LEEDS (aet) 5-1 KETTERING
Leeds United are set to re-ignigte their passionate rivalry with Manchester United in January in the 3rd Round – but it is at the expense of a brave Kettering Town side who clung desperately onto the chance of a dream date at Old Trafford for the best part of the 120 minutes (210 if you include the original game) against the League One leaders. Kettering’s Player-Manager Lee Harper, in goal despite a slight back injury sustained the day before, was voted man of the match, which says a lot about the nature of the game, and Leeds’ attacking dominance.
The former Premier League side, who went out to another Blue Square Premier team, Histon, at this stage last year, took a well-deserved lead in the first half through a header from Argentine Luciano Becchio (20′). But Kettering upped their game after half-time, and former Leeds player Anthony Elding headed in (62′) to put the sides on level terms.
That was how it remained for the rest of the 90, and the first half of extra-time, before the introduction of American midfielder Mike Grella changed the game against the now-weary non-leaguers. He gave his side the lead with a simple tap-in (108′), before Tresor Kandol nipped in with a header almost immediately (109′), Grella skillfully claiming the goal of the night (116′), and Jermaine Beckford completing the rout (119′), the final scoreline flattering Leeds, although it could well have been more but for Harper, in what might have been his last game for the club.
For Leeds, the chance to meet their old rivals at the turn of the year, while Kettering will immerse themselves in a glamourous clash the day before that against… Tamworth. The Northamptonshire club also need to find themselves a new assistant manager, after the original was sacked today over a bizarre dispute over the substitutions he made, despite them being the only ones he could logically field…
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