Kettering Nomads FC

31st October 2009

                                          Clark, Norton, C Thurlow 2

Nomads avoided a Halloween horror show away at Stanion, as they maintained their unbeaten start to the League campaign despite giving a performance that was not as polished as in previous weeks.

For the first time this season, skin-tight shellsuit wearing manager Nathan Eady was able to field an unchanged starting eleven. Despite having Robinson and Symington still on the injury list and second-in-command Newcombe also unavailable, Nomads were able to bring back Morris and Smith to a strong looking (and in Smith's case, strong smelling) substitutes bench.

Starting Line Up - Panter, Ingham, Massie, Joy, Evans, Clark, Piazza, Bright, Jackson, C Thurlow, Norton. Subs - Marks, Smith, Morris.

Consistency has always been Nomad's achilles heel, with previous seasons seeing numerous occasions where a great result would immediately be followed by a shocker. After last week's tremendous display against Northern Star, Eady went to great lengths in his pre-match team talk to ensure that his side did not fall into the same trap.

However, as the first half started, it appeared that Eady's ravings had once again fallen on deaf ears, as despite a bright opening five minutes, Nomads were unable to rouse themselves from their changing room slumber. Stanion's workrate was causing the away side a lot of problems and the defence was struggling to cope with the villagers long ball game. The best of the early chances fell to the home side's lively young forward, but he was unable to hit the target on each occasion that he had the goal at his mercy.  

With Stanion sensing that they could perhaps cause an upset of their own, suddenly Nomads scored against the run of play with their first real effort on goal. A ball into the box fell to Clark who proceeded to torment the Stanion defenders with some dazzling footwork, reminiscent of Ricky Villa's wonder FA Cup goal, before cheekily scooping the ball over the despairing lunge of the keeper and into the far corner of the net. This seemed to settle down Nomad's nervous play and they slowly but surely began to dominate the possession for the remainder of the half.

Eady was forced into a change at half time as Evans limped off to be replaced by Smith, with Massie moving to left back and the ginger ninja slotting in at centre half. With the slope now in their favour, Nomads looked to press home their advantage and began to pass the ball around with confidence. In a flowing move, Norton sent Ingham free down the right, before meeting the full backs pin point cross with a great header to double the away side's lead. With Stanion now in complete disarray, Nomads scored two more goals in quick succession to put the result beyond all doubt. 

The first was converted from the penalty spot by pint sized poacher Thurlow, after Bright had been bundled over in the box. A couple of minutes later and the tufty haired troll doll had bagged his second and Nomads fourth when he headed home a Norton cross from close range. At the other end of the pitch, Stanion were given the opportunity of a consolation goal when they were awarded an extremely generous penalty of their own when their striker fainted in the box after getting too close to Smith's natural odour. However the home side's miserable day was completed when the spot kick was scuffed wide of the post - the offending Stanion player receiving a lot of sympathy after being forced to take it from a penalty spot that was deeper than the cat bowl in Jacko's chest!

The final 15 minutes saw Morris and Marks both come off the bench, but there was little goal mouth action for the remainder of the match. The win sees Nomads sitting in sixth place in the table, with games in hand on all those above them and the best goal difference in the league.

Next week Nomads are back at Orlingbury Road to entertain another of the newly promoted sides, Ringstead Rangers.