Our game on Saturday had it all, six goals, a sending off,  a penalty, two pheasants on the pitch and an away supporter who thought that he could prevent a throw in being taken, who says that Non- League football isn’t exciting? Following the hard fought 3-3 draw against Bury Town, KTFC return to Latimer Park where AFC Sudbury are the visitors for Match Day 22 on Tuesday kick off 19:45.

The Suds, who engaged in a remarkable 5-5 draw at home to Halesowen Town on Saturday, thought they had won the game with a 95-minute strike but were crestfallen to see a 98-minute equaliser hit the back of the net. Despite being in and around the relegation zone for much of the season, Sudbury visit Latimer Park on somewhat of a run of form, irrespective of having only won two games from their past ten outings. Their record over the previous five matches has been impressive securing two wins (2-3 away at Stourbridge and 2-1 at home against St Ives) together with three draws (3-3 away at Royston Town; 2-2 at home to Bromsgrove) and the 5-5 thriller last Saturday). These results see Sudbury reside in nineteenth place, still in the bottom four in the league, achieving only eighteen points from twenty games. In terms of the form table, The Suds lie in sixth place, nine places above KTFC, with nine points from five games. However, Sudbury’s away form reflects their league position with only five points achieved from ten games leaving them twentieth in the away form table having shipped twenty-seven goals but scoring eleven with Pearce on five goals and leading scorer Lewis on six for the season to date.

Meanwhile, Kettering Town have picked up five points in our last three unbeaten games and despite a lacklustre start to Saturday’s game, showed a commitment and drive to come back twice to secure a draw against a combative Bury Town side.

Over the past five games, KTFC have endured two losses (2-1 at Stamford; 3-0 away at Bromsgrove) and one win (5-0 at home vs. Stourbridge) and two draws (at Halesowen 1-1 and the 3-3 home result against Bury Town). KTFC remain in eleventh place in the league achieving twenty-nine points, six points off the play-offs places although Redditch United and Barwell have games on Monday.

Form-wise, the Poppies are firmly in the lower half of the table in fifteenth place with five points from our last five games. However, in the home form table they are in sixteenth position with fifteen points from our last ten games.

When it comes to promotion hopefuls, the top five do not have a game until Saturday, with the notable exception of Harborough Town, who return to league action on Wednesday after their cup exit when they play Stourbridge away.

With Christmas almost upon us, the games are coming thick and fast and Liam McDonald has moved swiftly to bolster his attacking midfield options with the arrival of loanee Ethan Fitzhugh from Gateshead FC. We have played The Suds four times over the past two seasons with the Poppies being victorious in all four games. However, we meet free scoring Sudbury in a rich vein of form and whilst the league table does not lie, the unpredictability of any result of should make for an entertaining fixture under the floodlights at Latimer Park.

Enjoy the game.

COYP!

AFC SUDBURY

Season         V        Comp         F-A     Att:    Poppies Scorers

2023-24        H        PISLPC        2-0     647     Jarvis, Yussuf

A        PISLPC        1-0     445     Reindorf

2024-25        H        PISLPC        2-1    1439    Johnson, Miller

                     A        PISLPC        1-0     383     Pennant

POPPIES WINS                 4                           GOALS FOR                      6

THE SUDS WINS              0                             GOALS AGAINST               1

DRAWS                            0

Players who have played for both clubs (8)

Goalkeeper

Glen Beech*, Sam Banya*, Trevor Slack*, Trevor Quow*, Gary Setchell, Bradley Thomas, Paul Walker, Finlay Corrigan.

*Sudbury Town.

League debuts (1)

Alex Gudger            01:02:25 (a)

AFC SUDBURY

Manager                           Danny Lewis

Ground                             The Elite Travel Stadium

Nickname                         The Suds

Position in League           19^th – 18pts from 20 games

Top League scorer           9 – Marcel Lewis

THE SUDS SO FAR…..