KETTERING TOWN and Stevenage Borough both lost ground on Oxford United as honours ended even at Rockingham Road on Saturday.
The hosts couldn't have envisaged a worse start as goalkeeper Lee Harper allowed Joel Byrom's free-kick to squirm through his fingers inside the first two minutes. It was a real goalkeeping nightmare.
And Stevenage kept the pressure on in the early stages as James Jennings was forced to clear after Byrom shot towards goal while Harper turned Michael Bostwick's 25-yard effort around the post.
Kettering, who handed Simon Heslop his debut after signing on loan from Barnsley, managed to settle things down after that but clear-cut chances were hard to come by - that was until the 29th minute when they levelled.
Visiting goalkeeper Chris Day had all sorts of trouble dealing with a long ball and could only fire it at the on-rushing Damian Spencer. It dropped for Ashikodi 20 yards from goal and he coolly side-footed home.
Having already played Kettering this season, we should be only too aware of the threat posed by Exodus Geohaghon and his mammoth long throws. The Poppies signed the giant defender in the summer of 2008 knowing full well how good he was as a centre-back.
But there has always been the added advantage of his gigantic throw-ins which, if used properly, can always make even the most solid of defences look silly.
However, it's fair to say that during last season the long throw probably didn't work as well as the Poppies would have hoped for.
That seems to have changed this time around and Mark Cooper's men have seen it pay off in recent matches.
Firstly, a strong wind down by the seaside ensured that Geohaghon's throw caused havoc for the Eastbourne Borough defence. Moses Ashikodi scored the only goal of the game at the back post from one
And then at AFC Wimbledon, Greg Taylor opened the scoring when he reacted quickest to the second ball after a throw had not been cleared properly.
There is, according to Geohaghon, no exact science when it comes to the long throw. But he feels Kettering are starting to develop it into a real weapon.
"It seems to be more effective this season," the defender said.
"It's not really something you can work on in training. It's more of a spontaneous thing you can use during the game.
"From my point of view, it's all about hitting the right areas.
"We have big guys like Ian Roper and John Dempster who can get up there and cause problems.
"But really it's all about winning the knockdown because if you do that then it can be very dangerous for the opposition.
"For some reason it seems to have worked well for us recently and if we carry on using it that well then it can only be good for us."
The example of Eastbourne was interesting as Geohaghon almost single-handedly kept the hosts pegged back in their penalty area as he hurled the ball in with the help of a strong wind.
And he admits the elements can play a big part in helping the move become even more dangerous.
"When you have a situation like that, it's all about controlling the ball," he added.
"There are times when you might have to put a bit more on it and times when you don't throw it so hard.
"But having a wind like that always helps. I just hope it continues to be a threat."
Poppies (probable): Harper; Taylor, Dempster, Roper, Jennings; Geohaghon, Heslop, Noubissie; Green, Spencer, Ashikodi.
Subs: Wrack, Marna, Carayol, Boucaud, Thomas.
Evening Telegraph - Kettering
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