Le Masurier relieved as Poppies show second-half spirit to salvage point

Poppies boss Jim Le Masurier was not happy with what he saw in the first half at Latimer Park on Tuesday (Picture: Peter Short)

The Poppies fought back from conceding after just four minutes at Latimer Park, but they left it late as Dan Jarvis netted a dramatic equaliser three minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game.

The goal capped a much-improved second-half showing from the Poppies, with Le Masurier admitting: "It was a hard-earned point, and we had to give something in the second half because we didn't in the first.

"We were very poor. They wanted a bit more, they reacted to first and second balls quicker, and we were disjointed with too many distances between front and back.

Action from Kettering Town's 1-1 draw with Bromsgrive Sporting on Tuesday (Picture: Peter Short)

"That made it difficult for us to get any fluidity, so it was a case at half-time of getting the team to show a bit of fight and endeavour, and to even win or draw ugly.

"But we have come through, and to get a point of out of that and maybe feel as though we should have got three is a good result."

As well as his own players not being at their best, Le Masurier also bemoaned the referee's performance, feeling a lot of decisions went against his side, but in the end he felt that sense of injustice galvanised his players, and the Poppies support.

On the strange decisions made by the official, the Poppies boss told the Kettering Town FC YouTube channel: "It can affect people in different ways.

"It can turn people nasty and they then lose the shape of the game, but fortunately we did have enough discipline in there to keep the shape.

"I think the decisions got the fans going a bit, and that probably didn't help Bromsgrove in the way our fans were getting behind us, and they were superb in the second half.

"So maybe it gave us a little more bite and fight, but we were unable to get the three points."

The draw means the Poppies stay in 18th in Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central, but they have edged a point further away from the relegation zone.

Le Masurier’s men are now five points better off than AFC Sudbury who currently accommodate 17th and the final place in the drop zone.

Kettering have a great chance to improve their position further on Saturday when they host bottom-of-the-table Long Eaton United (ko 3pm), who have claimed just three wins and 11 points all season.

One of those points did come against the Poppies though, with the match between the sides at Long Eaton in September ending in a 2-2 draw.