Poppies keen to make up for lost time as they head to St Ives Town

The Poppies were once again frustrated by the weather last weekend, as they had yet another home game postponed.

Liam McDonald's side were due to host Redditch United, but heavy rain in the days leading up to the match left the Latimer Park pitch severely waterlogged.

That latest call off means that by the time the Poppies play their next home match, scheduled to be against Banbury United on Saturday, February 21, it will have been two full months without a fixture at Latimer Park.

The most recent home game was way back on December 20, when the Poppies saw off Royston Town 3-0.

It is a situation that provides something of a financial headache for the club's owners, and it also means it is going to be a hectic run-in for McDonald's men, who after their trip to St Ives will have 10 of their final 15 league games to be played on home soil.

With the regular season due to end on April 24, that means even without any more postponements, Kettering are going to have to play 15 matches in the space of 10 weeks.

Just three Premier Central matches survived the wet weather last weekend, with the results of the games played not affecting the Poppies' league position, as they stayed 12th.

The Poppies are eight points adrift of fifth-placed Redditch in the final play-off spot, with three games in hand, and they have also played fewer fixtures than most of the teams above them.

The meeting with St Ives, who play on an artificial pitch, will be the third between the sides this season, with Kettering yet to have claimed a win against their Cambridgeshire rivals.

The two teams drew 0-0 in the league at Latimer Park in November, with the Poppies having also lost 1-0 at St Ives in the first qualifying round of the FA Trophy a month earlier.

St Ives are currently 15th in the Premier Central table, four points adrift of the Poppies, and are on a run of three straight defeats, with the most recent a 2-1 loss at home to Bury Town.

Their home record is strong on the whole though, with St Ives losing just four of their 15 matches at The Quattro-Tech Stadium this season.

There will be a familiar face leading the St Ives attack on Saturday, as they have signed former Poppies striker Jonny Edwards on a short-term loan from Hednesford Town.

As for the Poppies, they will be hoping to build on their impressive performance last time out when they were 3-1 winners at Needham Market, thanks to goals from Wes York, Eddie Panter and Nathan Jeche.

Meanwhile, the club has confirmed the new dates for the recently postponed games against AFC Sudbury and Alvechurch.

The Poppies will host Sudbury on Tuesday, February 24 (ko 7.45pm) and they will entertain Alvechurch on Tuesday, March 10 (ko 7.45pm).