Saturday sees the return of the FA Trophy, with 40 ties taking place on the 14th November. One that catches the eye is Kettering's visit to Braintree- read our betting tips and match prediction below.
Relegation from the National League was perhaps slightly overdue for the Iron who, to their credit, were punching well above their weight. The Essex side's budget was amongst the lowest in the league and that is the case again in an extremely competitive National League South. With financial issues & administrative issues off the pitch, it seems like a matter of time before the Iron get relegated again, unless the ownership changes hand.
Steve Pitt's side currently sit just outisde the relegation zone with five wins to their name, surprising promotion hopefuls Maidstone & Dagenham & Redbridge while compounding more misery on relegation battlers Slough, Chesham & Hampton & Richmond. Defensively, they have been poor, conceding 40 goals - a joint league high.
Braintree's best performance in this tournament is reaching the fifth round in 2001. They are yet to play in this years edition.
Captain Alfie Matthews, who was signed from Dover in the summer has scored four league goals already, including a brace in the win over Maidstone, and his sides opener against his former club in August.
The Poppies finished 15th in their first season back at Step Three and two playoff failures in a row means they are in their fourth consecutive season at this level. With Bromsgrove and Real Bedford set to do battle for top spot, Kettering's best bet of ending their four year National League hiatus may be through the playoffs. A big club for this level, The Poppies will be chomping at the bit to return.
Solid but unspectacular. The aforementioned duo of Real Bedford and Bromsgrove have the potential to run away with the league, so Kettering will be keen to maintain their place in the playoffs while putting together a good run in the FA Trophy. Off the pitch, fan resentment with owner George Akhtar continues to grow, with the Kettering side keen to impress on the pitch. Only Alvechurch & Bromsgrove have conceded fewer than Kettering's 19, whereas only a handful of teams have scored more. While their home form at Latimer Park has been the best in the league, they rank only 14th for away points.
In both 1979 & 2000, Kettering were FA Trophy finalists, losing on both occasions - to Stafford Rangers & Kingstonian respectively.
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