sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 I still remember it like it was yesterday. Mind you, when you play your final game it does stick in your head. I was a pretty loyal player, playing for two clubs over a span of nearly 20 years. Was I a brilliant player? No. I wasn’t outstanding, but I would think the clubs I played for would tell you I was a solid, reliable, no nonsense defender who gave his all every game. I had a tendency to put my head between flailing boots, and for a period they used to joke on the terraces that it wasn’t a proper game unless I had a cut somewhere, but that was how I played. I was fiercely competitive, proud to be captain, which I was for the last seven years of my career, and proud to have been given the opportunity to have such a prolonged career – thankful too, that I was lucky I never picked up any serious injuries To be honest, unless you’re a Reading or Coventry fan, you’ll not know the name Trevor Baldock. I signed for Reading aged 15, after their scout had seen me put in a man of the match performance for Manchester Boys in the National Cup. I made my debut on a cold and wet November night, in a league game against Walsall. I was 17 years of age and absolutely bricking it, but I got a couple of early touches and headers that settled me down and I was fine. I went on to play 214 games for the Royals, before Coventry paid £250,000 to take me there. I spent ten fantastic years at Coventry, the last six as club captain. I like to think that over my 321 games, the fans took to me as a cult hero. I retired in 2009, but the club allowed me to stay on in a coaching capacity, gaining all of my badges in the five years on their staff. It was a wrench to leave the club I had spent 15 years of my life at, but hen the opportunity came along, and the time was right, I knew I had to go I went straight into coaching when I hung up my boots, and to be honest, it was a challenge. One I enjoyed immensely, don’t get me wrong. It was brilliant to travel the world learning all these new tactics and styles of play, then trying to put them into use with youth teams or reserve squads. As it happened, I had a bit of a natural talent for coaching players, and before long I had all the Continental licenses, the UEFA ‘A’ and the UEFA ‘Pro’, aswell as a job on the Coventry staff coaching their youth side. We did well to be fair, winning the league twice in the three years I was there, and maybe it was down to this that I got my break. The phonecall came before pre-season for the 2014/15 season, on the 8th July at about 11am. I remember as we’d just had the club end of year party the night before and I was a bit worse for wear! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Kettering was in Northamptonshire, and Kettering Town played at Latimer Park, in the Southern League First Division. For those who don’t know, that’s the seventh level of English football. The team had narrowly missed out on promotion the season before, leading manager Dean Thomas to resign his post. This was why Chairman Ritchie Jeune calling me, waxing lyrical for ten minutes, before I agreed to take the post I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I got to the ground. Having spent ten years at Coventry, in the top two leagues of English football, I was expecting a little bit of a ramshackle ground but in all fairness, the stadium wasn’t too bad. Holding 2,800, and in a decent condition. The pitch wasn’t great, I have to admit but I like to play a passing game and have the ball on the floor, something that I needed to instil into the players pretty quickly -- The financial situation was, how can I put this, average. Transfer money stretched to £5,000 but with the free transfer market looking the way forward, I was more interested in the similar figure for the wage budget, and immediately I had sent the scouts out with criteria, aswell as having a list of names myself that I was interested in. There were four friendly games arranged, and with the training sessions, I was confident of instilling the philosophies and playing style into the lads. That said, the first few days were a little bit concerning, and I had made a note of about ten or eleven players that were not good enough to see the season out – This was going to be hard work The first week was all about fitness levels, and due to the quickness of transfer business, we had managed to introduce and integrate six new players into the team, aswell as letting go another seven, the fact they were on non contract terms helping them leave a little easier. Ibrahim Atiku was the signing I was most excited about. The 31 year old Ghanaian was a big unit, and his favoured position was the role behind the striker, so I was delighted to welcome him, as I was the man who would play ahead of him, striker Eurico Sebastiao. He had a good instinct and an eye for goal so he was a no brainer of a signing. We also secured a main goalkeeper, as Simon Locke agreed terms and he would without doubt be our number one. Three younger talents also joined, and while they would see some first team action, they were bought with the future in mind. Duvaine Lindo was a centre half with a brilliant aerial ability, while creative midfielder Hussein Mohammed had a natural ability but needed to bulk up a little to be strong enough to compete. Another centre forward, young Andre Thompson also joined us, so the team was starting to take shape Over the course of the next seven days, more transfers followed, as Matt Walwyn, Warren Morgan, Simon Wormull and Nabil Guediora all joined the club, replacing another six players who were released. The majority of the new boys were in the squad for the opening pre-season game as we travelled to Enfield. It was a pigs ear of a game, our passing was way off, we barely created a chance and we really struggled to make any inroads into the home defence, and we deservedly lost 1-0 – and I was left pulling my hair out that the lads couldn’t do what they had done in training all week on the field Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavrenwick Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Good luck in your adventure sherm! