Manager Cooper scores winner as Poppies beat Gainsborough Trinity

Kettering Town 2
Solkhon 62
Cooper 90

Gainsborough Trinity 1
Reeves 75 (pen)

Kettering Town host Gainsborough Trinity in their final match of the BSN season and it's a last chance for the fans to see the champions in action before they head into the summer break.

The two teams settle early into the match and a Brady cross that Beardsley heads just over the crossbar is the first effort on goal. With just seven minutes gone an injury to Nicky Eaden leads to his replacement by David Galbraith. At the other ends Callery's ball in is comfortably dealt with by Harper.

Kettering continue to press as Marna shrugs off a defender but shoots too close to Sollitt, while a Kemp cross is met by Bridges but his header is too high. A bit of a lull in the match is interrupted by a fierce drive from Bird but Harper pulls off another excellent save to keep the score 0-0 on 22 minutes. Bird must have picked up a knock as he's soon replaced by Reeves for Trinity midway through the first period.

On the half-hour mark and Fallon has the ball in the net but the Trinity striker's celebrations are cut short with an offside flag ruling out the effort. Otherwise the match has is showing signs of end of season laid-back action. As Kettering clear a rare corner Beardsley is replaced by Robinson with 10 minutes still to go before the break.

Half-time: Kettering Town 0 Gainsborough Trinity 0

The second-half is underway with the large home crowd hoping for a better second-half display and a little more excitement along the way. Wood has replaced Callery for Trinity. As if on cue, the game suddenly bursts into life. First a great run by Westcarr is cleared off the line wuth the keeper beaten and almost immediately a Bridges header is pushed out for a corner by Sollitt in the Trinity goal.

Another Westcarr drive is parried away by Sollitt as the home side begin to dominate the opening stages of the second 45 minute period. The increased pressure pays off as Bridges' ball to Brett Solkhon finds the Poppies midfielder in the clear and he calmly beats Sollitt to put Kettering 1-0 up shortly after the hour-mark.

It's all Kettering now as they pile forward with successive corners as Dempster is denied by the woodwork and Westcarr heads narrowly over the crossbar.

Just as Kettering looked to be in the ascendaency, a ball into the box was adjudged to have been handled by Dempster and from the penalty spot David Reeves fired Trinity level with 15 minutes left on the clock. The visitors are boosted by the goal and Anson fires wide in the closing stages.

Cooper comes on for Marna in the closing seconds of the match and it's just a matter of stoppage time. Kettering press forward and Cooper heads over the bar as the crowd held their breath. Unbelievable and who could have written this one, Kettering Town manager Mark Cooper scores the winner in the final game of the season and quite understandably, the crowd goes wild!!

What a finish to a great season. Congratulations to all the players, Manager Mark Cooper and the Poppies chairman Imraan Ladak. See you all next season in the Blue Square Premier League.

Att: 2,187

Kettering: Harper, Eaden, Kemp, Dempster, Graham, Solkhon, Brady, Bridges, Beardsley, Marna, Westcarr. Subs: Mills, Cooper(Marna 89), Bussey, Robinson(Beardsley 35), Galbraith(Eaden 7).

Gainsborough: Sollitt, Greenwood, Parker, Pell, Drury, Anson, Callery, Birley, Needham, Bird, Mallon. Subs: Reeves(Bird 25), Austin, Wood(Callery 46), Dudgeon, Sloath.