Let's talk about the Kettering Town FA cup game 2nd round

[selby]

  So for a weekend we are a giant that most of the country will want felling and Kettering's fairy tail to carry on to the third round and a tie against Manchester United away, and that is just one thing stacked against us with the TV cameras there in anticipation of just that happening.
  The main problem we will have is the pitch, described in todays Non League paper as "large parts of the game were a hard watch with errant passes and the boggy surface causing mistakes.
  Probably a good idea for our players used to manicured surfaces having a couple of training kick abouts on Elmfield Park pitches to get used to things as from my visits there the description fits perfectly and the surrounding amenities not that much better.
  Add the fact they are used to it, are used to winning games of football being top of their division being four points clear and a goal difference of twenty goals, so confidence up as well as the lure of bigger things ahead and national exposure on TV.
  The big advantage we have is we are a better side than them, with more ability and skills, but we have to play well to prove it, and attitude and desire must match our hosts.
  Both sides have the lure of financial gain, just winning this tie winners walk away with 75K and even losing in a third round tie is rewarded by a substantial amount, so a lot to play for, plus of course pride, and any TV fees on top, which both clubs would be pleased with.
  I expect another slug fest of a game due to the conditions, a type of game we don't excel in, and with suspensions and probable injuries from yesterdays game especially in central defence and the full back area the management could have decisions to make.
  We are proving to be a hard team to beat, but have lost our way in front of goal somewhat recently, could this game be one for both Ironside and Sharp to play as a double threat, Ironside a must to start in this game in those conditions to me, and Sharp is good enough at this level to make a difference in front of goal in the box.
  Midfield  is the worry in games like this, an area where we struggle with in your face sides, although our younger players have responded and are more robust now than at the start of the season.
 It will definitely not be one for the football purists on that pitch the man in control of the ball in slippy conditions hard to stop when on a run and in Kelly,  Molly, and Hurst we have players who can get at defenders and cause problems.
  One thing that will be dangerous is messing at the back with short balls on a sticky pitch, we need to play as much of the game as possible in Kettering's half of the game as defenders will make mistakes.
  I hope our travelling fans have a great day out and with penalties now possibly deciding games both Ironside and Sharp being on the field at 90 minutes should come into our thinking.
  So what do you think? can we look forward to an extra cup game after Christmas? or will we be a bit of a laughing stock in front of a big TV audience?  ( we have been there before) Are you bothered about the FA cup now? what positions could be improved with the extra income in the January window? Lots to look forward to in this game, lots of questions about the game and our line up, please join in and have your say, any Kettering supporters welcome to join in, please have your say.

[Campsall rover]

This could be a serious banana skin of a game.
Our attitude and application need to be spot on.

Win the battle and surely we will win the game assuming we take our cHances. Hopefully we get a few goals and give our front players that much needed boost in confidence and belief.

This game should be decent preparation for our game at Fleetwood.
Horrible ground, poor pitch.
2 tricky games but 2 we should win if we are at it for 90 mins and not just 45 or 60 which has been the case in many of our games.

[graingrover]

I agree that playing out from the back on the pitch I have seen on youtube will be a risk .If you remember the bobble that Copps had to contend with before putting in that memorable goal against Brentford : well we will have to contend with lots of those .

[Metalmicky]

I see they had a player taken off injured yesterday (Tyree Wilson) - not sure how serious, but he was injured on 22 mins and couldn't continue.  They already have Kelly-Evans suspended, so both sides have player(s) out.

[Chris Black come back]

Anderson obviously starts. Would play some combination of Bailey, Broadbent and Clifton in midfield, and rely on our quality wide to get through them. No point trying to play football here. Gerrrit wide quickly and have a go at them.

[selby]

With Northampton railway station closed this morning due to flooding it must be safe to say  the playing surface will be boggy and not the standard our lads are used to just down the road.
  It will be an unusual experience for most of our players one they can learn from and if we have the right attitude, are willing to match their enthusiasm and effort then we can come away with a result.
  I am sure our lads are looking forward to their exposure on TV and their moment in the lime light, and hopefully take the chance of showing their ability off to a wider audience, lots of players in the past have built a career and reputation by playing well in games like this at the weekend.
   Lets hope one or two take the opportunity, to showcase their class, which in the expected conditions will not be easy.
   Yesterday I allured to us as a little joke having a kick about on the Hyde Park pitches probably some of the worst in Doncaster, it might not be that bad an idea as Cantley are pristine compared with Kettering.
  The biggest thing is that nearly everyone in the country apart from our supporters will hope Kettering win, and we need to be big party poopers.