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Cheers Gav. Glad to have you on board! --- I had appeased Ritchie’s concerns about so much transfer activity, saying it was best to get the most of it done early so you can bed the players in, so much so that before the second friendly against Wealdstone, a club famous for bringing Stuart Pearce into the game, that we had no new additions. I was pleased with the game – not necessarily the result, a 0-0 draw, but the way we played and went about it. We were so much more fluid and more potent than against Enfield, and while we failed to score, we created chances which was nice to see, especially with our next game being against Football League opposition We added a winger to the squad a couple of days after the game, Jack Edwards penning his signature, while full back Darryl Coakley and back up ‘keeper Paul Agu also joined us. These three were unfit and would stay out of the squad for the next game as they needed to do some fitness work, but after this I was confident that the squad would look good -- Chesterfield provided us a stern test in our next game, but we matched them for quite a lot of the game. They scored early but I was impressed with the way we responded, creating chances and playing some good stuff, and it was an equaliser from Andy Hall that we thoroughly deserved. We went on to lose to a late goal, but I wasn’t too fussed by that, I was more than pleased with how the lads had competed and played. Things were looking up I have to say Before our final friendly, we added one more player, but we had to part with £2,000 to secure the signing of Ifeanyi Allen from Barnet, but I was happy to welcome him into the club, as his pace and trickery would be trouble for defenders. This was proven in our final game, as Deeping Rangers just couldn’t cope with him on the left hand side, and it was his two assists that led to goals from Hull and Ogbonna, and we secured the win in our final game and going into the start of the season, we were looking good – still room for improvement, but we were getting there The best thing about football at this level is you don’t have as much time with the journalists – I had barely had contact with the press sincd taking the job, but before the opening game there was an interview scheduled with the Non League Paper – this was part of the job I wasn’t looking forward to but I understood it was a necessity. It went well as it happens, and I was pleased. Just as I was pleased with the lads preparation that week, and I was 100% confident we were ready for the start of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Southern League Division 1 ; Game 1 Northwood vs Kettering The game itself had no build up, and with my strongest possible eleven on the field, I had expected three points. We started well, Allen and Hall on the wings causing all sorts of havoc, while Atiku immediately looked a class above. He tested the ‘keeper with a 25 yarder, while Sebastiao rattled the post with a stinging shot. Chances were coming and with half time approaching, we looked like we wouldn’t be going in leading, but that all changed on 42 minutes, Allen fizzing in a low cross that hit defender Steve Jenkin and looped into the net. It was no more than we deserved, and in the second half, we continued our dominance, and with ten minutes to go, we should have been out of sight. Maybe it’s my fault for not shoring it up but we paid for all those missed chances, a breakaway from the home side led to a corner, and the same man who had scored the own goal rose highest and salvaged a point for his side with a bullet of a header. Deserved the win but we have to be more clinical Northwood 1-1 Kettering (Jenkin OG 42) -- While we had only drawn the game, there were plenty of positives to take. We had created 22 chances during the game, so at least we were getting in the positions to create and make chances, we just needed to make more out of them and score more goals Training was going well, and I certainly couldn’t fault the effort the lads were putting in, leading me to be full of confidence going into our next game Southern League Division 1 ; Game 2 Kettering vs Godalming I was once again left frustrated by our inability to convert chances that we created, as we tested the visiting ‘keeper on several occasions, rattled the bar and missed a couple of guilt edged chances to move ahead. The only saving grace was that we were never threatened or looked like we would b caught on the counter attack so we did get a point but of course, we all knew it could have been three. I was annoyed after the match but I was professional and never let the lads see how annoyed I was – I didn’t need to, I could see it in their faces myself Kettering 0-0 Godalming Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Playing at a higher level and seeing the standard of football at this level was a real eye opener – Godalming were a poor side and offered no threat, and if the rest of the league was that bad, I had no doubt that once we clicked we would find promotion was on the agenda Another issue was how quickly the games would come – 42 league games, aswell as a mind boggling three cup competitions, which was just silly when you took into account the number of qualifying games for each one. Insane. Before the first of these qualifiers, we had our third league game, as we travelled to Bedfordshire to face perennial strugglers Barton Rovers Southern League Division 1 ; Game 3 Barton Rovers vs Kettering Once again, for the third game in succession, we couldn’t finish our chances. I was starting to think it might have become a slight problem within the ranks and I would have to start looking for a striker. Once again, Dubi Ogbonna was the main culprit, missing three or four good opportunities, but Andy Hall was just as guilty and his miss in the 44th minute was possibly the worst one I’ve ever seen, as he fired wide from just four yards out. It was easier to score! I had to look into the lack of goals but at least we weren’t conceding and we were unbeaten – three games, three draws and three points – but we needed to start to win games Barton Rovers 0-0 Kettering -- A decent run in the FA Cup would be difficult to come by, as we had four qualifying rounds to get to the first round – as long as we won our preliminary game, which was next up as we welcomed Brimscombe and Thrupp for the preliminary game – I’ll be honest though, it was a team I knew absolutely nothing about – I didn’t even know where Brimscombe was. I had opted for a mixed team with some experience and some younger players, and come full time, it looked to be a good decision Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 FA Cup Preliminary Round Kettering vs Brimscombe and Thrupp We were never troubled in this game, and while the opposition wasn’t of the highest standard, we were superb and put in our best performance of my tenure thus far. Eurico Sebastiao opened the scoring with a bullet header on 20 minutes, but it was Ghanaian Ibrahim Atiku who stole the show after that, grabbing a first half brace to send us in at the break 3-0 ahead. We took our foot off the pedal in the second half, maybe saving some energy, but we never had any issues and advanced through easily Kettering 3-0 Brimscombe and Thrupp (Sebastiao 20, Atiku 26, 35) -- “I agree with you Ritchie, and while the goals are a concern, we have to look at the positives” “Fair enough – we are still early on in the season I suppose” “Exactly – I am full confident we can gain promotion, and once this team clicks we will score goals for fun – plus, we are unbeaten” “True. Ignore me, I’m just being paranoid. We had a bad start last season and because of it we just missed out on promotion” -- The chairman had concerns and they were understandable, as I had slightly similar concerns myself, but I couldn’t take my eye off the ball, and the team had to focus for the visit of table toppers Uxbridge Southern League Division 1 ; Game 4 Kettering vs Uxbridge Another draw – although this time, we were excellent and deserved three points. Andy Hall got us off to a great start, jinking into the box from the right hand side and being brought down, winning the penalty, which he converted himself, smashing the ball into the bottom right corner. We dominated the first half, controlling the possession and having better chances, but a defensive error from Tommy Hull allowed the visiting team in, and there was nothing Simon Locke could do as the ball was slotted past him. I gave the boys what for in the dressing room, and to their credit they came out and gave a response, Atiku sliding in Sebastiao ten minutes after the break for the young striker to smash the ball home. It looked like a game we had secured the points from, but we gave away a silly free kick five minutes from time which allowed an equaliser and a fourth successive draw Kettering 2-2 Uxbridge (Hall pen 12, Sebastiao 55) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthreeleader Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 As an old Rushden man I have to say I'm allergic to Kettering Town, but good luck and glad to have you back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Cheers 10-3 - Glad to have you on board, even if Kettering can't pierce your Rushden exterior! Hope you enjoy -- I was starting to worry even more that we couldn’t get the three points in a game, the only win we had picked up had been in the FA Cup preliminary game. I had been tempted to tinker with the formation, but didn’t think that would be hopeful with the lads just getting used to this one, so I worked on the forward play in training over the next few days, and before the next game, a trip to AFC Hayes, we were back in form Southern League Division 1 ; Game 5 AFC Hayes vs Kettering It had taken four game, but we claimed three points. We were excellent in this game, we controlled the game with ease and composure and we managed to take an early lead, Ibrahim Atiku sliding the ball through for Eurico Sebastiao, who rounded the ‘keeper and slid the ball home. We had kept the lead through to half time, and though we had chances, we couldn’t find a second in that half. However, we did just after the hour mark, Sebastiao again, rising highest and heading home to secure our first win in the league and maintain our unbeaten record AFC Hayes 0-2 Kettering (Sebastiao 7, 61) -- With that burden off our backs, we could focus more and play our natural game, and to top that off we had secured another new signing, full back Teddy Ngoy penning a deal to join us. He was a cultured full back, quick and agile, and had no problem bombing up and down the wing, and he was straight into the team for our FA Cup Qualifying game. It was against one of our league rivals, Leighton, who actually sat second in the table, so we were bound to be in for a tough game FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Leighton vs Kettering It was a cracking game to watch. We had 14 shots, the home side had 13, so we certainly provided the watching 872 people with entertainment. I was impressed with the home side, they played some fluent and tasty stuff so when they took the lead within 25 minutes, I was a bit worried. The lads did well though, settling down and managing to appease the home team, and in the second half, young Nabil Guediora grabbed his first senior goal to equalise and force a replay, one which on merit, we probably just about deserved Leighton 1-1 Kettering (Guediora 69) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 “Trevor, have you got 5 minutes?” “Certainly. Come in” The chairman had popped his head around the door on the Monday after the Leighton game, on his way to the meeting he had “Listen, I know it’s not a priority but if we can get to the FA Cup first round, it will bring us in a decent amount of money” “Oh I know, I was working it out at about £80,000, which as you will know is a lot of money for us. I’ll try my utmost I promise” “Thankyou. That’s all I ask. But promotion remains the target?” “Of course” We didn’t have a lot of time for preparation before the replay, and I had toyed with the idea of rotating the squad, which I did in the end but not massively, as I wanted to win the game -- FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay Kettering vs Leighton Miles better today. Slicker, crisper passing, used the wingers more effectively, and solid in the centre of midfield, but once again, Ibrahim Atiku showed his class and ran the show, and it was he who opened up the scoring, collecting the ball from Hussein Mohammed and curling home a strike from 25 yards out that left the ‘keeper with no chance. It was 2-0 less than ten minutes later, Atiku sliding in Josh Moreman, who cut the ball back for Jack Edwards to fire into the roof of the net. We had settled quickly, and when Atiku grabbed his second just before the hour mark, he had secured us a place in the next round. We did concede a silly goal before the end but it made no difference and once again, Ibrahim was the difference Kettering 3-1 Leighton (Atiku 27, 58, Edwards 35) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 The games were coming thick and fast, as we faced another two day gap before our next game, a league game against Bedford. These were the sort of games we should be winning, so with the form we were in, I was expecting three points. I suppose I should know by now not to expect things like that Southern League Division 1 ; Game 6 Bedford vs Kettering Probably our worst performance of the season. We were slow on the uptake, couldn’t string a couple of passes together and we were lucky not to be out of the game by half time, the only reason we weren’t was the saves made by Simon Locke, including a double save that was out of this world. They took the lead five minutes into the second half, a nice move finished off with a sweeping shot into the bottom corner. This seemed to strike us into action, and we salvaged a point in the final quarter of an hour, substitute Sebastiao smashing home from six yards after a scramble in the box. A point was better than nothing considering the performance, but we needed a run of wins Bedford 1-1 Kettering (Sebastiao 76) -- There was a fans forum scheduled for the next week, and while I wasn’t a huge fan of things like this, I knew they needed to be done. 25 fans turned up for it, and the main focus was the league form – they were adamant we weren’t good enough, but I had to spend several minutes convincing them that we were good enough and a run of wins would see us move up the table – as it was were only seventh, despite having dropped ten points already, and having looked at the results, all the teams above us had yet to play each other – the league was so tight that there were only 8 points between top and 18th, which was not a big gap at all Southern League Division 1 ; Game 7 Kettering vs Aylesbury At last! We finally look like we’ve nailed it. Aylesbury were three places behind us at the start of the game, and when Sebastiao was ruled out with a thigh strain, young Andre Thompson came in for his first start, and it was a dream debut, as he opened the scoring inside three minutes, using his pace to nip through two tackles and fire home into the bottom corner. Atiku doubled the advantage on 16 minutes, and it was our big Ghanaian who won the penalty to make it 3-0, Andy Hall converting it and sending us into a nigh on unassailable lead. If that wasn’t, then it certainly was nine minutes later, Thompson being clipped in the box and Hall smashing home his second. 4-0 at half time was brilliant, but yet again we let the opponents back in, as they scored two in twelve minutes, but Andy Hall grabbed his hat trick and our fifth eight minutes from time and gave us a convincing win Kettering 5-2 Aylesbury (Thompson 3, Atiku 16, Hall pen 33, pen 42, 82) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Another new addition to the squad joined us after the game, with Burton winger Jimmy Phillips joining the ranks. He was a tricky winger, with good crossing ability and pace, and I was delighted to capture him for £4,000. He hadn’t played though for a few weeks so he was training while our next game was on, and we were back in cup action, as the second qualifying round of the FA Cup saw us travelling down to Somerset to face Taunton Town. They were several divisions below us so we were favourites FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Taunton Town vs Kettering Pretty poor game if I’m being honest, both sides were sloppy and deserved nothing, Sebastiao was back in the side and gave us a 15th minute lead, but we didn’t create a lot more in the half. The second half was much of the same, but it was a defensive error from Teddy Ngoy, slipping as he tried to clear the ball, that allowed the home side in, a nice goal if truth be told, but the 1-1 draw was fair – however it was disappointing that we had no fans travel, granted it was a long way but they could have supported us Taunton Town 1-1 Kettering (Sebastiao 15) -- I was beginning to grow frustrated with all these cup games, especially the replays, as we didn’t have the biggest squad and three games a week was becoming a little too much and I was having to rest players on a regular basis. I was always looking to improve the squad and on the lookout for players to improve, but the players I had were gelling and getting together well FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Replay Kettering vs Taunton Town Miles better. Dominant throughout the game and thoroughly deserved the win. Ifeanyi Allen was the star of the show, as he thrived after I had given Atiku a rest, and it was the former Baret man who gave us the lead, cutting inside and firing a brilliant curled shot past the ‘keeper. He also set up the second, his corner finding the head of Ngoy, who headed home his first for the club. Having scored two in the opening 25 minutes, we had to wait until the final five minutes for a third, Josh Moreman slipping in and firing in at the near post Kettering 3-0 Taunton Town (Allen 16, Ngoy 25, Moreman 86) -- September drew to a close with us in fifth place, which was a playoff place, but we were only four points off the top so we had plenty of time to get our act together and string some wins together. We had a fully fit squad for our next game, and our next few league games were against mid table and lower league opposition so I was confident we could do just that. I had an interview with the local paper too lined up, just to talk about the chairman and the clubs ambitions and if I’m honest, it went well, despite me not being the best when it comes to talking to the press – maybe I’ll have to look at employing a press officer? