Glover’s plans for Poppies will take everything into account

Academy prospect George Herbert is part of manager Lee Glover's plans at Kettering Town this season. Picture by Peter Short

The Poppies’ home pitch was a hot topic for visiting managers last season and, after the recent hot conditions, Glover knows exactly what to expect when his new-look team take on Bradford (Park Avenue) in their first home match of the Vanarama National League North campaign on Saturday.

Kettering go into the clash on the back of a 2-1 defeat at title favourites AFC Fylde on the opening weekend.

And Glover said: “We will have a game plan for every match individually.

“We will watch our own games back, we will watch our opponents and look at where we might be able to hurt them.

“The pitch, like a lot of pitches at the moment, will be bone dry.

“Even Fylde’s pitch could have done with a lot more water on it. It was a lovely pitch but it wasn’t as slick as clubs higher up the chain.

“Our pitch will be bone dry, as will plenty of others on Saturday. You have to take the surface into account just like everything else.

“But we will have a game plan ready and we will try to execute that.”

The Poppies are set to name a similar squad to the one that featured at Fylde after they added Peterborough United youngsters Janos Bodnar and Andrew Oluwabori to their ranks on loan deals towards the end of last week.

Both Posh players started the game along with numerous other debutants but a return on loan for Mansfield Town defender George Cooper is currently on hold after he suffered a calf injury.

And Glover also confirmed that the Poppies’ academy players are “part of my plans” this season.

George Herbert, Jack Empson and Connor Duggan all made positive impacts as they spent the summer at South Bend Lions in the United States.

“George (Cooper) has got a calf injury, that’s what’s delaying him,” Glover added.

“The two lads from Peterborough came in and did well so they will be involved again.

“I don’t know if we will get any business done before Saturday but we will hopefully have Ethan Hill to come back in after he was ill last weekend.

“There are also the young lads who have come back from the United States.

“They have done very well. They need games in men’s football so I will try to organise that but they are in my plans.

“It won’t be quickly but they will be involved with our team during the season at some stage.”