[DMnumber4]

A few Rovers lads have experience of non-league so should know what to expect.

TSL (Bromley)
Sterry (Hartlepool)
Olowu (Wealdstone)
Anderson (Various)
Senior (Various)
Maxwell (-)
Bailey (Gateshead)
Kelly (-)
Molyneux (Various)
Hurst (-)
Sharp (-)

Ironside (Various)

[Draytonian III]

The biggest crowds that Patrick Kelly would have played in front of would be when he been wearing a Rovers shirt. He won’t have played in front of more than 2,000 before either for Coleraine ( now managed by Dean Sheilds ) Northern Ireland U21s or West Ham reserves.

[GazLaz]

It’s just another game of football against a team of players in a much lower league but that will be bang up for it.

We should play the strongest XI possible and treat it like any other game. Don’t over think it. Yes you are likely to have to deal with more long balls but teams at that level are no more physical to playing teams that we have over the last couple of years. Even less so.

Don’t buy in to adapting the team to battle them, play the quality players. Quality beats these poor teams, not wrestling.

[dknward2]

If I was McCann I would be reminding the players that if we win no one outside of rovers will care, but lose and everyone will care and you will be reminded of it.

We and we have a chance of playing the biggest teams in Europe another chance to get a game like the Everton one

[Jersey Rover]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

[Barmby Rover]

A team that cannot score and a team of battlers from a lower division. It has upset written all over it, unless GM and the squad start to use the wings to feed the forwards.

[Alan Southstand]

Better still, if the wingers try getting past their full backs and cross it, rather than cutting in and trying to shoot all the time!

Mix it up lads?

[TheFunk]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

[Usher wide.]

Let’s be honest, the very reason this has been chosen as a live FA Cup game by the BBC is that ‘they smell an upset..a ‘giant killing’.

Nobody outside of Donny will be rooting for us. Perhaps Grant might use that as part of his motivational talk before the players go out?

Effort, will, belief.

[ForsolongaRover]

Let’s be honest, the very reason this has been chosen as a live FA Cup game by the BBC is that ‘they smell an upset..a ‘giant killing’.

Nobody outside of Donny will be rooting for us. Perhaps Grant might use that as part of his motivational talk before the players go out?

Effort, will, belief.

There is also the fact that there would be a huge outcry if Kettering won and live coverage was absent. The general football audience isn’t interested even if it were 1st v 2nd in League 1 - the FA cup is all about giant-killing so the focus is always on the minnows in this context whatever the round.

[NigelJ]

Let’s be honest, the very reason this has been chosen as a live FA Cup game by the BBC is that ‘they smell an upset..a ‘giant killing’.

Nobody outside of Donny will be rooting for us. Perhaps Grant might use that as part of his motivational talk before the players go out?

Effort, will, belief.

There is also the fact that there would be a huge outcry if Kettering won and live coverage was absent. The general football audience isn’t interested even if it were 1st v 2nd in League 1 - the FA cup is all about giant-killing so the focus is always on the minnows in this context whatever the round.

When it comes to the 3rd round onwards, they lose interest in smaller teams, and just concentrate on the big teams (and Leeds).

[ncRover]

Let’s be honest, the very reason this has been chosen as a live FA Cup game by the BBC is that ‘they smell an upset..a ‘giant killing’.

Nobody outside of Donny will be rooting for us. Perhaps Grant might use that as part of his motivational talk before the players go out?

Effort, will, belief.

There is also the fact that there would be a huge outcry if Kettering won and live coverage was absent. The general football audience isn’t interested even if it were 1st v 2nd in League 1 - the FA cup is all about giant-killing so the focus is always on the minnows in this context whatever the round.

When it comes to the 3rd round onwards, they lose interest in smaller teams, and just concentrate on the big teams (and Leeds).

And Wrexham

[Chris Black come back]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

Westbrooke is a real conundrum. If you look at his career and how many league games he has started, he appears to be getting less resilient and less essential as his career has progressed. At 28 he would probably hoped to have more consistently started games, being at his physical peak now.

2024/25 - 2
2023/24 - 17
2022/23 - 6
2021/22 - 0
2020/21 - 33
2019/20 - 22
2018/19 - 3

[roversdude]

Let’s be honest, the very reason this has been chosen as a live FA Cup game by the BBC is that ‘they smell an upset..a ‘giant killing’.