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 Southern League Division 1 ; Game 8 Leighton vs Kettering Leighton were a place above us in the league so as you would expect it was a tight affair, very few chances created in the first half, but it was the home side who pinched the lead, Simon Locke dropping the ball from the corner and the attacker smashing it into the net. We did get back into it after the break, but it was a complete fluke, Simon Clifton getting the ball down the right hand side from kick off and whipping a cross in, but he put too much on it and it sailed over the ‘keeper and into the far corner to level the scores. However, we couldn’t find the winner, not for want of trying, but it came eventually, Jack Edwards breaking free and rounding the ‘keeper to seal the win in injury time Leighton 1-2 Kettering (Clifton 46, Edwards 90+2) -- I had been looking through some paperwork in my office and was pleased to see the clubs financial situation was improving, we were £45,000 in the black and with the cup run bringing in funds all the time, we were looking good. I was also interested to note that we had a Southern League Cup competition coming up – I made a mental note to discuss it with the chairman and see if it was worth fielding a side to win it – after all, you don’t get many chances to win a trophy at any level do you? Chalfont St Peter provided our next opposition, and as expected before the season, they were struggling near the bottom of the table. They had serious injury problems too, so I was fully expecting the win Southern League Division 1 ; Game 9 Kettering vs Chalfont St Peter We started well, taking the game to the visitors, and once again it was Ibrahim Atiku leading by example, racing clear and slotting the ball underneath the ‘keeper to give us the lead. Chances came and went constantly through the half, but we had to wait until five minutes before the half time whistle to double the lead, Ifeanyi Allen with a brilliant goal, beating four or five players before siding the ball into the bottom corner brilliantly. We did concede early on in the second half, but it made no difference and Nabil Guediora grabbed the third, his first league goal for the club, and it was enough to secure the victory Kettering 3-1 Chalfont St Peter (Atiku 9, Allen 40, Guediora 66) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 I still felt we needed extra strength in depth at the back, so I set the scouts on missions to find some defensive cover, especially with how many games we had coming up over the next few weeks FA Cup action was next, as the third qualifying round saw the visit of Bury Town. I had to check that it was Bury St Edmunds, not Bury in Manchester, but it was a team lower than ourselves FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round Kettering vs Bury Town This was a simple win, routine and despite us resting several first team players we managed to compose ourselves and easily see off the visitors, meaning we were one round away from the FA Cup proper. Eurico Sebastiao scored after his return to the side from injury, and substitute Atiku sealed the win just after the hour mark. Brett Solkhon got himself sent off in the 73rd minute, but it made no difference and we sealed the win Kettering 2-0 Bury Town (Sebastiao 40, Atiku 62) -- Some scout reports were coming through on defenders, and one that caught my eye was Tom Naylor. The former Plymouth man had been released and would come cheap, but I was impressed with his physical stats and his tackling ability so an offer was sent out quickly and hoped he would agree to the terms Our tenth league game of the season was at Latimer Park, and if we won we could go second in the table, amazing considering we had drawn six of our nine games so far, but the visit of Potters Bar should see us gain three points Southern League Division 1 ; Game 10 Kettering vs Potters Bar For once we started poorly, unable to get a grip of the game, especially in midfield, and we paid for it, finding ourselves one down after nine minutes. I was furiously shouting instructions at the lads, and eventually it got though, as Jimmy Phillips volleyed home his first goal for the club five minutes from the end of the half. The second half was much better, much more efficient, as we controlled the play and possession, and we got our rewards, a beautiful cross from Ifeanyi Allen finding Eurico Sebastiao on the edge of the box, where he swivelled and fired the ball home into the bottom corner. He should have had a second really, heading against the bar five minutes from time, but we sealed the win none the less Kettering 2-1 Potters Bar (Phillips 41, Sebastiao 61) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 Another new addition to the back four came in shortly after, Taylor McKenzie joining, and I was pretty happy with the way the squad was shaping up, aswell as the form we had started to find ourselves in, so things were looking up Southern League Division 1 ; Game 11 Rugby vs Kettering What a start for the boys, and for Tom Naylor, who headed home from a corner four minutes into his debut, and eight minutes later, we were two ahead, Ibrahim Atiku firing home a free kick from the edge of the area. We hadn’t been this dominant in a game for a while, and the only disappointing thing was that we didn’t score anymore before the break, despite having several chances. The second half was much of the same, chance after chance wasted, and when the home side grabbed a goal in the 76th minute, I feared that those missed chances would come back to haunt us – thankfully, they didn’t and we hung on for the win Rugby 1-2 Kettering (Naylor 4, Atiku 12) -- **The Rugby game had been our sixth win on the bounce in all competitions, so buoyed with our form and the way the