at Nene Park
Blue Square Bet Premier
Kettering Town (0) 0
Mansfield Town (1) 3
Meikle 14, Green 63, Rhead 86
Admission £18, Programme £2
Attendance: 1,818 (877 Stags fans)
The Stags pre match hokey-cokey works wonders for team moraleJack, Sangare (Gray 45), Kelly, Westwood, Ralph, Mills, Bridges, Noubissie, Wyke (van Engle 77), Joyce, York.
Subs not used - Ford, Petranyuk.
Mansfield Town:
Marriott, O’Neill, Riley Geohaghon, Sutton, Briscoe (Rhead 61), Roberts (Worthington 78), Howell, Meikle; Green (Hutchinson 75), Dyer.
Subs not used - Redmond, Andrew.
Mansfield Town, with six wins and a draw in their last seven games, are still third in the table, seven points points ahead of York City, Kidderminster Harriers & Southport, and ten in front of Luton Town and Gateshead, as the race for play-off places intensifies.
Ceramic owls on top of the stands at Nene Park, scare
pigeons off and stop them crapping on the seats.
pigeons off and stop them crapping on the seats.
Kettering were very poor today.
And they went down, without any kind of fight at all, in front of less than a thousand of their own fans. Evidently they're going downhill fast, with a whimper instead of a bang.
Mansfield barely had to break into a sweat this afternoon, as they easily beat the Poppies.
If this is typical of how the home side have been playing this season, it's no wonder their fans are all roaming around garden centres or watching re-runs of black and white western movies on Channel 4, instead of dragging themselves across to Nene Park.
Kelvin Jack was excellent in goal for Kettering... he deserved a bit more effort from some of his team mates, who were going through the motions and masquerading as footballers in front of him.
Besides Jacks heroics, with a bit more application and sharpness in front of goal, this win could've been far more emphatic for the Stags.
Ross Dyer and Matt Green both ought to have scored a couple apiece in the first half.
But hey ho!
A three-nil away win, coupled with other results going the Stags way, equates to no harm done, at a time of the season where results are infinitely more important that a public exhibition of finesse.
Three points is three points... and any which way will do.
Now where was I?
Oh yes... there was a football match that I ought to mention too.
The Stags were without captain Adam Murray, but the home side didn't put out much of a team either and only had four inexperienced subs on the bench.
But I don't want to take anything away from Paul Cox's side, after all, they can only play what's put in front of them.
The Stags did a professional job on hapless Kettering and won at a canter.
Right at the death, it would've been 4-0 as Danny Rhead surged forward into the box, leaving his marker for dead, but the referee blew for time as he was about to shoot.
Kettering weren't the only poor side out on the pitch today, by any stretch of the imagination, the match officials were just as bad too.
I suspect that this pre match photograph, shows the three of them looking for their contact lens' which they had all lost on the pitch during the warm up and deciding to try blagging it, when they realised they couldn't be found.
One of the linesman seemed so desperate to help Kettering stay up, by giving every single decision their way, that the referee had to keep over-ruling him to stop it looking too blatant.
Granted, I'm biased too. But anybody else who saw what I did today will know exactly what I mean.
I'm usually sympathetic towards the plight of match officials, unless they're especially bad. It's not a job I envy and there wouldn't be a game with out them, but FFS!
Today's men in black gave ineptitude a really bad name.
So anyway, the goal details:
Poppies 0 v Stags 1, 14 minutes.
Lindon Meikle, in the starting line up today, justified his place with a great performance and headed home the opening goal. Nathan Ralph gave the ball away to Gary Roberts, who's deep right wing cross was nodded home at the back stick by the stooping Meikle, who was the Stags man of the match today.
However, overall best performance by any player out on the park award goes to Kelvin Jack, the Kettering keeper, who had a blinder of a game and kept the score down to a respectable looking 0-3, when it could have been much worse for the Poppies.
Poppies 0 v Stags 2, 63 minutes.
Anthony Howell knocked the ball forward from inside his own half into the path of Matt Green, who collected it in his stride, dropped a shoulder to wrong foot the defence, feigned a shot to commit Kelvin Jack and ten drilled the ball home under the Kettering keeper.
Poppies 0 v Stags 3, 86 minutes.
