Skipper D'Ath relieved as Kettering Town get campaign off to a winning start

Eddie Panter's eighth-minute goal proved to be enough as the Poppies edged past Alvechurch 1-0 at Latimer Park, but the striker's 69th-minute red card for two cautions then left his team-mates up against it in the closing stages.

Kettering's 10 men proved to be up to the task though as they played out the final 25 minutes or so with relative ease, and D'Ath was just satisfied to secure maximum points on day one of the campaign.

"The three points is all that matters," said D'Ath. "It is the first game, and you may have had pre-season to get in the run of things, but you are still sort of feeling everyone out.

"We started the game really well, got the goal, and then we came off of it a little bit.

"We never looked in any danger, but then unfortunately Eddie gets a second yellow card and then it is backs against the wall.

"All the lads that came on gave us that extra energy and I thought we did really well.

"When you are defending for 25 minutes and you have 10 men, you are going to get a few half-chances against you, but luckily for us they didn't go in."

The match was a first competitive fixture in charge for the Poppies' new management team of Nick Green and David Bridgewater, and D'Ath insists the handover of power from Liam McDonald to his former assistants has been a smooth one.

"Nothing has changed," declared D'Ath. "Obviously, we would have liked Liam to stay on, but it was his decision to step down, and that is fine, we have to respect that.

"Greeny and Bridgy have been excellent all week after taking over, and nothing's changed.

"It's the same principles, the way we played in pre-season to now.

"It is the same mentality within the squad, all the senior lads and the older heads have to make sure we are keeping everyone on it.

"With the younger lads, we have to help them learn and develop and play well."

The Poppies are quickly back in action on Tuesday night when they make the trip to newly-promoted Leighton Town.

Leighton are playing their first season at Step 3, and got off the mark on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Redditch United in their opening game.

Interview by Peter Short