Home form has picked up but it remains the key issue for Law

Kettering Town will be hoping to maintain their impressive form at Latimer Park of late when they take on Kings Langley on Saturday.
Marcus LawMarcus Law
Marcus Law

But, with their Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division season now hanging by a thread, there remains a strong feeling of ‘what might have been’.

The Poppies’ hopes of a surge towards the play-off places suffered a potentially fatal blow last weekend when, despite turning in a decent display, they suffered a 1-0 defeat at leaders Chippenham Town.

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With the rest of the top five all winning, Kettering now find themselves a huge 12 points off fifth-placed Slough Town with just 13 matches remaining.

And while the season isn’t mathematically over, the inquest into why the Poppies haven’t been able to launch a bid for promotion has already begun amongst the fanbase.

The home form has, in the opinion of boss Marcus Law, been the main problem.

They have won five of the last seven on their own pitch but the fact it took until October 22 for them to pick

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up their first home league win of the season has, undoubtedly, been a huge factor as to why the pre-season ambitions don’t look like being matched.

“That’s the way it has been for the past few games,” Law said.

“Our problem is that we are still in the bottom half of the home form table and that is the reason why the season has been the way it has.

“I know people have spoken about pre-season and our preparations and pointed the finger at that.

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“But we won three away games out of four in August so I think that shows we were ready.

“We took a while to get our heads around the way teams were setting up against us at Latimer Park and it cost us a lot of points.

“And it may well be a similar situation this weekend.

“We could come up against another team who come here and make it difficult for us and be happy to play for a draw and to try to nick a goal.”

The Poppies will be hoping they have more defensive options available for this weekend.

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Checks will be made on Liam Bateman, Paul Malone, James Haran and Jack Kelly who all missed last weekend’s defeat, resulting in Law only being able to name four substitutes.

Saturday’s clash is the first of two quickfire matches for the Poppies as they head to Dunstable Town for a re-arranged clash next Tuesday night.

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