Mahoney wants Poppies to stay in the hunt

Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat at Chesham United in their last outing nearly two weeks ago, the Poppies remain in a strong position to secure an extended season, although their hopes of claiming the title appear to be all-but gone with Hereford pulling away at the summit.

But there is still work for Marcus Law’s team to do to secure a top-five finish.

With last weekend’s clash against Dorchester Town falling victim to the freezing conditions, a busy final few weeks of the season awaits.

And chairman David Mahoney is confident the Poppies will give themselves that shot at promotion.

Indeed, Mahoney admitted he has been “very proud” of the club’s efforts on and off the pitch in the current campaign.

“At the start of the season we all suspected that Hereford would be strong and that’s proven to be the case and we could all identify five or six sides that were logical choices for a play-off position and at worst we wanted to be in that group,” the Kettering chairman said.

“I’ve actually been very proud of how the season has gone both on and off the pitch so far.

“Yes there have been some disappointing performances and some disappointing results but that’s football.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know that Marcus, Mitch (assistant-manager Austin) and the lads will continue to fight for every point available and if that pushes us towards the top of the table then we have the passion to fight for it.

“We have to ensure, however, that a season that started so well doesn’t fade away and that we remain firmly involved at the top.

“One thing is for sure though, there will be more twists before the final whistle on the final day of the season.”

Mahoney believes a play-off place would have been something most Kettering supporters would have taken at the start of the season.

And while he concedes an extended campaign can be a “lottery” he believes the Poppies have it in them to beat anyone in the division on their day.

“At the start of the season I suspect that a lot of supporters would have taken a position in the play-offs if it had been offered then, especially given the anticipated strength of Hereford, King’s Lynn Town and Slough Town to name just a few,” he added.

“I would obviously rather achieve promotion without the lottery of the play-offs.

“But the squad we have is capable of beating anyone on their day and if we can secure home fixtures then our opposition will be in for a hard game."