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The Latimer Park pitch is some way beyond being a ‘leveller’. It’s more of a sledgehammer in terms of what it does to anyone trying to pass a football around. Unsurprisingly, 14 of Kettering’s 16 points so far this season have come at home, suggesting that the playing surface is at least as important to outcomes here as the plastic at Scarborough and Bradford. The hosts know how to use it, but for visiting teams it’s like playing crazy golf on ice skates.
They recently beat Blyth 4-2 in a bit of a relegation six-pointer, then drew 0-0 at home with a Banbury side who have gone very wrong indeed, and then got thumped 3-0 by a Brackley side who have gone very right indeed, in the big Northants derby that no-one outside Northants, and probably not a lot of people in Northants, were raving about. It’s funny, Northants. The most nothingy county I can think of other than Hertfordshire.
They’ve lost six of their last ten games, which leaves them just a point above the relegation positions. They’re utterly beatable on a level playing field - unfortunately their playing field is totally wonky.
You know what you’re going to get with Kettering and it’ll be no different on Tuesday. They’re usually awkward and unpleasant, although they’ve badly missed the goals and influence of Callum Powell, who went to Southend for an undisclosed fee in the summer and has settled in well, and Callum Stead, who also left in the summer for Brackley. They now have no Callums left in their side and it really shows. Andre Wright, who featured for Hereford at the end of last season and who clearly isn’t called Callum at all, came in as a replacement, along with a slew of other new signings, most of whom are biggish units, although none are called Callum either. Wright has yet to score this season, and defensively they’re leakier than anyone apart from Telford, Saturday’s opponents, who are having a truly torrid time. Admittedly that leakiness manifests itself far more when they’re on their travels.
In terms of all things Bulls, the fluid, counterattacking 5-3-1-1 / 3-5-1-1 formation employed recently could be deployed again here, and when that formation’s operating in offensive mode the hosts will have to be very wary of Jack Evans careering up the wing; he’s been looking hugely motivated and dangerous recently. With Storey, McLean and Barnett all looking as hungry as a vegan in a steakhouse too, the Kettering backline will hopefully be given a thoroughly uncomfortable night.
By my reckoning, that formation would leave Josh Gowling with a choice between Jethro Hanson and Luke Haines in the midfield lynchpin role, both more than capable so quite a nice problem to have.
Defensively, Jordon Thompson’s return is reassuring, and the ex-Gloucester man slotting in between the hugely successful Pendley/AAH partnership looks like a recipe for a clean sheet or two in the run-up to Christmas. An added bonus is that I’ve belatedly learnt how to spell his name properly. There was disappointment in conceding two set-piece goals last Friday, but Portsmouth are a good deal better than Kettering, or Telford, or Peterborough Sports, the Bulls’ next three opponents, so perhaps not too much should be read into that.
Brad Wade now looks to be fit again after a longish lay-off, and Gowling will have another decision to make in whether to bring him back in goal or continue with Dale Eve, whose ability to cleanly pluck the ball from the air could be useful against Kettering, who tend to be ‘direct’, sensibly bypassing their pitch.
Since the Poppies promotion in 2019, the sides have met twice at Latimer Park, drawing both. A third draw here would see the visitors being arguably the more likely of the two clubs to view it as two points dropped given current form.
Notwithstanding the advantage the hosts have on their own pudding, this looks like a very good opportunity for the Bulls to continue their promising recent progress, and convincing impression of a squad that’s starting to develop into a strong play-off contender. It’s then on to Telford away, and that’s always worth at least a point even when they’re doing OK, and right now they’re far from doing OK. A six-point return from these two matches would spring the club right up into or on the very edge of the play-offs, with games in hand, ahead of a home match against Peterborough Sports under the lights next Tuesday. Sports are a newly promoted club like Banbury, who, like Banbury, started well but now the momentum’s fading are sinking like a stone. Wins against Kettering and Telford before that game might also tempt a good few hundred occasional attenders from the Fylde and Pompey matches to turn up again.
Admittedly December then looks altogether tougher, but, as long as there isn’t a plastic pitch involved, should this squad fear anyone in the National League North?*
COYW
*No.