“Disappointing afternoon all round” is how Liam McDonald summarised KTFC’s first loss in seven games following Monday’s 0-2 defeat away to Stratford Town. However, with only four games left to play, the Poppies are looking to bounce back with a win today at Latimer Park against Worcester City, kick off 15:00.
The club are expecting another bumper crowd and are asking fans to arrive early to ensure access to the ground.
‘The Faithful’ had an unbeaten bank holiday when they secured a 3-1 home win against promotion hopefuls Redditch United and a well deserved 1-1 draw away at Bury Town. With six wins in their last ten games, Worcester have proved a credible force in the league achieving two wins (3-1 versus Redditch United and a 1-0 victory over Needham Market), a 1-1 draw against Bury Town and a single 0-1 defeat away at Leiston in their past five games. This leaves Worcester, managed by Chris Cornes, three places below KTFC in ninth place, with sixty-one points from thirty-nine games with only three points separating the teams with KTFC having played one game less. In the form league, they are in ninth place over the past five games taking eight points from a possible fifteen and in the comparative away standings reside in fourth place just behind the top three in the league for the season taking thirty-two points from twenty games.
It was confirmed in the week that due to a niggling injury, which likely would’ve ruled him out for the remainder of the season, Worcester City FC have parted ways with their top goal scorer Dan Sweeney.
KTFC, have lost only twice in their last fourteen games and in our last five matches achieved three wins (2-1 versus third place Real Bedford; 2-5 away against Barwell; 3-1 against Quorn) together with a single draw (0-0 at home to Banbury United) and a 0-2 defeat away to Stratford Town scoring ten and conceding six.
Kettering are fifth the in-form league, taking ten points from a possible fifteen in our past five matches and are ninth in the overall home table with thirty-four points from eighteen games. The Poppies are just outside the playoff places in sixth with sixty-four points, with just three points separating five teams all vying for the fourth and fifth place finish.
At the top of the table, league leaders Harborough Town, looking to secure the Division title, travel to fourth placed Halesowen, second placed Spalding United entertain KTFC victors Stratford Town, Redditch United in fifth host third placed Real Bedford. Of the chasing promotion pack, Quorn making the long trip to Leiston and Needham Market are at home to lowly Barwell.
Last time out, the Poppies secured a hard fought 1-1 draw at Sixways with a goal from Ranger. However, despite the previous head-to head tally being one up for KTFC the games against The Faithful have always been well contested affairs affairs and given their positive record against higher placed teams this game in the run-in could provide to be a banana skin.
With four games left to play, three at home, Poppies have a chance at playoff glory. The permutations are less in number but not less complex to predict.
So let’s get behind Liam and the team as the exciting run in goes down to the wire.
Enjoy the game.
WORCESTER CITY
Season V Comp F-A Att: Poppies Scorers
1925-26 A FAC1 0-0 5000
H FAC1R 0-0 5475
N FAC12R 2-1 2100
1930-31 H BDL 6-2 1000 Starsmore.2, Sparkes, Seddon.S.3
A BDL 1-3
A BL 1-2 Woolhead
