Kettering Nomads FC

10th October 2009

C Thurlow 2, Clarke, Norton, Massie, Bright 

Nomads picked up another comfortable home win with their best footballing performance of the season, as they consigned bottom of the table Cold Asby to another miserable Saturday afternoon.

Kettering based playboy/entrepreneur Nathan Eady caused a few shocks when he turned up after a boozy Friday night skirmish looking like the elephant man, however after the players had recovered with several cups of tea and the odd jaffa cake or two, he was able to go about the task of finalising his starting eleven. With 'squad rotation' the key phrase of the day, "Rafa" Eady rang the changes yet again. Ingham and Bright both returned, Gary Clarke made his league debut following his lengthy ban, whilst Ross Thurlow was included on the bench and Ian Symington was out injured from the previous week. Paul Smith was also left out so that he could finally get his catheter bag changed, thereby reducing the urine smell by some small degree.

Starting Line Up - Panter, Ingham, Massie, Evans, Robinson, Morris, Piazza, Bright, Clarke, C Thurlow, Norton. Subs - Newcombe, Marks, Jackson, R Thurlow, Cross.

The game kicked off with Nomads looking to get straight at the Cold Ashby defence, which was low on confidence following a start to the season that had yet to see them pick up a single point. The home side quickly got their passing game going and were soon camped in the Cold Ashby half, as attempts began to rain in on the visitor's goal. After several near misses, the breakthrough finally came as C Thurlow tapped in from a couple of yards out following a half saved shot by the Cold Ashby keeper.

Nomad's lead was soon doubled by debutant Clarke who, after chasing down a lost cause in the far corner, curled a left foot cross/shot over the keeper and into the top corner of the net. Further chances fell to Norton, Thurlow, Morris and Ingham as Nomads piled the pressure on, sensing that the Cold Ashby defence was on the verge of buckling under the constant strain. 

The win was all but sealed just before the half time break, as Norton beat two defenders before cutting in from the left and then unleashing an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner.

It was important that Nomads kept up the tempo in the second half and went in search of more goals. This is exactly what happened, and it was not long into the second period when they scored a fourth courtesy of a cross from skipper Massie which alluded everyone and drifted into the top corner of the net. A great flowing move then produced a fifth goal as Bright set Norton free on the right to provide a perfect cross for Thurlow to head home his second of the match.

With the result now beyond all doubt, Eady gave run outs to Jackson, Marks and R Thurlow at the expense of Massie, Clarke and Norton. As the game moved into it's final quarter, both sides were feeling the pace and gaps started to appear all over the pitch. Panter was finally called into action as Cold Ashby had their only real shot at goal, but the effort was expertly pushed around the post.

The final nail in Cold Ashby's coffin came when Bright added a sixth goal for Nomads as he poked the ball in from inside the six yard box, following a goal mouth scramble. Even then Nomads could have increased the margin of victory still further as they carved out yet more chances, the best falling to Marks who should have scored when put through one on one with the keeper.

The win sees Nomads climb up to fourth in the table and maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Next week sees them away to Earls Barton in the first of two cup games, as they look to chase an unprecedented treble.