team was performing, I was driving into the training ground when my phone rang “Ritchie. I’m on my way to training, I’ll be about 20 minutes” “Forget training. Get to the ground. Now” “What? Why what’s wrong?” “Just get here!” I phoned my assistant Tim Machin to inform him I had to go and see the chairman, giving him instructions for the training session, before I spun round and headed for the ground Ritchie was waiting at the entrance as I pulled in, waving his arms excitedly. I also took note of a smart looking man behind him in a pinstripe suit. I parked up (probably crooked through rushing) and got out of the car “Ritchie, what’s all the fuss?” “Trevor, this is Dale Uttley? He’s here to complete the takeover” My eyes shot back towards the chairman, a smile appearing on my face “Takeover? You never mentioned it?” “I didn’t want to until it was all finalised – and it’s all ready to be signed” “Great. Let’s get in there then” The news was fantastic. Mr Uttley was a local businessman who had always wanted to own his own club, and nothing more than his home town. He was wiping out all the debts and becoming Chief Executive, leaving Ritchie as chairman, and making £2 million available for transfers and wages (I know that doesn’t sound a lot but it is for this level) – We’ve fallen on our feet here! -- **Writers Note - This was my fault. I hadn't realised that I'd downloaded the database that had the Sugar Daddy option for all clubs, so when this happened I had to find a way to get it into the story - so I used some creative licensing to do a takeover angle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 The team, and the supporters, were all in high spirits following the news of the takeover, and we welcomed Wootton Bassett in the final qualifying round for the FA Cup FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round Kettering vs Wootton Bassett We were rarely troubled in this game, finding ourselves two ahead inside the opening nine minutes, goals from Ifeanyi Allen and a brilliant header from Eurico Sebastiao virtually putting us through to the next round. Jimmy Phillips sent us further clear just before the half hour, but we should have scored about four or five more. The visitors did sneak one back in the second half, but Sebastiao grabbed his second ten minutes from time to send us into the first round and gain us some money into the coffers, not that we needed it now Kettering 4-1 Wootton Bassett (Allen 6, Sebastiao 9, 80, Phillips 28) -- I had attended a meeting with the new Chief Exec and his consortium before our final game of the month, but I had vowed to not go too mad and spend loads of money, instead preferring to save it all for next season when we had been promoted (Am I being too confident?!) We travelled to Buckinghamshire for our final game of September, as we faced Marlow, They had been inconsistent through the season and sat in 12th place, so I expected a win to keep our run of form going. Southern League Division 1 ; Game 12 Marlow vs Kettering Slow start to this one, as we found ourselves behind early on, a poor backpass from Jack Edwards allowing the striker to nip in and slot the ball home. We got ourselves together after that, but we didn’t equalise until the 36th minute, Sebastiao winning a penalty which was duly converted by Ibrahim Atiku. He stole the show again the big Ghanaian, and it was his assist for Jimmy Phillips that out us ahead, crossing for the winger to volley home. Phillips returned the favour, a Crossfield pass sending Atiku through and he fired home. He should have had his hat-trick late on, his shot being tipped on to the bar, but it made no difference and we claimed another win Marlow 1-3 Kettering (Atiku pen 36, 67, Phillips 53) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 More cup action came up for the next game, as we had our first qualifying round for the FA Trophy. This was a competition I didn’t care for, we already had enough games on, what with the League and all of the games we’d had to qualify for the FA Cup and the Southern League Cup coming up, the FA Trophy was the least of my concerns, so with us drawn against AFC Hayes, I opted to field a reserve side FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round Kettering vs AFC Hayes Even with a reserve side out, we cruised to a win, and we never looked troubled from the moment Warren Morgan raced through to score in the tenth minute, we were never endangered and never needed to get out of first gear. Morgan could have had a hat trick in the first half, hitting the post and forcing a couple of saves from the ‘keeper, and we had to wait until the 73rd minute to seal the win, a cross from Josh Moreman hitting the defender and looping into the far corner to seal the win and safe passage through Kettering 2-0 AFC Hayes (Morgan 10, Crossley OG 73) -- The buzz from the takeover had started to die down, but deep down I couldn’t hide my excitement. This was a chance for me to take this team as far as possible, certainly into the football league, and make us into a dynasty. I wasn’t overly concerned with transfer fees, but the ability to pay decent wages and attract better talent would see us head up the leagues quickly, certainly if we attracted the right players for the side Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 I was pleased with the run of wins we had put together in the league, and I expected that to continue, as we welcomed Hanwell to Latimer Park Southern League Divison 1 ; Game 13 Kettering vs Hanwell Our best performance of the season without doubt. We were fantastic from first whistle to last and dominated the visitors, they couldn’t get near us, and every player on our team played well. The opening goal was 25 minutes in, Eurico Sebastiao collecting the ball from Ibrahim Atiku, knocking it past his defender and smashing in at the near post. The striker returned the favour five minutes later, slipping through Atiku and he fired across into the corner of the goal. Ifeanyi Allen made it 3-0 just before the break, cutting inside from the left and smashing a shot into the top corner. The game was won by this point, but a