Boss Lavery left 'fuming' as Kettering Town suffer Royston thrashing

Boss Richard Lavery cut a frustrated and irritated figure throughout the second half of a match where Kettering had zero say in matters from kick-off to minute 90.

They were 2-0 down within 14 minutes and the excellent young striker Kian Harness should have had a hat-trick by the 22nd minute, had he not blasted the ball over the bar after nipping behind the Poppies defence for the third time inside 10 minutes.

Royston could smell blood within the first five minutes of the match - winning every tackle and second ball, pushing aside anyone in a red shirt with consummate ease.

After two early warning shots across the bows they struck on 12 minutes.

A cross from the right evaded the head of Kelvin Langmead and landed at the feet of Harness who stroked home under the body of Dan Jezeph.

Two minutes later and it was almost a carbon copy of the first goal, but this time the pass from the right was delivered by Demaray Anyadike with Harness this time putting the ball to the right of Jezeph's outstrectched hand.

The same duo nearly produced Harness's hat-trick on 22 minutes but Harness could only direct the ball over the bar.

Crows captain Adam Murray was a constant menance in defence and had the measure of all three Kettering strikers any time they ventured near his territory.

Adi Yussuf was on the end of the Poppies best move of the half but his outstretched foot caught the body of keeper Reuben Rabstein and the whistle blew before the striker could turn the ball home.

If any doubt as to where the three points were headed, Royston sealed the deal seven minutes after the restart when the locals' favourite Ronnie Henry lept highest to nod home a corner delivered by former Poppy James Brighton.

Jezeph pulled off two exceptional saves from Brighton's free kick and Samson Esan to keep the scoreline respectable.

But he was beaten a fourth time when Henry's through-ball found Andronicos Georgiou who powered his shot low into the bottom corner.

Kettering's supporters had to wait until 89 minutes to see their side's first shot on target when Michael Reindorf found some space on the edge of the area before curling a shot towards goal which was safely held by Rabstein - ironic chants of 'we've had a shot' rang out around the ground which were not unnoticed by the Poppies dugout.

Lavery kept his squad in the changing room for over half an hour after the final whistle, and on emerging he said: "To say I'm fuming is an understatement, I'm absolutely livid by the performance - I'm embaressed.

"I apologies to the fans first and foremost, there was a fair few here to support us.

"Like I said to the players in the changing room there, you've let yourselves down and first of all you've let the fans down and you've let the club down - I'm gutted."

Kettering named only four substitutes on the bench for the second game in a row, with a sizeable overhaul of the squad widely expected for next season.

The team's performance against Royston may well have sped that process up in the manager's mind.