1950-51 H SL 3-0 1376 Joyner.2, Bazeley
A SL 1-2 Puplett
1951-52 H SL 2-1 4679 Puplett.2
A SL 1-3 Gallacher
1952-53 H SL 3-4 3199 Whent, Gray, Laing
A SL 1-3 Reynolds
1953-54 H SL 4-1 Dixon, Wyldes.3
A SL 2-1 Lamie, Jenkins
A SLC1 1-1 Lewis
H SLC1R 4-2 Middlemiss, Toseland.2, Jenkins
1954-55 H SL 1-2 Robinson
A SL 0-3
1955-56 H SL 7-0 2497 Thomas.3, Dixon, Canning, Goodwin, Robinson
A SL 2-3
1956-57 H SL 3-1 3595 Thomas, Robinson, Toseland
A SL 2-2 Moss, Toseland
1957-58 H SL 4-0 3331 Draper, Morrow.2, Toseland
A SL 0-2
1958-59 H SLNW 3-2 2875 Draper.2, Plummer
A SLNW 3-2 Draper.2, Froggatt
1959-60 H SLP 4-2 Neale.2, Draper, Froggatt
A SLP 1-1 5968 Draper
1961-62 H SLP 1-2 1731 Curran
A SLP 3-1 Parsons, Golding, Ritchie
H MFC 0-2 876
A MFC 1-4 789 Ritchie
1962-63 H SLP 2-2 1238 Randall.2
A SLP 1-2 Walker
A SLC1 2-0 Walker, McCorkindale
1963-64 H SLP 0-0 1295
A SLP 1-1 Randall
H SLC3 1-1 1220 Daldy
A SLC3R 2-3 Daldy, Tebbutt
1964-65 H MFC 1-0 780 Salmon
A MFC 1-4 2027 Kerry
1965-66 H MFC 2-2 549 Pacey, Own goal
A MFC 2-4 1070 Salmon, Goodhall
1966-67 H MFC 1-0 1415 Gully
A MFC 2-2 1018 Martin.2
1967-68 H MFC 1-1 860 Daldy.B
A MFC 0-2 1126
1968-69 H SLP 5-1 2459 Gully.2, Daldy.B.2, Gammon
A SLP 2-7 2453 Smith, Walden
1969-70 H SLP 3-0 1255 Ashby (p), Lawman.2
A SLP 0-2 1685
1970-71 H SLP 2-3 1002 Gully.2
A SLP 2-4 975 Gully, Walden
1972-73 H SLP 0-0 1724
A SLP 2-2 1075 Webster, Harrington
1973-74 H SLP 2-2 2010 Clayton, Myton
A SLP 2-2 869 Pawley.2
1977-78 H SLP 0-1 1419
A SLP 4-0 1294 Clayton.2, Kellock, Dixey
1978-79 H SLP 3-5 2422 Dixey, Phipps, Clayton
A SLP 0-3 7286
1979-80 H APL 0-0 2706
A APL 4-1 1984 Phipps.2, Mcllroy.2
1980-81 H APL 1-0 1798 Atkins
A APL 1-2 2087 Curtis (p)
1981-82 H APL 0-1 1223
A APL 1-1 1096 Evans
1982-83 H APL 4-1 784 Banton.2, Hofbauer, Duggan
A APL 2-6 884 Duggan, McGoldrick
1983-84 H APL 0-1 1033
A APL 3-0 861 Denyer, Hofbauer.2
1984-85 H GOLA 1-0 1167 Jeffrey
A GOLA 2-1 1307 Smith, Fee
2001-02 H DMP 4-1 1571 Murray.2, Watkins, Diuk
A DMP 1-1 1152 McNamara
2004-05 H NCN 2-1 643 Paterson, Rowan
A NCN 2-2 1113 Lynch
2005-06 H NCN 2-1 962 Moore.2
A NCN 0-2 867
2006-07 H NCN 1-1 1597 Marna
A NCN 0-2 1190
2007-08 H BSN 3-0 1181 Brady, Westcarr.2
A BSN 3-2 938 Dempster, Marna.2
2025-26 A PISLPC 1-1 1112 Ranger
POPPIES WINS: 31 GOALS FOR: 150
CITY WINS: 30 GOALS AGAINST: 136
DRAWS 22
POPPIES STATS:
Highest home win: 7-0 1955-56 (SLP)
Highest away win: 4-0 1977-78 (SLP)
Highest home defeat: 0-2 1961-62 (MFC), 3-5; 1978-79 (SLP)
Highest away defeat: 2-7 1968-69 (SLP)
Highest home attendance: 5475 1925-26 (FAC1R)
Lowest home attendance: 549 1965-66 (MFC)
Highest away attendance: 5968 1959-60 (SLP)
Lowest away attendance: 789 1961-62 (MFC)
Most goals in a game for the Poppies v Worcester City (3)
Jackie Starsmore (1930-31), Steve Sneddon (1930-31), Bobby Wyldes (1953-54), Bob Thomas (1955-56)
Most goals in a career for the Poppies v Worcester City (6)
Ken Gully
Played for both clubs (34)
Jack Goodwin, Phil Mason, David Moore, Derek Duggan, Trevor Peck, Owen Wright, Anton Thomas, Mark Tucker, Recky Carter, Gary Pick, Kevin Shoemake, Mark Whitehouse, Neil Ellis, Ian Scott, Paul Harding, Christian Moore, Mark Danks, James McKernon, Kevin Spencer, Gareth Seddon, Tom Kemp, Ellis Deeney, Liam McDonald, Calum Flannagan, Nicholas Wright, Dan Nti, Michael McGrath, Kyle Perry, George Forsyth, Dan Jezeph, Alex Gudger, Kieron Dawes, Kobe Chong, Jack Thompson, Connor Stanley.