Nobody outside of Donny will be rooting for us. Perhaps Grant might use that as part of his motivational talk before the players go out?

Effort, will, belief.

There is also the fact that there would be a huge outcry if Kettering won and live coverage was absent. The general football audience isn’t interested even if it were 1st v 2nd in League 1 - the FA cup is all about giant-killing so the focus is always on the minnows in this context whatever the round.

When it comes to the 3rd round onwards, they lose interest in smaller teams, and just concentrate on the big teams (and Leeds).

And Wrexham

Not this season lol

[karldew]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

Westbrooke is a real conundrum. If you look at his career and how many league games he has started, he appears to be getting less resilient and less essential as his career has progressed. At 28 he would probably hoped to have more consistently started games, being at his physical peak now.

2024/25 - 2
2023/24 - 17
2022/23 - 6
2021/22 - 0
2020/21 - 33
2019/20 - 22
2018/19 - 3

Should of been let go along with Close in the summer rather than extending their deals.

[ForsolongaRover]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

Westbrooke is a real conundrum. If you look at his career and how many league games he has started, he appears to be getting less resilient and less essential as his career has progressed. At 28 he would probably hoped to have more consistently started games, being at his physical peak now.

2024/25 - 2
2023/24 - 17
2022/23 - 6
2021/22 - 0
2020/21 - 33
2019/20 - 22
2018/19 - 3

Should of been let go along with Close in the summer rather than extending their deals.

Is McCann a bit too sentimental?

[Reg of the Rovers]

Keeping Close was a huge error of judgement, he's done nothing to demonstrate he can stay fit or perform to a decent standard. Letting Tommy Rowe go instead of Close was criminal.

Westbrook has shown more in his time here, but is still very injury prone and inconsistent in his form.

Maybe the market in the summer didn't had loads of available midfield options? I suggested this in the summer but Harrison Neal is sat on Carlisle bench, he's a local lad who'd be the midfield engine we're crying out for.

[ncRover]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

Westbrooke is a real conundrum. If you look at his career and how many league games he has started, he appears to be getting less resilient and less essential as his career has progressed. At 28 he would probably hoped to have more consistently started games, being at his physical peak now.

2024/25 - 2
2023/24 - 17
2022/23 - 6
2021/22 - 0
2020/21 - 33
2019/20 - 22
2018/19 - 3

Should of been let go along with Close in the summer rather than extending their deals.

Is McCann a bit too sentimental?

McCann isn’t, but I think the club is too sentimental when it comes to business (Anderson, Close, Wood, Jones renewals, re-signing Lawlor and Sharp). Or is the club scared of players going elsewhere and doing decent like Alfie?

Perhaps Grant is scarred by the injury crisis last year, because the amount of midfielders we’ve gone in to the new season with is just completely unnecessary and unfair on some of them IMO. We’re past injury crises now Rennie is in.
Why sign Clifton if you have Bailey, Broadbent and plan to get Kelly?
Why renew Close’s contract when he doesn’t fit our style of play? As has been the general consensus on this forum for the last 3 years. It looks like McCann now realises this as Close is fit and hasn’t even been in the squad for the last 3 games.

[ncRover]

Keeping Close was a huge error of judgement, he's done nothing to demonstrate he can stay fit or perform to a decent standard. Letting Tommy Rowe go instead of Close was criminal.

Westbrook has shown more in his time here, but is still very injury prone and inconsistent in his form.

Maybe the market in the summer didn't had loads of available midfield options? I suggested this in the summer but Harrison Neal is sat on Carlisle bench, he's a local lad who'd be the midfield engine we're crying out for.

I think we’ve got enough engines in midfield Reg. The issue for me is that without Westbrooke fit there isn’t a serious option to fill the role of someone to put their foot on the ball and dictate play.

[scawsby steve]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

Yep. Nile Ranger and Gary Hooper.

[drfchound]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

Yep. Nile Ranger and Gary Hooper.

Plenty of older strikers still put the ball in the net on a regular basis.

[BobG]

Billy Sharp...

BobG

[vaya]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

Yep. Nile Ranger and Gary Hooper.

Initially read that as Nile Rodgers and Gary Cooper. Bold selections if so.

[Reg of the Rovers]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

Yep. Nile Ranger and Gary Hooper.

Initially read that as Nile Rodgers and Gary Cooper. Bold selections if so.

A funky yet silent strike partnership!