Law's concern as Poppies' travel sickness strikes again

Basingstoke Town's players celebrate one of their goals as Kettering Town slipped to a 3-2 defeat. Pictures by Peter Short

Having trailed 2-0, the Poppies hit back late on and looked to have earned a point thanks to goals from Aaron O’Connor and Mathew Stevens.

But they were undone by a last-gasp Callum Bunting goal for the hosts and it meant Kettering surrendered top spot in the Evo-Stik South League Premier, just five days after moving to the summit, as King’s Lynn Town enjoyed a 3-0 home success over Dorchester Town.

And Law conceded there were too many similarities to his team’s two other defeats on the road this season for his liking.

Marcus Law was far from impressed as Kettering Town's problems on the road struck again

“We are leaving ourselves far too open away from home, particularly on these long journeys,” the Poppies boss said.

“We haven’t started these games well and in the three matches we have lost, we have left ourselves with too much to do in the second half.

“We didn’t get going until we were 2-0 down and we had made some changes in personnel.

“And once we had got back to 2-2 we needed to see it through and just take the point. But again, we left ourselves open and got done from a free-kick.

“Whenever you go away from home, the target is to get at least a point. We worked ourselves back into that position and then let it slip.

“It’s frustrating because two of their goals have come from set-pieces and the winner came after a period when we had put at least 10 balls into the box from crosses or corners and we didn’t make the goalkeeper work.

“So we had a long discussion in the dressing-room after the game and it’s up to all of us to take everything that was said on board.

“My staff and I have preached some things about our away games and now we have to go and put things right.

“We have got players who have the ability to win any game, we know that. But we have to make ourselves more compact and understand that a game doesn’t have to be won in the first half.

“The concerning thing is that we have replicated the same mistakes in those three games we have lost away from home, we have given ourselves too much to do. And it’s up to us to change it.”

Kettering will have to change it quickly, however, as they face a long trek to fifth-placed Tiverton Town on Tuesday night.