header from Tom Naylor, and a volley from Josh Moreman sent us to a thumping 5-0 win and actually sent us clear at the top, stretching out lead to five points Kettering 5-0 Hanwell (Sebastiao 25, Atiku 30, Allen 42, Naylor 57, Moreman 85) -- So, after four qualifying rounds, six games, and a preliminary round before that, we had been drawn against Crewe in the First Round of the FA Cup. They were League opposition and obviously a few levels above us, so while I didn’t expect the win, as long as we gave a good account of ourselves, that’s all we could ask FA Cup 1st Round Crewe vs Kettering If you look at the score at the end of this game, you’d think it was all one day traffic but in all fairness, we gave a good showing. We created chances in the first half, testing the ‘keeper on a couple of occasions, so when Eurico Sebastiao scored on the 36th minute, I couldn’t explain how we were only equalising and not going ahead. We dominated the rest of the half, but the superior finishing of the home side took a hold in the second 45, as even though we played well and had chances ourselves, the three chances they had, they put away, sending us packing with a 4-1 defeat, a defeat that was harsh on our players Crewe 4-1 Kettering (Sebastiao 36) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavrenwick Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Is that ten wins on the bounce up until you met Crewe? Seriously good form though, and a good lead at the top of the division. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 Gav - you are correct, ten wins on the bounce and to be fair, 4-1 was harsh as we had chances - I didn't realise just how many cup competitions the lower league sides had to play though!! -- We had reached the FA Cup first round, which had been our goal, and to be fair, the lads did themselves proud, 4-1 was a harsh defeat, but we had little time to dwell, as more cup action followed, and the Southern League Cup saw us travel to Shortwood, who, I’ll be honest, I had never heard of. With the form we had shown of late, it didn’t matter too much. Southern League Cup 1st Round Shortwood vs Kettering Shows what I know eh? Fair play to the home side, they gave us a real scare, and were probably the better side for the ninety minutes. We started slowly and were poor in the midfield, sloppy with our passes, and it was some of these passes that led to chances for the other side, and it was only thanks to Simon Locke we stayed level, as he pulled off three excellent saves, including a brilliant double save that saw him tip a ball onto the post and recover to smother the rebound. The second half was of a similar ilk, as we were second best, but we were saved in the final five minutes by substitute Ifeanyi Allen, as he burst clear on the counter attack, sliding the ball through the ‘keepers legs. He sealed it in injury time, sliding home again and sending us through Shortwood 0-2 Kettering (Allen 86, 90+3) .. The FA Trophy had qualifying rounds too, and it was one of these that we faced next, as we visited Chesham. This proved to be a comfortable afternoons work against lesser opposition than ourselves, and we were never out of second gear FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round Chesham vs Kettering We got a great start here, Teddy Ngoy powering home a header from six yards to give us the lead. We somehow contrived to see ourselves go in at the interval level despite having chances galore, including twice hitting the woodwork and forcing some good saves, but we were comfortable through the second half. Although we did have to wait until the 78th minute to regain the lead, Eurico Sebastiao racing clear and sliding the ball home, before our striker scored again in stoppage time and smashed the ball home into the top corner and secured the win Chesham 1-3 Kettering (Ngoy 3, Sebastiao 78, 90+1) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 1, 2018 Author Share Posted December 1, 2018 Back into league action, and we certainly didn’t have much time between games, as we welcomed lowly St Ives to Latimer Park Southern League Division 1 ; Game 14 Kettering vs St Ives The visitors had struggled through the early stages of the season, and sat just a point off the drop zone, and this was apparent through the game, as we won with ease and composure. Ibrahim Atiku was brilliant in this game, controlling the game from midfield, and it was he who curled us in front, a beautiful finish from the edge of the box. He set Ifeanyi Allen away for the second too, sliding him in for him to poke it past the ‘keeper. We could have had more but we maintained our lead at the top of the table Kettering 2-0 St Ives (Atiku 35, Allen 67) We added another goalkeeper to the ranks after this game, as youngster Tim Erlandsson joined on a free. He was full of potential and despite Simon Locke’s good form, I had intentions for him to play a few games in rotation. However, Simon kept his place for the next League game Southern League Division 1 ; Game 15 Kettering vs Beaconsfield This was, probably, our best and most professional performance of the season so far, as we were superb for the full 90 minutes. Jimmy Phillips was the star of the show, racking up three assists and a goal, and it was his jinking run that led to the opener, as he nipped into the box and pulled the ball back for Ibrahim Atiku to slam home his 13th goal of the season. Those two combined again for the second, as they played a nice little move and the ball ended up at the feet of Tom Naylor, who lashed home a shot from 25 yards into the top corner, a great strike from the centre half. Seven minutes later, we were three ahead, Atiku sliding the ball through for Phillips, who rounded the ‘keeper and slotted home. The final goal came less than a minute into the second half, Phillips combining with Ifeanyi Allen and the left winger curled a lovely shot into the bottom corner. Really pleasing win and great performance Kettering 4-0 Beaconsfield (Atiku 10, Naylor 17, Phillips 24, Allen 46) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 We were playing well, and we had lost one of our last 15 games, while