WORCESTER CITY
Manager Chris Cornes
Ground Sixways Stadium
Nickname The Faithful
Position in League 9th – 61pts from 39 games
Top League scorer 13 Daniel Sweeney
FORM (LAST 5)
POPPIES WDWWL 10pts
CITY DLWDW 8pts
CITY SO FAR….
| Date | Comp | Opposition | R | F-A | Att | Goalscorers | ||||||
| Aug | 9 | PISLPC | Quorn | L | 0-1 | 986 | ||||||
| Aug | 12 | PISLPC | Banbury United | D | 1-1 | Stoddart | ||||||
| Aug | 16 | PISLPC | Needham Market | L | 0-1 | |||||||
| Aug | 23 | PISLPC | Bury Town | D | 2-2 | 738 | Ceesay, Guinan | |||||
| Aug | 25 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | W | 3-0 | Miles.2, Sweeney | ||||||
| Aug | 31 | FAC1Q | Chasetown | D | 1-1 | 871 | Lockett | |||||
| Sep | 2 | FAC1QR | Chasetown | L | 2-3 | Lockett, Mills(p) | ||||||
| Sep | 6 | PISLPC | Kettering Town | D | 1-1 | 1112 | Hamilton | |||||
| Sep | 10 | PISLPC | Stourbridge | D | 2-2 | Howard, Downing | ||||||
| Sep | 20 | PISLPC | Real Bedford | L | 1-3 | 1012 | Belmonte | |||||
| Sep | 23 | PISLPC | Alvechurch | D | 0-0 | 657 | ||||||
| Oct | 4 | FAT3Q | Rugby Town | D | 2-2* | 561 | Sweeney.2 | |||||
| Oct | 14 | PISLPC | Stratford Town | L | 0-1 | |||||||
| Oct | 18 | PISLPC | Bishop’s Stortford | W | 2-0 | 787 | Sweeney, Own goal | |||||
| Oct | 21 | PISLPC | Bromsgrove Sporting | W | 3-0 | 899 | Wise.2, Sweeney (p) | |||||
| Oct | 25 | FAT1 | Alvechurch | D | 0-0** | |||||||
| Nov | 1 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | W | 6-0 | Hayward.2, Ceesay, Mills, Belmonte, Lockett | ||||||
| Nov | 8 | PISLPC | Leiston | D | 1-1 | 862 | Lockett | |||||
| Nov | 11 | PISLPC | Stamford AFC | W | 3-0 | Lockett, Belmonte, Sweeney | ||||||
| Nov | 15 | PISLPC | Barwell | W | 2-0 | Lockett, Palmer | ||||||
| Nov | 18 | PISLPC | Stourbridge | W | 3-2 | 822 | Belmonte Sweeney.2 | |||||
| Nov | 22 | PISLPC | Harborough Town | L | 1-2 | 830 | Burns | |||||
| Nov | 25 | PISLPC | Alvechurch | L | 0-2 | |||||||
| Nov | 29 | PISLPC | Royston Town | W | 1-0 | 750 | Burns | |||||
| Dec | 6 | PISLPC | St Ives Town | L | 1-2 | Sweeney | ||||||
| Dec | 13 | PISLPC | Spalding United | D | 2-2 | Sweeney (p), Stanley | ||||||
| Dec | 20 | PISLPC | Quorn | W | 4-2 | Sweeney, Burns, Lutz, Miles | ||||||
| Dec | 26 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | L | 1-2 | 2360 | Lutz | |||||
| Jan | 3 | PISLPC | Redditch United | W | 4-1 | Haywood.2, Lutz, Sweeney | ||||||
| Jan | 10 | PISLPC | Banbury United | L | 0-1 | 943 | ||||||
| Jan | 17 | PISLPC | Stamford AFC | L | 0-1 | 694 | ||||||
| Jan | 31 | PISLPC | Stratford Town | W | 1-0 | 946 | Sweeney | |||||
| Feb | 14 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | D | 0-0 | 650 | ||||||
| Feb | 21 | PISLPC | Bromsgrove Sporting | W | 1-0 | Smalley | ||||||
| Feb | 28 | PISLPC | Royston Town | W | 2-0 | Sweeney, Lockett | ||||||
| Mar | 3 | PISLPC | Bishop’s Stortford | W | 2-1 | Sweeney, Lutz | ||||||
| Mar | 7 | PISLPC | Harborough Town | L | 0-1 | |||||||
| Mar | 14 | PISLPC | Barwell | W | 2-1 | 703 | Lutz, Dowling | |||||
| Mar | 17 | PISLPC | Real Bedford | D | 0-0 | |||||||
| Mar | 21 | PISLPC | Leiston | L | 0-1 | |||||||
| Mar | 28 | PISLPC | Needham Market | W | 1-0 | 725 | Smalley | |||||
| Apr | 3 | PISLPC | Bury Town | D | 1-1 | Lockett | ||||||
| Apr | 6 | PISLPC | Redditch United | W | 3-1 | 1140 | Lutz, Smalley | |||||
| *Won on penalties | ||||||||||||
| ** Lost on Penalties | ||||||||||||