With the Stags fans already embarking on a conga behind the goal to celebrate their victory, Luke O'Neill floated a right wing corner into the box that Matt Rhead powerfully headed home.
And they went down, without any kind of fight at all, in front of less than a thousand of their own fans. Evidently they're going downhill fast, with a whimper instead of a bang.
Mansfield barely had to break into a sweat this afternoon, as they easily beat the Poppies.
If this is typical of how the home side have been playing this season, it's no wonder their fans are all roaming around garden centres or watching re-runs of black and white western movies on Channel 4, instead of dragging themselves across to Nene Park.
Besides Jacks heroics, with a bit more application and sharpness in front of goal, this win could've been far more emphatic for the Stags.
Ross Dyer and Matt Green both ought to have scored a couple apiece in the first half.
But hey ho!
A three-nil away win, coupled with other results going the Stags way, equates to no harm done, at a time of the season where results are infinitely more important that a public exhibition of finesse.
Three points is three points... and any which way will do.
The Stags celebrate Lindon Meikle's opening goal
Whenever the Poppies did have possession of the ball, Mansfield barely had to put a tackle in, because the home side were wont to give the ball as they sprayed hopelessly stray passes all over the pitch for the duration of the ninety minutes.
Some people feel sorry for Kettering's plight, but when a club charge £18 to watch Non League football from behind a goal, have a crap attitude towards early arrivals at the door to their bar, charge £3.20 for a pint of cheap n' nasty Fosters lager in a plastic pint pot inside the ground and offer their captive audience ropey looking sustenance called a 'Poppy Burger' (it's cheeseburger with a small slither of bacon in it) for a princely sum of £4.10, it's hard to feel any sympathy for them.
I had spaghetti and meatballs simmering in the slow cooker for when I got home, drinking and driving is a no no, so screw 'em, eh!?
At those prices, arrests for drunkenness must be zero at Nene Park this season.
I had spaghetti and meatballs simmering in the slow cooker for when I got home, drinking and driving is a no no, so screw 'em, eh!?
At those prices, arrests for drunkenness must be zero at Nene Park this season.
Matt Green's goal... two-nil
Though I have no truck with Luton Town fans, it is scandalous that these prices were hiked up even higher when the Hatters visited Nene Park.
Surely, when you are playing in exile, at an out of town stadium, miles away from any other place where supporters can eat and drink and you're struggling to make ends meet, you want to be encouraging visitors to turn up in good numbers and spend... because pricing them out and making them think twice about ever coming back again is a ridiculous business plan in anybody's book.
Not that any BSBP teams fans who's team aren't going down with Kettering will have to worry about this sort of excessive outlay next season.
I quite like Nene Park as a venue as it happens, but I'm not made of money, so goodbye and good riddance to this kind of caper.
I know football is expensive everywhere now and food and drink in all grounds is invariably overpriced, but being frank ... Kettering Town, you take this piss!
Surely, when you are playing in exile, at an out of town stadium, miles away from any other place where supporters can eat and drink and you're struggling to make ends meet, you want to be encouraging visitors to turn up in good numbers and spend... because pricing them out and making them think twice about ever coming back again is a ridiculous business plan in anybody's book.
 |
(Above)
Luke O'Neill cues up a corner,
The very talented James Williamson waits eagerly with his camera
(Below) Matt Rhead heads O'Neill's corner over Kelvin Jack and into the back of the net, 3-0 game over! |
I quite like Nene Park as a venue as it happens, but I'm not made of money, so goodbye and good riddance to this kind of caper.
I know football is expensive everywhere now and food and drink in all grounds is invariably overpriced, but being frank ... Kettering Town, you take this piss!
Now where was I?Oh yes... there was a football match that I ought to mention too.
The Stags were without captain Adam Murray, but the home side didn't put out much of a team either and only had four inexperienced subs on the bench.
But I don't want to take anything away from Paul Cox's side, after all, they can only play what's put in front of them.
The Stags did a professional job on hapless Kettering and won at a canter.
Right at the death, it would've been 4-0 as Danny Rhead surged forward into the box, leaving his marker for dead, but the referee blew for time as he was about to shoot.
Kettering weren't the only poor side out on the pitch today, by any stretch of the imagination, the match officials were just as bad too.
