Leighton stop Kettering in their tracks

With both Leighton and Kettering still unbeaten after 3 games it was always going to be an interesting match, before the game had even kicked off Kettering had a problem as they'd brought the incorrect kit and had to wear Leightons blue away strip for the first half of the match.

Leighton won the toss and kicked off the first half and within 30 seconds Mark Bunker had crossed the ball into the box for Nick Bennion to catch.

Kettering had their first corner of the game 5 minutes in and with no one marking the back post it was the perfect opportunity for Dubi Ogbona to score but the pressure got to him and he skied it over the bar.

Another chance for Ogbona came only moments later when he found Andy Hall, he headed the ball towards Dan Child but thankfully it was just inches too high and hit the bar before bouncing out for a goal kick.

Leighton were awarded a penalty in the 14th minute when Phil Draycott was taken down harshly in the box. Danny Watson stepped up to the spot and didn't disappoint putting Leighton into an early 1-0 lead.

A good header away by Tyrone Taylor managed to stop a Kettering free kick from causing too much damage in the box.

Watson fancied his chance at goal in the 24th minute when he managed to play the ball on the deck towards Bennion, where Alvin Rajaram was also waiting but he couldn't quite get the touch he needed.

The ball was cleared by Ketterings' defence but Chris Crook was waiting on the half way line to plow the ball straight back into the box.

Bunker found himself with the ball in the 30th minute and put in yet another fabulous cross to find Taylors head in the box, calls for hand ball were heard all around as Kettering scrambled to defend, but the referee disagreed.

A nail biting moment for everyone saw Ketterings' Josh Moreman fire the ball at Child, but it was pushed away well before anyone else could get to it.

Another penalty appeal was heard in the 34th minute when Jamie Nicholls was pushed over deliberately in the box but once again the referee was having none of it.

A mislaid ball by Christian Lester saw Ogbona snatch the ball away and powered towards goal but luckily Bunker and Crook worked together to prevent him travelling any further. 38 minutes in saw Paul Lyon go down injured, needing treatment before returning to the pitch.

Some spectacular play from Lester and Taylor managed to walk all over Kettering to find Draycott who hit the ball just inches wide of the post.

With Leighton constantly pressing the ball, Kettering were starting to panic. Bennions' kicks weren't as impressive as they had been and with Leightons David Murphy working non-stop at the back it didn't look like Kettering would ever score.

Yet another appeal for a penalty was heard but this time for Kettering in the 41st minute as there was a scramble to clear the ball in the box and shouts for handball were made.

The final minute of the first half saw Kettering try and even the score line with Hall managing to manoeuvre himself past 3 of Leightons defence to find Moreman but his shot was powerless and Child saved with ease.

With Kettering now in their correct kit they kicked off the second but didn't maintain possession for long. A shot from nowhere appeared for Leighton, surprising Bennion who couldn't gather the ball quick enough, before Watson found the back of the net, sending Leighton into a 2-0 lead.

It could have been 3-0 only moments later for Leighton when Lester and Lyon worked together playing the ball forward to Nicholls who struck it with some immense power but the ball hit the underside of the bar and bounced away.

Leightons first substitution saw Lyon replaced with Gary Ridgeway. With a fresh pair of legs on the pitch Leighton looked even stronger and in the 57th minute Watson laid the ball off to Nicholls who managed to convert the ball into the net finally making it the 3-0 Leighton deserved.

Kettering immediately responded and brought on Jonathan Thorpe and Alfie Taylor for Oulton and Ogbona to try and get things moving in the right direction.

A yellow card was shown to Crook for handling the ball just outside the box, Steve Kinniburgh could only send the ball flying over the bar.

73 minutes saw Leighton bring on Aaron Morgan for an exhausted Taylor. Watson and Draycott continued to work well upfront and took Bennion by surprise, when he clearly couldn't see Draycotts' shot but he managed to make the save at he last minute.

Kettering saw themselves get a consolation goal in the 78th minute when Moreman found Hall, who slipped the ball into the right hand corner of the net, making it 3-1.

With only 10 minutes remaining Leighton didn't give up. A ball by Draycott to Morgan managed to then find its way to Lester however he was off balance and his shot was weak and wide but nether the less worth a shot.

Draycott was shown a yellow card in 86th minute as was Ketterings' James Clifton. The last moments of the game saw Leighton still running around putting Kettering under pressure hoping they'd make a last minute mistake, but it wasn't to be and the game ended 3-1.

Leighton currently sit 6th in the league with 8 points and are still unbeaten after 4 games.

Leightons' next game is at home against St Ives Town on Saturday 23rd August, kick off 3pm.

Kettering Town FC

Team- Bennion, Clifton, Kinniburgh, Gooding, Crowie, Hull, Oulton, Solkhan, Ogbona, Moreman, Hall

Subs- Robinson, Marash, Thorpe, Bukasa, Taylor

Leighton Town FC 

Team- Child, Bunker, Rajaram, Crook, Murphy, P.Lyon, Nicholls, Lester, Taylor, Watson, Draycott



Subs- Morgan, Durcan, Lyons, Prendergast, Ridgeway



Attendance- 239



By Hannah Sellman