Westcarr double seals 3-0 win for Poppies at home to Worcester City
Kettering Town 3 Worcester City 0 Kettering Town manager Mark Cooper made one change in his starting lineup against Worcester City, David Bridges returned from injury to replace Gary Mills. The now familiar trio of Jean-Paul Marna, Chris Beardsley and Craig Westcarr again lead the Poppies attack. A fairly quiet start to the match at the A-Line Arena with plenty of running around but not much in the way of genuine chances created as the first 15 minutes comes to a close. All that changed a few minutes later when Jon Brady fired the Poppies in front from a free-kick on 19 minutes. With the deadlock broken, the match strangely settled back into the earlier pattern with both sides not really penetrating the other's defence with any purpose. The match almost sparked into life shortly after the half-hour mark as Craig Westcarr broke through the visitor's backline, but with the keeper to beat the Poppies striker fired into the side netting. Worcester start to make inroads themselves but the home defence is equal to the threat so far and with 5 minutes to half-time the Poppies still holding onto their slender 1-goal advantage. Solkhon almost makes it two at the end of the first period but his effort is cleared off the line. Half-time: Kettering Town 1 Worcester City 0 Kettering continue where they left off in the first period as Westcarr comes close with a rasping drive, but this match still hasn't really caught fire in terms of real action with an hour already gone. The visitors make a change to try and get back into the match, Ryan Clarke goes off and Nick Colley comes on for Worcester City with 25 minutes left. Well into the last quarter of the match and Kettering still holding onto their narrow lead, but at this point the home supporters aren't banking anything just yet. Things liven up a bit in the closing stages as a goalmouth scramble denies Kettering a second and at the other end a poor clearance by Harper cannons off the onrushing Worcester striker and thankfully out for a goal kick. As the final ten minutes approaches, Worcester swap out Jamie Price for Gary Walker. Craig Westcarr again fires wide when he could have settled the match and the home fans nerves and Jean-Paul Marna is denied by the alert Belford in the visitor's goal. The home fans finally get to settle and breathe a collective sigh of relief when Jean-Paul Marna plays in Craig Westcarr and the Poppies striker looks to have wrapped up the points for Kettering giving them a 2-0 lead on 81 minutes. Into stoppage time and Kettering are headed for a relatively solid 3pts in a match that never really got out of second gear for either team. Just before the final whistle, Bridges puts Craig Westcarr through and the Poppies striker makes it 3-0, game over. Att: 1,181 Kettering: Harper, Eaden, Jaszczun, Dempster, Branston, Solkhon, Brady, Bridges, Beardsley, Marna, Westcarr. Subs: Hall, Graham, Kemp, Bussey, Galbraith. Worcester: Belford, Clarke, Smith, Munday, Gill, Walker, Ward, Nwadike, Clegg, Wood, Gilding. Subs: Colley, Price, Brown, Burtoft, Ricketts. March 5, 2008
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