With the absence of football over the past few weeks for KTFC we are hopeful that we will have a St Valentines Day date at the Quattro-Tech Stadium on the 3G pitch in the Southern League Premier Central fixture against St Ives Town kick off at 15:00.
The Ives, who lost 1-2 at home to Bury Town last time out, are struggling for form having only two wins in their previous ten league games. With one win in five, a creditable 1-3 away win at high flying Real Bedford, St Ives have achieved one draw (2-2 at home to Royston Town) and three defeats (0-4 versus Halesowen Town; 2-1 away at Banbury and 1-2 at home against Bury Town). This leaves The Ives, managed by Ricky Marhenieke, two places below KTFC in fifteenth place with six points separating the teams with the former having played two games more. In the form league, they reside in nineteenth place with four points from their previous five games. However, they are in eleventh place in the comparative home standings having achieved twenty-one points from fifteen games.
Continuing the Valentines theme, playing St Ives is like meeting our ex’s this Saturday with The Ives team sporting two prominent ex Poppies in the form of Michael Richens, their top scorer with 11 goals, and Jonny Edwards who has returned to his spiritual home and is no doubt looking forward to the game on Saturday. St Ives have also announced that forward Liam Cross has left to join Gloucester City.
The Poppies, despite the absence of home games and weather-related postponements, have been playing well resulting in three wins (1-3 away against Needham Market; 0-2 away at Bishop’s Stortford and a 3-0 home victory versus Royston Town) and two away defeats (4-1 at Leiston and 4-2 versus Harborough Town) in their past five matches.
Kettering are ninth in the form table taking nine points from a possible fifteen in our past five matches but are seventh in the overall away form table securing twenty points from fifteen games. The Club’s recent form leaves the club residing in thirteenth place with thirty-eight points, only eight points off the playoff places with three games in hand on current fifth placed Redditch United.  Â
For the Poppies, we understand that there have been changes to the squad but at the time of publishing these have not been confirmed.
At the top of the table, round thirty-one sees League leaders, Spalding United at home to relegation threatened Alvechurch, The Bees are also at home to bottom of the table Royston Town, Real Bedford entertain Stratford in ninth, Quorn host mid table Bishop’s Stortford and Redditch United are at home to Barwell.
Having played The Ives on twenty previous occasions with Poppies winning ten with a 0-0 draw last time out at Latimer Park this season, arguably St Ives have been a ‘bogey team’ for the Poppies. However, let’s get behind Liam and the team at St Ives.
Enjoy the game.
COYP!
ST IVES TOWN
Season V Comp F-A Att: Poppies Scorers
2013-14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â HÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â CLD1CÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â Â 536Â Â Â Â Clifton, Ogbonna, Moreman, Thorpe
   A       CLD1C         1-0       449    Hamilton
H FAT1Q 0-1 609
2014-15 H ESLD1C 5-0 645 Hall, Ogbonna, Solkhon.3
A ESLD1C 0-0 537
2015-16 A FAT1Q 1-0 325 Mulligan
2016-17 H ESP 1-1 483 O’Connor
A ESP 7-0 495 Brighton, Weir-Daley.4 (1p), Howe, Carvalho
2017-18 H ESP 4-1 499 O’Connor, Howe, Milnes, Hoenes
A ESP 4-3 354 Milnes, Solkhon.2, Richens
2018-19 H ESLSPC 0-3 653
A ESLSPC 2-1 639 O’Connor, Hoenes
2023-24 H PISLPC 1-1 871 Lewthwaite
A PISLPC 0-6 512
A FAT3Q 2-3 351 Lewthwaite, Bennett
2024-25 H PISLPC 2-3 1169 Fifield, Noel-Williams (p)
A PISLPC 2-1 471 Fifield (p), White
A FAC3Q 3-0 681 Ranger, Andrade, Miller
2025-26 H PISLPC 0-0 991
A FAT3Q 0-1 322
POPPIES WINS: 10 GOALS FOR: 39
SAINTS WINS: 6 GOALS AGAINST: 26
DRAWS 4
POPPIES STATS:
Highest home win: 5-0 2014-15 (ESLD1C)
Highest away win: 7-0 2016-17 (ESP)
Highest home defeat: 0-3 2018-19 (ESLSPC)
Highest away defeat: 0-6 2023-24 (PISPLC)
Highest home attendance: 1169 2024-25 (PISLPC)
Lowest home attendance: 483 2016-17 (ESP)
Highest away attendance: 681 2024-25 (FAC3Q)
Lowest away attendance: 322 2025-26 (FAT3Q)
Most goals in a game for the Poppies v St Ives Town (4)
Spencer Weir-Daley (2016-17)
Most goals in career Poppies v St Ives Town (5)
Brett Solkhon
Played for both clubs (38)
Goalkeepers
Junior McDougald, Dubi Ogbonna, Nick Bennion, Will Muzvimbiri, Luke Knight, Kieran Joseph, Dan Crowie, Enol Ordonez, Josh Dawkin, James Hall, Miles Smith, Ben Baker, Munashe Sundire, Jake Newman, Ben Toseland, Tom Knowles, Sam Cartwright, Edmund Hotter, Joe Curtis, Matthew Foy, Nathan Hicks, Nabil Shariff, Brett Solkhon, Liam Bateman, Michael Richens, Paul White, David Bridges, Ethan Johnson, Josh Flanagan, Neo Richard-Noel, Sidik Atcha, Kai Fifield, Silvano Obeng, Gedeon Okito, Kobe Chong, Luca Miller, Will Glennon, Romari Forde.
