Cox wants his Poppies to be 'greedy'

It's back to National League North duty for Kettering Town this weekend
Kettering Town manager Paul Cox. Picture by Peter ShortKettering Town manager Paul Cox. Picture by Peter Short
Kettering Town manager Paul Cox. Picture by Peter Short

Paul Cox wants his Kettering Town players to be “greedy” as they bid to continue their impressive start to the new season tomorrow (Saturday).

The Poppies return to Vanarama National League North duty with a home clash against Chester this weekend having made it through to the fourth qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup with a 2-0 success over Leamington at Latimer Park on Tuesday night.

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Cox’s new-look team currently sit in eighth place in the league table and are now one win away from a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup, which they will look to achieve when they entertain Northern Premier League high-flyers Buxton a week tomorrow.

Cox, himself, admits he didn’t quite expect his young squad to start like they have done after a summer of change.

And while he is determined to keep them focused on the job, he wants them to maintain the “hunger and desire” he is seeing from them.

“We are one game away from the first round proper and if we were to get a result this Saturday then it would push us into a place in the table that, at this moment in time, I’d never expected us to be,” the Poppies manager said.

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“We want to be greedy as a football club and I want to see that from the players. I know the supporters want it and we have to be hungry enough to give it to them.

“If you go back 20 years, Kettering were regarded as one of the biggest clubs in non-League football. Now you look at who we have to face now and go toe-to-toe with - Chester, York City, Hereford, AFC Fylde - not just clubs with history but with resources.

“You sometimes look around and you realise what a challenge this is for our club in the scenario that we are in.

“We are building but what we do have is a group of young players who have a hunger and desire about them and they don’t seem to have a fear of anyone.

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“As long as we keep their feet on the ground and stop a bit of arrogance slipping in then these boys will go toe-to-toe with anybody.

“Their energy levels are good, they have desire and it’s just up to me to keep them focused because some of them will go on to have good careers if they carry on along this line.”