Greaves hat-trick condemns struggling Kettering Town to heavy defeat at Mickleover

The scoreline did not flatter Mickleover as they continue their relentless push for promotion.

Meanwhile, the Poppies keep changing personnel, but continue to come up short as their battle for survival gets tighter.

It's taken just two games for new boss Richard Lavery to experience the woes of being in the hot seat at Kettering Town - witnessing his team roll over during the second half in the Derbyshire sunshine.

So appalled by the performance, Lavery refused to speak the media after the final whistle - a worrying sign so soon into a new tenure.

Mickleover immediately grabbed the game but by the scruff of the neck and produced a number of early chances.

Tyrell Waite unleashed a shot deep inside the area forcing a fine save from Daniel Jezeph on 12 minutes.

Moments later Greaves wasted his first opprtunity of the match with a near empty net ahead of him but could only drag his shot wide of the post.

Kettering's first significant venture into the Mickleover half produced their first shot on goal - with 18 minutes on the clock George Forsyth sent a rocket of a shot goalwards but Lewis Ridd's acrobatics managed to tip the ball over the bar.

Against the run of play the Poppies took the lead in slightly fortunetous circumstances.

Rhys Sharpe's tight angled shot, that was most definitely a cross, sailed over Ridd's head on 28 minutes and gave the large travelling support hope that they might cause an upset.

Former Poppy Ben Sault should have equalised just three minutes later but shot wide after receiving the ball from Andrew Dales just yards away from goal.

Will Atkinson then forced another strong save from Jezeph a minute later.

The barrage of chances finally told as the hosts finally got their first goal on the stroke of half-time via a fine counter attack move finished by Greaves from close range.

Kettering needed a dose of whatever Mickleover had in their half-time cuppa - the promotion chasers were energetic and clinical.

Waite struck the cross bar just 90 seconds after the restart and moments later Jezeph pulled off another excellent save.

Sault saw his shot blocked off the line from the resulting corner.

It was genuine one-way traffic punctuated by one solitary effort from Kettering but Dan Jarvis strong shot was straight at Ridd.

The inevitable happened just before the hour mark, when Waite's lobbed ball left Jezeph rooted off his line and allowed Greaves to finish into an empty net.

Andrew Dale's piledriver of a shot from 20 yards out on 67 minutes was the pick of the goals and three minutes later the game was put to bed when Greaves sent Jezeph the wrong way via the penalty spot, allowing the 24 year old to take the matchball home.

Had Mickleover chosen to be ruthless, a fifth and sixth goal was on the cards as Kettering continued to be opened up too easily.

A trademark Sharpe long throw into the area on 82 minutes was nearly spilt into his own net by Ridd for a brief light-hearted moment for the Poppies fans.Long before the final whistle, thoughts had clearly turned to the crucial six-pointer on Tuesday night at home to AFC Sudbury.

For several weeks the narative has been how Kettering performance against 'teams around them' in the league.

Now is the time for the squad to prove that they have what it takes to survive.