TOP SHOT FOR THE REBELS AS RIVALS DRAW A BLANK
SUPPORTERS of both Kettering and Slough will need to visit a neck specialist after this encounter as blustery conditions ruined what could have been a hum-dinger of a fixture between two title chasing teams.
However the point did move the Rebels to the top of the table whilst Poppies manager Marcus Law was delighted to have taken four points from a promotion rival over the two games.
Neither side fully got to grips with the weather as the ball spent large parts of the match swirling in the Northamptonshire air. It took 23 minutes for the first notable opportunity to materialise as Brad Watkins was a whisker away from meeting Lee Togwell’s cross to give the visitors the lead.
But it was the hosts who produced the first meaningful attack when Gary Stohrer drove for the byline before stepping outside his marker and drilling his effort which was smartly saved by Jack Turner.
The second half mir74 rored the first as the Rebels were forced to substitute joint top scorer Chris Flood just three minutes after the restart.
And it was Slough again with the first attack of the half with Togwell shooting from distance but Poppies keeper Paul White saw the ball into his hands.
The chance of the match fell on the hour mark. Aaron O’Connor had been quiet by his own standards but burst in to life when a pass from Lindon Meikle fell into his path and with just Turner to beat, O’Connor could only fire his shot into the body of the shotstopper.
That effort sparked a mini-onslaught from Kettering as two swirling crosses tested the Slough defence and the punching skills of Turner, whilst on minutes Rene Howe was left in acres of space but couldn’t find the target.
Bizarrely the weather slightly improved with ten minutes to go but the football worsened with neither side wishing to commit bodies forward late on as both management teams seemed happy with a point, although Law gave attacking options Rhys Hoenes and Matthew Stevens six minutes to make an impact.
The final whistle could not come quick enough for the majority of the 824 strong crowd with the now cold weather closing in. Neither side will remember this fixture with fondness and will look forward to playing “football” again in the midweek.