Not Much To Choose Between The Sides, But Nothing To Show For It

It’s now four defeats in the last five league games for Church, and a second blank scoreline in a week after suffering two 0-2 defeats.

A bobbly and uneven pitch, and a strong wind contributed to diminishing the quality of the football fare on show. Added to the fact that Church looked a little leggy in the first half, the opening forty five minutes were largely instantly forgettable.

Kettering scored a decisive first goal on 16 minutes after a deep cross from wide on the Church right looped to the far post to find Yussuf, unmarked, and from very close range he steers the ball in with his head.

Church probed without any real return in front of goal, but the next key moment of the half was a disappointing one as White performed a hatchet job on Ben Cassidy, taking the Church player out with studs to the knee as he sought to round him and continue his thrusting run into the Kettering box. It was the end of Cassidy’s afternoon. Clayton-Phillips’ free kick was drilled to the far post, but off target and safely beyond it.

In the dying minutes of the half good interplay between Clayton-Phillips and Allen-Hadley saw the latter with an opening on goal, but the low driven shot albeit on target was well covered by keeper Doherty.

Half Time: Kettering Town 1 Alvechurch 0

The second half began in the same scrappy manner, and both sides were able only to carve out half chances in their quests for a goal. For Church a 57th minute effort from Clayton-Phillips sees him fire well over from distance, but a clearer chance for the Poppies on 63 saw Andrade head down and wide of the post from six yards after Sharpe’s cross had been driven in from wide left.

It's surely a game that will not linger long in the memory, although there are some nice passeges of play from Church, the Kettering defensive nut is proving too hard to crack.

There is still hope through the longer the scoreline remains at one-nil that Church will somehow find a way through.

But it was not to be, as the home side deliver a killer blow with just four minutes of normal time remaining. Yussuf bundles a bobbling ball through two challenges before stabbing the ball goalwards, seemingly innocuously, but somehow the shot drifts over Hollingshead and in off the underside of the ball to seal the points for the resurgent Kettering side.