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MATCH REPORT FROM KETTERING |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 04 February 2006 |
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Peter Wilson reports on VICS game at kettering:
Kettering 2 v 0 Vics
Steve Burr's decision to omit Ben Chapman and switch Kieran Charnock to left back to accommodate Payne switching to the middle and McCarthy reverting to a right back role to allow the debut of Dale Anderson appeared to unsettle the defence from the start.
Yet Carlos Roca could, and probably should, have given his team the perfect start when set clear and although his initial shot was well saved by Osborn he ought to have made sure from the rebound despite another quality save from Osborn with his legs.
The reconstructed rearguard continued to exhibit a distinct lack of pace and Anthony Elding really ought to have opened the scoring when left clear on goal but his weak finish was easily collected by Rogers. Elding then found himself, despite looking three yards offside, again clear on goal but once more his finishing was unequal to the task and he lifted his shot high over the exposed Rogers as well as the cross bar. Kettering took the lead in the 32nd minute when Roca failed to respond to his defensive responsibilities on the left and Midgley scored from a right wing cross.
Barely sixty seconds later worse was to follow when further indifferent defending allowed another opportunity to cross from the flanks that enabled Elding to make amends for his earlier misses with an academic headed goal. Vics did fight back and ought to have been awarded a spot kick after Allan had been set clear on goal but he was pushed over from behind and then only a superb save from Osborn denied a Payne point blank header from an Elliott free kick.
Yet the reality remained that Vics had looked disjointed for much of the first half and that a tactical rethink was necessary to bring them back into the game.
Steve Burr responded by replacing Roca at half time with Mark Sale and called on Allan to drop back to midfield to continue his redoubtable efforts and work rate.
To be fair Vics dominated much, if not all, of the second half and yet there was rarely a moment that you felt that they looked like rescuing the game. Brayson was again thwarted by the excellent Osborn as was Payne but worryingly the introduction of fringe players failed to alter the situation. And with a current dip in form from one or two of the senior players the cause for concern remains that nobody has been able to step into the breach leaving further added pressure to those who have consistently delivered in the past.
Attendance: 1,154
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 June 2008 )
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