Vulnerable Poppies beaten at Nuneaton

Nuneaton Borough 2
Darby 41
McPhee 58

Kettering Town 1
Abbey 19

Kettering Town boss Morell Maison opted to start Rene Howe upfront alongside Zema Abbey at Manor Park, with Jean-Paul Marna and Craig Westcarr on the bench. Andre Boucaud and Andy Hall were both passed fit.

Nothing much separated the two teams early on as both sides settled into the match, but it was Kettering who made the breakthrough and went 1-0 up after 19 minutes gone in the first-half through Zema Abbey.

The home side eventually decided to mix it up and tempers flared after one challenge which caused a brief melee. Once the referee had regained control, Zema Abbey and former Poppy Derek Brown went into his notebook.

Nuneaton hit back just before half-time as Duane Darby pulled them back on level terms at 1-1 going into the half-time break.

Things seemed to go downhill as soon as the second-half kicked off and Kettering found themselves a goal down shortly after the restart when Gary McPhee made it 2-1 to Boro converting a cross into the box from Robert Oddy via David Staff.

A bad injury to Nathan Koo-Boothe prompted a triple substitution as Maison brought on Jean-Paul Marna, Craig Westcarr and Parys Okai in the final quarter of the match as Kettering tried to salvage something from Manor Park. This time however there was no way back for the Poppies and their continued weakness in defence eventually cost them all the points.

Att: 1,202

Kettering: Osborn, Koo-Boothe, Graham, Nicell, Solkhon, McIlwain, Boucaud, Hall, Makofo, Abbey, Howe. Subs: Marna, Westcarr, Midgley, Okai, Olaleye.

Nuneaton: Acton, McPhee, Oddy, Chapman, Moore, Brown, Fitzpatrick, Darby, Collins, Noon, Staff. Subs: Blenkinsopp, O.Burgess, Reeves, Wilkin, D.Burgess.