Numbers are dwindling as Kettering Town turn their focus to Curzon Ashton

Paul Cox will be having to do another head count ahead of depleted Kettering Town’s home clash with Curzon Ashton this weekend.

The Poppies go into the match on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Vanarama National League North leaders Brackley Town on Tuesday night, in which both teams were forced to field depleted squads.

Kettering were without the likes of Jordon Crawford, Connor Barrett and Rhys Sharpe due to a mix of illness and injury while Riccardo Calder returned to the starting line-up for the first time since early September after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

With a number of players having left the club recently and, as yet, no new arrivals coming in, it has left Cox short on numbers and things could be even worse with defender Luke Ward now a doubt for Saturday’s game after being withdrawn with an ankle injury in the defeat at Brackley.

But Cox will be doing all he can to ensure he has a squad ready for the weekend.

“We were pushed for last Saturday (for the game at Alfreton Town which was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch” where we had 16 players and that included two goalkeepers,” the Poppies manager said.

“We were depleted for that but we were still going to go to Alfreton and play that.

“It worsened a little bit for Tuesday and, sometimes, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t in this game.

“We have followed every rule meticulously in terms of Covid and planning and some decisions that have come our way have been strange to say the least.

“We were going to play last Saturday, we played on Tuesday and we have to take the result on the chin.

“But I will let people decide whether the integrity of the game was called into question.”