williams. Contact was made and both players went to the floor but Mr Wharton pointed to the spot. Scott dispatched the penalty with clinical ease.
2-1 Bishop’s Stortford 74 mins.

Sensing that something could be salvaged from the game before the restart ,Stortford made a substitution replacing Roberts with Fabio Virciglio. Kettering responded well and changed up a gear after appearing to be coasting to the finish line. With eight minutes to go and slick passing move saw Kettering move the ball from the halfway line up to Edwards on the edge of the visitor’s penalty area where he turned the ball into the path of Kelly-Evans who had continued his run after passing to Jonny. Devon took the ball in his stride and struck a fierce shot at Krasniqi’s near post which the keeper turned around the post for a corner. The set-piece from the stand side was headed behind for another corner but the second was headed clear by the defence.

As the game entered into the final minutes of normal time Stohrer collected the ball just inside the Stortford half and carried the ball forward purposely. Urged to shoot by the crowd he refrained from that course of action and played the ball to the fee of York on the edge of the penalty area. Wes twisted and turned with the ball and managed to generate enough separation from his marker to get off a shot. It did, however, clip the covering defender and spooned up into the air. Noel-Williams was quickest to react and pounced on the loose ball and turned in goalwards but it was blocked at the near post by Krasniqi at the expense of a corner on the open side which came to nothing.

There would be an additional four minutes played at the end of the regulation ninety and it proved to be a busy four for Mr Wharton. One of those had been played when a long hopeful ball was played out of the Stortford defence. It was heading into touch and was being shepherded out by Hart. Scott who had been the visitor’s best player allowed his frustration to boil over letting both himself and his team down. Ben in front of the forward slowed down as the ball went out of play at which Scott gave him a two-handed push in the back causing Hart to fall to the floor. To compound this, as his was running over Ben he stamped on the Kettering man. The Referee was very quick on the spot and quickly diffused the volatile situation by brandishing an immediate red card for violent conduct. There was still time for him to book Gary Stohrer for a foul which was nothing compared to what the visitor’s had been dishing out all game and Wes York for assisting in kicking the ball back to where the free kick should have been taken from before play finally ended.

Full Time: Kettering Town 2  Bishop’s Stortford 1

A game of two halves with Kettering dominating the first 45 minutes but only managing to score two goals when the gulf in class should have made the game beyond doubt by half-time. Bishop’s Stortford were content to play a spoiling game resorting to foul play to disrupt the flow of the game both on and off the ball. A more stringent referee would have had much more administration to complete after the game. Stortford put up more of a fight in the second half taking the opinion that they had nothing to lose by going for it. The penalty with a quarter of an hour to go added spice to the end of the game but as so often has happened before Kettering did not retreat into their shell and start defending deeper the team concentrated on moving forward and controlling the game by playing it in the opposition’s half. It is a product of the club’s position that teams will come to Latimer Park with the sole intention of avoiding defeat and preventing the Poppies from playing. It is essential that the team can replicate their first half dominance from today and generate and convert chances to prevent playing against packed defences.

Likewise, Isiah Noel-Williams has come to other team’s attention meaning that he comes in for some rough treatment from opposing players rather than being protected by match officials.

Kettering Town yellow cards: Edwards – unsporting conduct, Stohrer – foul

                                                  York – kicking the ball away.

Bishop’s Stortford yellow cards:  Russell – unsporting conduct Oluwatimilehin – foul

                                               red: Scott – violent conduct

Attendance: 964

Kettering Town Man-of-the-Match – Devon Kelly-Evans –  Returning after his three-match suspension Devon showed the Kettering supporters what they had missed as he took control of the game being at the heart of the Kettering team. Alongside Gary Stohrer, he anchored the midfield allowing Noel-Williams the freedom to roam far and wide closing down opponents in possession and making probing runs forward safe in the knowledge that he was being covered. It leaves one wondering how he would have influenced the FA Cup match if he had been available for selection.