Assistant manager at both clubs (1)
Mitch Austin.
League debuts (7)
Jamie Tricks 26:08:13 (a)
Ben Toseland 12:09:17 (a)
Josiah Bridgeman 28:08:23 (h)
Bruno Andrade 26:12:23 (a)
Nile Ranger 09:09:24 (a)
Blaine Rowe 01:11:25 (h)
Kai Williams 01:11:25 (h)
Club debuts (2)
Jonathan Bukasa 19:10:13 (h) FA Trophy
Anthony Stewart 04:10:25 (a) FA Trophy
Micah Anthony 04:10:25 (a) FA Trophy
Kettering Town players sent off v St Ives Town (3)
Luca Purse 2023-24 (a)
Dan Holman 2018-19 (h) Rescinded
Alistair Worby 2013-14 (h) GK
St Ives Town players sent off v Kettering Town (1)
Aaron Smith 2023-24 (h)
Poppies players who have scored against Kettering Town (3)
Sam Cartwright, Michael Richens, Jonny Edwards.
Poppies players to score an own goal v St Ives Town (1)
Gary Stohrer 2023-24 (a) FAT
ST IVES TOWN
Manager Ricky Marhenieke
Ground Quattro tech Westwood Road
Nickname The Ives
Position in League 15th – 32pts from 28 games
Top League scorer 11 – Michael Richens
FORM
POPPIES WLLWW 9pts
The Ives WDLLL 4pts
THE IVES SO FAR…
| Date | Comp | Opposition | R | F-A | Att | Goalscorers | |
| Aug | 9 | PISLPC | Barwell | L | 2-3 | Chong, Dobson | |
| Aug | 11 | PISLPC | Stamford AFC | W | 1-0 | 352 | Alexandrou |
| Aug | 16 | PISLPC | Stourbridge | D | 2-2 | 228 | Richens, Johnston |
| Aug | 23 | PISLPC | Harborough Town | L | 0-2 | ||
| Aug | 25 | PISLPC | Real Bedford | D | 0-0 | 347 | |
| Aug | 31 | FAC1Q | Berkhamsted | L | 0-2 | ||
| Sep | 6 | PISLPC | Bromsgrove Sporting | W | 4-0 | Creary, Adams, Meade, Hadi | |
| Sep | 8 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | W | 2-0 | 283 | Richens, Cross |
| Sep | 20 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | L | 0-1 | ||
| Sep | 23 | PISLPC | Leiston | D | 2-2 | Williams, Hadi | |
| Sep | 27 | PISLPC | Bishop’s Stortford | D | 1-1 | 292 | Richens (p) |
| Oct | 4 | FAT3Q | Kettering Town | W | 1-0 | 322 | Hadi |
| Oct | 14 | PISLPC | Bury Town | L | 0-1 | ||
| Oct | 18 | PISLPC | Alvechurch | W | 2-0 | 263 | Alexandrou, Meade |
| Oct | 25 | FAT1 | Ilkeston Town | L | 1-3 | Hadi | |
| Nov | 1 | PISLPC | Kettering Town | D | 0-0 | ||
| Nov | 8 | PISLPC | Spalding United | W | 3-2 | Cross, Hickinson, Richens | |
| Nov | 10 | PISLPC | Banbury United | W | 2-1 | 290 | Cross, Richens (p) |
| Nov | 15 | PISLPC | Needham Market | D | 2-2 | 359 | Richens.2 |
| Nov | 18 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | L | 1-2 | Richens | |
| Nov | 22 | PISLPC | Redditch United | L | 0-2 | 252 | |
| Nov | 24 | PISLPC | Leiston | L | 1-3 | 168 | Richens |
| Nov | 28 | PISLPC | Quorn | L | 1-3 | Cross | |
| Dec | 6 | PISLPC | Worcester City | W | 2-1 | 275 | Baker, Richens |
| Dec | 13 | PISLPC | Stratford Town | L | 1-6 | Williams | |
| Dec | 20 | PISLPC | Barwell | D | 1-1 | 242 | Alexandrou |
| Dec | 27 | PISLPC | Real Bedford | W | 3-1 | Idehen, Alexandrou, Creary | |
| Jan | 3 | PISLPC | Royston Town | D | 2-2 | 492 | McCoy, Alexandrou |
| Jan | 24 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | L | 0-4 | 325 | |
| Jan | 27 | PISLPC | Banbury United | L | 1-2 | Richens | |
| Jan | 31 | PISLPC | Bury Town | L | 1-2 | 326 | Edwards |
