Win was fully deserved, says Poppies boss Cox

Having seen two good displays over the festive period only produce one point, the Poppies were back to winning ways in front of their own fans in the Vanarama National League North.

Michael Richens, who was on as an early substitute for the injured Ben Milnes, grabbed the winner with a fine 30-yard strike.

But there were two missed penalties with Paul White saving a spot-kick for the second game in a row before Brett Solkhon struck the inside of the post at the other end after a foul on Dan Nti.

Kettering went on to squander numerous other chances but, in the end, they saw things out to maintain a five-point gap between themselves and the relagtion zone.

And boss Cox said: “How we have not gone on and won that by four or five I don’t know.

“And because of the anxiety of it only being 1-0, everyone becomes a bit edgy in the end.

“But it was a dominant performance, the kind of performance we have been putting in and it’s nice to have done it in front of our own fans.

“I lost count of how many chances we missed. Their goalkeeper needs a mention because he pulled off some special saves.

“But it’s a big win for us and it’s only what we have deserved for our efforts over the past two or three games.

“The boys deserve a pat on the back and we will dust ourselves down and go into the next tough one at Spennymoor (next Saturday).

“I let the lads hold the forum after the game and I asked them what they thought. They said they need to be more clinical but when you have the lads dictating how we can get better, it’s a big thing for me as a manager because they are the ones who govern things on the pitch.

“But it’s a 1-0 win, it’s a clean sheet and when it did get edgy we stood firm.

“We had to change our shape because they threw caution to the wind but we stayed disciplined and we rode it out.

“It’s not good for the blood pressure. As a spectacle it must have been pretty good but I think there will be a few fans going home for a whisky to settle the nerves!

“In the end, it’s three points and hopefully it does us the world of good when it comes to looking at the league table.”

Cox reserved special praise for goalscorer Richens and for his back three of Luke Graham, Brett Solkhon and Michael McGrath after they held firm, particularly in the second half.

“If you see Richo (Richens) in training, he hits ones like that quite often,” the Poppies boss added.

“I was going to shout at him to just pass the ball! But what do I know? It was a great strike.

“I was really impressed with our back three as well and there’s a special mention for Brett (Solkhon) because he has come in from the cold.

“Those three have given us a real platform to build on but I am just pleased for all the boys because they got what they deserved from the game."