Cox: Poppies keen to put it right

Paul Cox says he is hoping to see “a bit of growth” from his Kettering Town players are they prepare for a busy bank holiday weekend.

The Poppies conceded three goals in the space of eight first-half minutes as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Gateshead in their first away game of the Vanarama National League North season last Saturday.

Cox was encouraged by the second-half response from his team as they pulled a goal back through Callum Powell.

But now the focus is on trying to bounce back as they take on Farsley Celtic at Latimer Park tomorrow (Saturday) before heading to Gloucester City on Bank Holiday Monday.

Both Farsley and Gloucester have made unbeaten starts with four points from their first two games but Cox is only focused on the Poppies and insists “a lot of questions” were answered during the loss in the north-east.

The Kettering boss said: “Farsley have started the season well. They’re a good side with a lot of experience in there.

“But, from our point of view, we want to carry on from our second-half performance at Gateshead and I think the players are ready to put right that poor 10-minute spell in the first half.

“I don’t think we played well in the whole first half yet we hit the crossbar and had some good chances.

“But there were a lot of questions answered in my head on Saturday in terms of how to now progress.

“We can all talk about systems and the tactical stuff but sometimes you just have to look at what suits the players.

“We have some very good young players and we have a clear thought process moving forward and we will work hard on things in training this week.

“We know what we need to put right and now, I want to see a bit of growth from these players and an understanding of how they go about it.

“It’s a quick turnaround with two good games to get our teeth into and they will be very different.

“We play on our pitch on Saturday and then we go to Gloucester on their 3G on Monday. We are looking forward to it.”

Cox will be checking up on the fitness of left-sided player Rhys Sharpe after he was ruled out of the game at Gateshead due to a thigh problem.

Three Poppies players, meanwhile, have made moves away from Latimer Park in a bid to get first-team football.

Striker Khaellem Bailey-Nicholls and defender Ed Cook have joined Redditch United and Stamford respectively on dual registrations while youngster has signed for Grantham Town under similar circumstances.

The Poppies Supporters Coach will be travelling to Gloucester on Monday.

The coach will depart Latimer Park at 11.30am. To book your seat on the coach, phone Brian on 07910 793276.