I suspect that this pre match photograph, shows the three of them looking for their contact lens' which they had all lost on the pitch during the warm up and deciding to try blagging it, when they realised they couldn't be found.One of the linesman seemed so desperate to help Kettering stay up, by giving every single decision their way, that the referee had to keep over-ruling him to stop it looking too blatant.
Granted, I'm biased too. But anybody else who saw what I did today will know exactly what I mean.
I'm usually sympathetic towards the plight of match officials, unless they're especially bad. It's not a job I envy and there wouldn't be a game with out them, but FFS!
Today's men in black gave ineptitude a really bad name.
So anyway, the goal details:Poppies 0 v Stags 1, 14 minutes.
Lindon Meikle, in the starting line up today, justified his place with a great performance and headed home the opening goal. Nathan Ralph gave the ball away to Gary Roberts, who's deep right wing cross was nodded home at the back stick by the stooping Meikle, who was the Stags man of the match today.
However, overall best performance by any player out on the park award goes to Kelvin Jack, the Kettering keeper, who had a blinder of a game and kept the score down to a respectable looking 0-3, when it could have been much worse for the Poppies.
Poppies 0 v Stags 2, 63 minutes.
Anthony Howell knocked the ball forward from inside his own half into the path of Matt Green, who collected it in his stride, dropped a shoulder to wrong foot the defence, feigned a shot to commit Kelvin Jack and ten drilled the ball home under the Kettering keeper.
Poppies 0 v Stags 3, 86 minutes.
With the Stags fans already embarking on a conga behind the goal to celebrate their victory, Luke O'Neill floated a right wing corner into the box that Matt Rhead powerfully headed home.
0-3 - Game over... no contest!
And the details of all the other goals that should have been scored:
Give over, I'd be here 'til midnight.
Final indignity:
In stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes, Kettering's caretaker player manager Ashley Westwood was sent off when he got a second yellow card for a foul on one of Mansfield's second half substitutes, Ben Hutchinson.
Have you ever had one of those days!?
We were straight off at the final whistle to my car, parked in pole position on the starting grid.
The stewards and police tried making it awkward for visiting supporters to get out of the car park, but we were too happy with the result to take issue with them, and a quick u-turn and smell of rubber on country tar and we were off... all the way round the back of the ground and out of the designated home fans exit instead.
One good thing about the ground being right on the outskirts of Irthlingborough, is the quick access to the northbound A roads.
There was hardly any other traffic in our way, especially on the virtually deserted A1 and getting a head start on the other 875 Stags fans at Nene Park, meant the two of us were home in the people's republic of Retford by 6.20pm, even though I observed the speed-limit(ish) all of the way home.
Give over, I'd be here 'til midnight.
Final indignity:
In stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes, Kettering's caretaker player manager Ashley Westwood was sent off when he got a second yellow card for a foul on one of Mansfield's second half substitutes, Ben Hutchinson.
Have you ever had one of those days!?
We were straight off at the final whistle to my car, parked in pole position on the starting grid.The stewards and police tried making it awkward for visiting supporters to get out of the car park, but we were too happy with the result to take issue with them, and a quick u-turn and smell of rubber on country tar and we were off... all the way round the back of the ground and out of the designated home fans exit instead.
One good thing about the ground being right on the outskirts of Irthlingborough, is the quick access to the northbound A roads.
There was hardly any other traffic in our way, especially on the virtually deserted A1 and getting a head start on the other 875 Stags fans at Nene Park, meant the two of us were home in the people's republic of Retford by 6.20pm, even though I observed the speed-limit(ish) all of the way home.
Thought for the day:
You can still see the outline of the old Rushden & Diamonds crest behind the Poppies badge outside the stadium.
I wonder, what ever happened to all the Rushden Town, Irthlingborough Diamonds and the amalgamated R&;DFC's supporters?
They sure as hell weren't watching Kettering Town this season.
Goodbye Nene Park, you were a good idea, once upon a time.
You can still see the outline of the old Rushden & Diamonds crest behind the Poppies badge outside the stadium.
I wonder, what ever happened to all the Rushden Town, Irthlingborough Diamonds and the amalgamated R&;DFC's supporters?
They sure as hell weren't watching Kettering Town this season.
Goodbye Nene Park, you were a good idea, once upon a time.
