It took just seven minutes for us to take the lead. Kettering defender Jerel Ifil sliced Koroma’s cross into the inside top of the net, to the horror of his teammates.
Koroma doubled our lead three minutes later, charging ahead of a crowd of players to convert Olembé’s corner.
We weren’t done yet. Koroma popped up again in the 34th minute to score his second. Shuker crossed towards the penalty spot, but the ball was cut out by Sangare. He couldn’t control it, however, and the ball dropped at Koroma’s feet. The in-form striker half-volleyed past a hapless Laurie Walker.
Kettering started to put up a fight after the break, but we still looked comfortably in control. I subbed Shuker and Woods off to keep them fresh for the next match.
Craig Lindfield gave Kettering a lifeline back into the match in the 70th minute, cutting inside from the left and firing a brilliant shot into the top corner.
The final 20 minutes were a little nervy, with Kettering desperate for goals and my boys caught between complacency and over-confidence. But we held on for a 3-1 win. It’s not quite the thrashing that I wanted, but it’s a clear margin and we were totally dominant in the first half.
Mansfield lost and Wrexham won, so we’re now four points clear of two sides that each have a game in hand. For the first time this season, Mansfield are outside the top two places—in third on goal difference.
The board ran a fan day today, and it resulted in a boon of 2,796 people attending the match. That’s still barely a quarter of the stadium capacity, but it’s a great turnout for a game at this level.
Koroma’s brace sees him leapfrog Barnes-Homer as our top goalscorer so far this season, despite having appeared in six fewer games. He’s in incredible form at the moment, buoyed by the equally stunning performances of Shuker on the right flank.
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