Poppies boss Hollyhead knows pre-season is not about results

On a day where Mr and Mrs A-Trialist are very proud parents up and down the land, the Poppies fans were frantically digging out their football who’s-who to try to work out any recognisable faces on show.

Indeed, the only known face was striker Jamar Loza, who netted the second goal and set up another in what was a very steady if not overwhelming performance from a team mostly made up of trialists.

Hollyhead was himself late to the stadium, having taken a first-team squad training session before hopping up the A14.

The Poppies tried a number of measures to offer a stern test for new faces including playing three at the back – but the defence was rarely tested.

In yesteryear, Kettering Town could attract a number of Football League and even Premier League XIs during the pre-season. But of late, the Latimer Park surface has kept the big names away, while just down the road on the same day, Step 4 Cambridge City were hosting Cambridge United whilst Brackley Town entertained the Cobblers.

When asked if he would have liked to have one or two tougher fixtures in the diary, Hollyhead was not particularly concerned.

“I think what’s really important is what we want out of the game,” the Poppies boss said. “We know it’s not about results.

“We took the decision early on and identified that today would be largely a trialists game. It’s absolutely the right thing to do.

"I think whenever you have a game like this, you learn more about the players.

“Now, going into this week, it’s about integrating them into the first-team group and seeing how they interact before Desborough at the weekend.”

Much has been written already about the new style of coaching that Kettering players can experience this term, and Hollyhead is confident he and his staff are identifying the right people for the project.

“The best players generally are the best people,” he said.

"At times we’re going to need to play in a certain style and other times we’re going to need to adapt a bit to play in another style.

"When we play at home, teams are likely to sit in a bit, block off passing lanes, so we’re going to have to find way to break that situation down.”

Last week saw Wes York re-sign for the Poppies. York was a key player and almost ever-present in Richard Lavery’s squad.

And after much thought, he put pen to paper, which delighted the new manager and should give comfort to fans that another squad member has given Hollyhead the thumbs up.

“That’s a bit of a stamp of approval – both how we’re looking to operate and the ambitions that we’ve got for the season,” Hollyhead said.

"Everybody knows his quality and what Kettering means to Wes.

"He’s someone I’ve ironically tried to sign in the past, so for him to sign on is going to be really important for us.”