Vauxhall 0 Kettering Town 2

VAUXHALL'S ambitions of building on their midweek success at Moor Green were punctured by high-riding Kettering, who caught the hosts cold in the early stages, and pinched a crucial second six minutes from time to effectively wrap up the points, which left Motors manager Owen Brown disappointed.

He said: 'I thought we failed to impose ourselves against a strong side in the first half, who like to play the long ball, and I was more disappointed in the second half, in that we did then impose ourselves on the game, but got caught out in the latter stages, when we are pressing for an equaliser.

'We're down to the bare bones at the moment with injuries, and while we worked hard, it does not give you many options to change things.

'Kettering are a decent side who are fighting for a play-off place, so we mustn't get too downhearted by this result.'

The Motormen failed to get their passing game going early on and as a result were chasing shadows against their hard-working opponents. It came as little surprise when the Poppies took a ninth minute lead as home defender Steve McNulty failed to deal with a high ball which ran off nicely for Ollie Burgess to fire the opener from 12 yards out into the far corner, from the inside right channel.

Further Kettering goals may have followed through James Gould and Luke Graham, before the Motormen moved up a couple of gears from the half hour mark, and by the break they could well have overturned the situation.

Anthony Wright first tested Croudson in the visitors' goal with a neat flick from Wayne McDermott's cross from the left, before Robbie Lawton crashed two fierce drives goalwards in quick succession, only for the custodian to match his efforts with two superb saves.

The visitors effectively wrapped up the points with a second on 84 minutes, as Difante made amends for his earlier effort by sweetly converting Burgess's right-wing cross first time, beyond the reach of Dittmer.

Late attempts by Motors' substitute James Parry, after good work by substitute Noone and McNulty, failed to breach the visitors' rearguard.

Vauxhall: Dittmer, Woodyatt, McDermott, Spellman (Duffy 72), McNulty, Brazier, Nesbitt (Noone 46), Lawton, A Wright (Parry 87), Olsen, D Wright.

Subs not used: Griffiths, Cumiskey.