VERBAL WARFARE BREAKS OUT TO ADD SPICE TO CUP REPLAY

As if the prospect of another chance to embarrass Lincoln next week wasn't enough, Poppies fans are now looking forward to the match in ernest due to Peter Jackson's allegations of 'racism' during our previous encounter at Rockingham Road.

If Jackson's claims are, in fact, found to be true, then myself and every other Kettering Town fan would fully expect the club to deal with them in the most severe fashion. But as it stands, it is purely Lincoln's word against ours as there is no hard evidence to suggest that any racist chanting occured.

More than anything else, I was disappointed to hear Peter Jackson venting his views to the national media. Especially when the the two clubs had just played out such a full-blooded cup tie that was a fantastic advert for lower league football.

Reputations take a minute to start, and a very long time to shake off, and the potential tag of 'racist' is certainly not one that I would ever expect to be associated with Kettering Town in any form.

Let's all hope that we can put this ugly incident behind us and look forward to what promises to be a cracking, if not slightly bitter reunion at Sincil Bank.

POPPIES JOY IS SHORTLIVED AS LINCOLN SNATCH DRAMATIC EQUALISER

If you had offered me 1-1 before the start of play I would probably have taken it. As it turned out I left the A-line Arena feeling very disappointed. Not disappointed in my team, but that having done so well to get our noses in front we failed to close out the game and claim the scalp that we deserved.

The crowd's reaction to Exodus Geohaghon's late strike sparked scenes of jubilation on the terraces that would not have looked out of place had we won the FA Cup.

But seconds after I had sent a text message of unconfined joy I looked up horrified to see Dany N’Guessan rounding Lee Harper and sending the visiting supporters into raptures. How cruel football can be sometimes.

There was briefly time for both teams to launch late assaults on the opposition goal, but by then the 3,314 in attendance knew the match was destined to end as a draw.

Still, we should put this entire event into context. We have more than held our own against a League Two side, created far more chances than they did, silenced their fans for the majority of the game, and have left feeling aggrieved that we didn't win. That speaks volumes for how far the team has come in recent times, and that we have no reason to fear going to Sincil Bank in ten days time.

And now I fully expect us to do a professional job in the replay and reach the next round.

FANS EAGER FOR UPDATE ON GROUND SITUATION

Under normal circumstances Poppies fans would be celebrating reaching the summit of non-league football like there's no tomorrow. But due to the continued speculation about whether the team would even be allowed into Football League is casting a shadow over our on-pitch performances.

A number of optimistic souls believe that no news is good news, while most feel that the club's prolonged silence on the issue can only mean that there is no progress being made on the stadium issue.

Personally, I feel that however good or bad the situation is, the fans who pay the money to come and watch their team week after week deserve to know exactly what is going on at their club.

The board must know something that we don't, otherwise how would we be able to bring players of Gareth Seddon's calibre to Rockingham Road if we had no future?

POPPIES GO TOP

Another gritty Kettering performance which, for the most part, lacked a cutting edge but nevertheless delivered another priceless three points.

The team now find themselves in nose-bleed country at the top of the table, but none of us should be getting carried away just yet. In contrast to last season, no one team looks like they will win this league at a canter, and so constistancy will be the key.

That said, Kettering have been the model of consistancy so far, apart from the back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Burton Albion and Crawley Town. If we can keep nicking games 1-0 or 2-1 then we should be able to secure at least a play-off spot come May.

We all know how difficult this league is to get out of, and so I urge every Kettering Town fan to get fully behind the club and hopefully we will keep doing the business on the pitch.

POSSIBLE DEMOTION

THIS article will no doubt worry all Poppies fans, myself included. 

POOR PERFORMANCE ADDS TO DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT

None of us were expecting Kettering to stay unbeaten for the whole season, but equally as few people would have thought that our proud record would come to an end in such a dismal fashion.

Tonight we played like a side with a hangover. Also not helped by the fact that this was our second game in three days, following an eight-and-a-half hour round trip to Barrow-In-Furness!

But regardless of these circumstances, there can be no excuses for Iyesden Christie's dreadful challenge which earned him a deserved straight red card. From that moment onwards we had nothing going forward, Westcarr's touch was non existent and Nicky Eaden by all accounts should never be allowed to wear a Kettering shirt after tonight's shocking display at right-back.

If one man sums up the heart and desire of Kettering Town, it is always Guy Branston. A defensive monster of a man, but unfortunately his and Lee Harper's mix up cost us a point this evening.

After that it was clear that tonight just wasn't going to be our night. Straight after coming on Marna had a great chance to equalise but somehow managed to miss an open goal as the ball was hacked off the line.

This was certainly a night to forget if you are a Kettering Town supporter, and not exactly the best preparation for a daunting trip to top of the table Crawley Town on Saturday.

MORE TELEVISION COVERAGE?

It is often said that where a team is in the table after the first 10 games is a good indicator of where they will finish come the end of the season.

With Kettering currently sitting 3rd in the Blue Square Premier after 9 games, many Poppies fans will be more than satisfied if we are in that same position come May. Given our unexpected success, does this mean that we can look forward to more games being televised exclusively live on Setanta Sports?

The company has already agreed to show our match against Burton Albion live at the A-Line Arena on Monday 22nd September, and given our lofty position I would imagine that digital television's newest sports broadcaster will want to jump on the bandwagon.

This would undoubtedly bring more much needed funds into the club, and also show the rest of the country that Kettering Town is a club on the rise.