Seddon double enough to secure Poppies 2-1 win at Lewes

April 21, 2009—

Lewes 1
Keehan 71 pen

Kettering Town 2
Seddon 6, 64

Kettering Town travel South to Lewes on Tuesday night for their penultimate league match of the 2008-09 campaign with at least a 9th place finish tucked in their back pocket following a narrow 1-0 win over Wrexham on Saturday.

Mark Cooper has put out arguably his strongest attacking lineup all season for the match against Lewes and has also named himself on the substitutes bench with several Poppies players missing through injuries.

GOAL:   Kettering seem to have finally learned albeit a little late, that getting off to a good start sets the tone for the rest of the match and you can't do better than scoring a goal in the first few minutes. Ryan Charles plays in Gareth Seddon and the Poppies top scorer fires home from just inside the box to put his side 1-0 up on 6 minutes.

Marna almost made it 2-0 but Banks made the save and since then the home side have come more into the match having good possession but not much in the way of chances. Lee Harper was forced into a save when the lively Michael Standing was played in shortly after the 15 minute mark.

The match gets a little bit scrappy but Jean-Paul Marna almost brings back the spark and is denied by Banks before he fires wide of the mark coming up to the half-hour mark. Stefan Cox goes off and Ross Sutton comes on for Lewes in an early substitution.Luke Potter is booked for a foul and then almost makes amends but is denied by Banks.

Kettering having more of the play as we approach half-time and Ryan Charles somehow manages to sky his effort over the bar from close-in. The half-time whistle sounds with Kettering currently in the driving seat but they still only lead by the narrowest of margins thanks to that early goal from Seddon.

Half-time:   Lewes 0   Kettering Town 1

The second-half gets underway with no substitutions being made and Beardsley concedes a free-kick and Harper makes the stop from Michael Standing. The ball being treated as a hot coal at the moment and is spending more time out of play than in, as both teams appear to be trying to break some imaginary record for the amount of throw-ins in a ten minute period.

Neither goalkeeper has really had much to trouble them so far with their main body of work cutting out high balls from crosses and corners as the two sides not able to put a foot on the ball and take control at this stage. Lewes make another change as Frederick Foreman replaces Michael Standing approaching the hour mark. Marna does find some space but a poor shot flies high over the crossbar.

GOAL:   Into the last 30 minutes of the match and it looks at this point that the early goal by Seddon will be the only goal scored. All that changes two minutes later as Gareth Seddon scores his and Kettering's second of the match to give the Poppies a cushion going in the remaining 25 minutes. Mark Cooper sends on Ben Wright to replace Jean-Paul Marna.

GOAL:   Alfie Potter replaces Craig Westcarr. Just when it looked like Kettering were cruising, a foul by Guy Branston on Ryan Storrie in the area and the referee points to the spot. Up steps Joe Keehan to pull his side back to just one goal behind and perhaps make the final 20 minutes a lot more interesting for the 343 brave souls in attendance.

Ryan Storrie who won the penalty for Lewes is replaced by Louis Bell on 78 minutes. The home side understandably buoyed by the goal trying to conjure up an equaliser while the Poppies are trying to calm things down and hold onto their lead for the remaining 10 minutes of the match.

Kettering appeared to have weathered the expected storm from the home side following the penalty that reduced the deficit and look to be pushing forward more in the final few minutes. The referee blows for full time and Kettering manage to hold onto their lead and run out 2-1 winners. Perhaps not as comfortable as they would have expected after going 2-0 up but the win brings Kettering's first back-to-back victories since the first week of March.

With the news filtering in that Crawley Town have been beaten it means that Kettering will finish their first season back in the Conference Premier in 8th place, irrespective of what happens in their final match which is away to Kidderminster Harriers on Sunday, 4pm kick-off.

Att: 343

Kettering Town: Harper, Eaden, Branston, L.Potter, Boucaud, Geohaghon, Seddon, Beardsley, Westcarr, Marna, Charles. Subs: A.Potter(Westcarr 69), Cooper, Wright(Marna 67), Whatsize, Bennett.

Lewes: Banks, Barness, Wilkinson, Cullip, Jirbandey, Standing, Storrie, Keehan, Rivers, Rooney, Cox. Subs: Foreman(Standing 58), Osborne, Sutton(Cox 31), Timms, Bell(Storrie 78).