winning the others, so we could not fault our form, and we had seen our lead at the top extend to 12 points, mainly thanks to the teams in and around us beating each other while we won, so when we travelled to Daventry for our next game, confidence was high Southern League Division 1 ; Game 16 Daventry vs Kettering Bit of a tougher game, as we expected with the home side sitting in a playoff place, and they actually took the lead in this game, following a save from Erlandsson, and the rebound was smashed home, but our big Ghanian showed why he was so adored by our fans when he curled home a brilliant free-kick from 35 yards, leaving the ‘keeper with no chance. The second half was a difficult one, as we tried and failed on numerous occasions to break down the home defence, but you can guess who it was who finally broke the deadlock, Atiku winning, and then converting the penalty in the 81st minute, and we continued our winning run in the league Daventry 1-2 Kettering (Atiku 37, pen 81) -- We added a new addition to our ranks just 48 hours before our final game of the month, with Notts County winger Ronan Murray costing us £5,000, but he would be straight into the first team squad and add his pace and trickery to an already talented midfield. He didn’t however sign in time to make the squad for the FA Trophy third qualifying round, in which we welcomed Bishops Stortford FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round Kettering vs Bishops Stortford I have to be honest, this defeat really annoyed me. We created 21 chances compared with the visitors 4, and we lost 3-2! The visitors were 2-0up at half time, a couple of errors from the defence costing us badly, and we never recovered. Ibrahim Atiku pulled one back on 692 minutes, but it was the final five minutes that was unbelievable. Jimmy Phillips levelled it up two minutes into injury time, but a misplaced pass from Hussain Mohammed allowed the visitors to break and seal the win, ensuring their passage into the next round Kettering 2-3 Bishops Stortford (Atiku 62, Phillips 90+2) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 We certainly had a good position going into December, sitting 14 points clear atop the table and our league form superb, however, we had three of the top six in our next three games, so I expected some tough games coming up for us The first of these was a visit from second place Bedworth, a team that were fighting for a playoff place but couldn’t catch us up, and so it was in this game too Southern League Division 1 ; Game 17 Kettering vs Bedworth This was a thoroughly professional and competent performance, as we controlled the game from the opening whistle. It looked bad when Atiku picked up a slight knock in the warm up, but his replacement, Jimmy Phillips, ran the show. He jinked his way down the right hand side and whipped a cross in, Eurico Sebastiao meeting the cross and slammed his header home past the ‘keeper. It was simple enough for the second goal too, Phillips this time nipping in and rounding the ‘keeper, sliding the ball home for the second. We could have had more but it didn’t matter and we extended our lead at the top Kettering 2-0 Bedworth (Sebastiao 37, Phillips 51) -- We had clicked really well and were on a great run, and it continued in our next game just three days later, as we travelled to play Royston Southern League Division 1 ; Game 18 Royston vs Kettering Again a fantastic performance – clinical, smooth and silky. The midfield was brilliant in this game, controlling the pace and tempo, and it was the passing we had that was the key to winning the game. Tom Naylor scored the opener, picking up the ball in his own half, spreading it wide for Ifeanyi Allen, who returned it to the defender for him to curl the ball into the goal. We could have had more, forcing the ‘keeper into multiple saves, but it was Eurico Sebastiao who sealed the win, sliding the ball home and continuing our fantastic league form Royston 0-2 Kettering (Naylor 11, Sebastiao 67) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 7, 2018 Author Share Posted December 7, 2018 “Well, we’re looking good for promotion aren’t we?” Ritchie had popped into the office to have a chat, and his Cheshire Cat grin could be seen all the way through the county “Long way to go yet Ritchie but I have to agree we look superb at the moment” “How do you think we will fare if we go up?” “Woah, easy. Let’s get this season done first” .. I appreciate optimism and I appreciate looking to the future but Ritchie was getting slightly carried away with it all – we still had 24 games to play before the end of the season and we could have a huge collapse The Southern League Cup was next, and we comfortably saw ourselves through to the Third Round Southern League Cup ; 2nd Round Kettering vs Aylesbury We didn’t score the goals until the second half, but we strolled through the game anyway. The visiting ‘keeper was forced into making several first half saves, but eventually it was a player of his own that beat him, Rudge turning in a cross past him in the 52nd minute. Sebastiao sealed it with a double, scoring twice in 12 minutes, and that sealed the passage through comfortably Kettering 3-0 Aylesbury (Rudge OG 52, Sebastiao 64, 76) -- The year was drawing to a close rapidly, and we had three league games to see us into 2016, and the first of these was Aylesbury Utd Southern League Division 1 ; Game 19 Kettering vs Aylesbury Utd This was another good performance from the lads, and Eurico Sebastiao continued his great scoring run of late, opening the scoring within 34 seconds of the kick off, heading past the ‘keeper from Allen’s cross. We missed several chances within the rest of the half, but ten minutes into the second half, we scored two more, the penalty won by Sebastiao and converted by Atiku, and then the striker himself with his sixth in his last four games extended our lead. We conceded a silly goal late on, but Ronan Murray’s first for the club before that has already sealed the points Kettering 4-1 Aylesbury Utd (Sebastiao 1, 54, Atiku pen 50, Murray 67) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.