Cox unimpressed with Spennymoor's 'lack of class' as Poppies are beaten

Ryan Hall fires home Spennymoor Town's first goal as Kettering Town slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Latimer Park. Pictures by Peter Short

Paul Cox felt Spennymoor Town “lacked a little bit of class” for their celebrations in the aftermath of their 2-1 success over Kettering Town at Latimer Park.

The Poppies slipped to their first home loss of the season in the National League North as goals from Ryan Hall and Glen Taylor won it for the visitors while Kyle Perry’s goal gave the hosts some late hope.

Cox conceded his team were “missing a bit in the final third” but he was far from impressed with the visitors’ conduct immediately after the game had finished.

“To be fair, they have left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth with the way they have celebrated,” the Poppies boss said.

“Some of the comments, you would say, lacked a little bit of class.

“If we’re going to talk like that, I have won a few things in management and I have never banged on doors and never slagged teams off for their stadium.

“The great thing about English football is that we are kind of equal and we get the chance to compete against each other, not like franchises like the American game for example.

Kyle Perry heads back to the centre circle after he gave Kettering some late hope as he pulled a goal back

“We will put that one to bed. I have told the boys to remember it because there were some cheap shots.

“It was a feet back down on the ground day for me.

“We came up against a good side and you can tell why they are where they are.

“We have to look at the whole thing, you have to take yourself away from the adrenaline and the passion and look at it and say we did okay but we went missing a bit in the final third.

“We probably missed key individuals who are big for us.

But if someone had said that we would be where we are then I would say we have made great strides.

“I don’t think we should be too despondent or too down that we have lost to a team with the resources they have got and the players they have got.

“You look through the age and experience of their squad and it’s geared for where we want to be in the next 18 months or so.

“I just want to make sure we don’t run before we walk. I want the players to learn from that and not let it happen again. We got picked off at times and it took us a while to register something in their box.

“We will go back to the drawing board but it’s up to the players to bounce back.”