A quick trip down memory lane in the changing room to remember the early season visit to St Neots still brought nightmare visions of a game that was destined to be 0-0 for eternity until Kettering contrived to concede two dreadful goals. A wrong had to be righted.
Our frugal visitors have fashioned themselves into the dull draw specialists in Div 4NW only conceding 7 goals in the first half of the season. Who could possibly have foreseen what was going to happen as the hosts have hardly been scoring for fun either. Er, we could! We’ve been playing well ( or at least had been the last few games before Christmas) so knew that when it clicked we might score a hatful.
A very crisp 1pm start on a hard, but playable pitch with just a touch of frost in the shock pad. Fourteen of us, all up for the game, still smarting from the earlier fixture. The hosts welcomed back Samuel Tattersall hoping he would help drive our forwards.
Well, we didn’t have to wait long. Samuel opened the scoring after three minutes with a near post rocket and doubled his tally on seven mins . Jamie Smith squeezed one through the keepers legs after ten minutes and the game was already pretty much over. Blistering start! Note to fans who drifted in late - don’t be late, you’ll miss goals, goals, goals. Kettering’s forwards were proving unplayable. Tattersall hit the bar ( jug avoidance and had the audacity to say the keeper got a touch!). A few other half chances went begging. St Neots did grow into the game but realistically only because Kettering eased up after 25 mins of total hockey.
Content, but not happy, the second half saw Kettering almost immediately score a fourth as Tattersall completed his hat trick ( and got a jug in, well James T did as Samuel forgot his card!) Ethan Roberts got on the act after 52 mins and Harry Dell’Utri on 57 finished the scoring with a neat follow up. Kettering had other chances to score, Tattersall missing an open goal, Joe Campbell had a good chance and Ollie Smith fired a few shots in. Fair play to St Neots keeper who had a decent afternoon; Kettering could have racked up double figures with a shade more composure.
Kettering need to take this sparkling form into next week’s game at Bourne again looking to avenge a 2-2 in October when really they should have won.
MoM Samuel Tattersall - led the line, bagged a hat trick, bought a jug
DoD Samuel Tattersall - lost his sock, has a bag full of “supplements”, left stick in changing room, hit the bar, missed an open goal, left stick at pitch, forgot bank card ( More of the same next week please Sam!)

We celebrated in convivial style in the Clubhouse joined by St Neots ( which is more than they did when at their place - 3 pizzas and see you later).