Orrin's arrival comes at a good time for the Poppies

Kettering Town have boosted their ranks this week with the arrival of defender Orrin Pendley.
Michael Richens is set to be absent from the Kettering Town squad until MarchMichael Richens is set to be absent from the Kettering Town squad until March
Michael Richens is set to be absent from the Kettering Town squad until March

The centre-half impressed Poppies boss Marcus Law for Redditch United in the two meetings between the sides in the Evo-Stik South League this season, which saw Kettering claim a last-gasp 1-0 home success in August before they were held to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture in October.

And Law believes Pendley’s arrival has come at a good time.

Gary Mulligan has missed the last two games, suffering from back spasms while key midfielder Michael Richens is unavailable until the start of March as he serves a lengthy suspension while personal reasons will see him miss out during February.

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Pendley is set to be part of the squad when Kettering take on Kings Langley at Latimer Park on Saturday as they bid to bounce back from last weekend’s 3-2 loss at Basingstoke Town, which saw them knocked off the top of the table.

“We liked Orrin in the two games he played against us and the opportunity came about for him to come in and we are happy to get it over the line,” Poppies boss Law said.

“It was something we actually targeted back in the summer but his position with Redditch changed and that gave us the chance to make it happen.

“It’s a good signing at a good time for us.

“Gary has been struggling his back spasms recently and Brett (Solkhon) is now in a position where we have to be careful with the number of games he plays.

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“And with us being without Michael for an extended period we now have options in defence and Orrin coming in means we may be able to push either Gary or Brett on to give us that physical presence in the midfield.”

Law, meanwhile, confirmed Richens’ absence beyond his suspension was something the club were already aware of.

And he believes the midfielder’s return will be “like having a new signing”.

“We are without Michael for the rest of the month due to the ban,” Law added.

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“And he has family commitments in New Zealand in February. That is something we were fully aware of a long time in advance.

“So it will be like having a new signing when he’s back at the start of March.

“He will be refreshed and if he finds the same form he has shown for most of the season then it will be huge for us in the run-in.”

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