Martin Ling is set to name a largely unchanged team for tonight's match at Kettering.

United recorded their first win in 14 league games by beating Barrow on Saturday, but will have their work cut out to claim another victory against the high-flying Poppies.

Team News

Dave Partridge (thigh) and Dan Gleeson (virus) both missed Saturday's match, and Ling said neither will be in contention tonight.

"Dave definitely won't figure and Dan Gleeson (pictured below) is still struggling with a virus so he's unlikely to be available," said the manager. "But I don't think either of them are long term problems and I expect them to be ready for Histon on Saturday."

One player who made an immediate impression was loanee Scott Neilson, who netted the winner against Barrow on what was his debut after signing from Bradford City.

Ling said: "He's got that bit of pace that we're lacking without Robbie Willmott. He had a decent game against Barrow and scoring the winning goal will be good for him personally as well as for us as a team."

The manager also praised skipper Paul Carden, who has been struggling with a back injury and a virus for some time, but has returned to the side in the last couple of weeks.

He said: "Paul was doing ok for us anyway but he did struggle with his back and then the virus. But he's played the last two games and shown what an important component he is for us. He's an organiser, a voice on the pitch, and he'll be very important over the last few games of the season.

The Opposition

Ling saw Kettering beat Tamworth 3-1 a couple of weeks ago, and said: "They were by far better side and beat Tamworth at a canter.

"They're big, strong, solid, and know their jobs. They'll be workmanlike and have a bit of pace up front which we'll need to be aware of.

"Having watched them personally it really helps, because we've been able to work on the strengths and weaknesses that we've identified in their game."

Kettering are currently in and around the play off places, and Ling added: "On current form they're second in the league so it will be a difficult game. Saturday was an all out relegation dog fight, whereas this is one they'll expect to win because of where they are in the table.

"But the last couple of games we've played against teams at the top - Oxford and Wimbledon -  we've managed to pick up point on both occasions, so we have the ability to take something from the game," he said.

Looking Ahead

The Barrow result was United's first victory in 14 league games, with Chester's results having now been expunged from the table.

Ling said: "We've had three draws but the victory has been long awaited. There's been a real buzz around the training ground since which is good to see.

"We've talked about displaying better ball retention going forward, because Barrow was a scrappy game, one where we had to show defensive quality first and foremost. In the last 25 minutes our forward play was better, and we're working on that ahead of tonight's game.

"When you've gone as long as that without league win belief becomes a big part of it," he added.

"We were below that dotted line in the league table, but we got out of there quickly which was important. There are 13 real battles ahead, and you could see the relief on the faces of the players at the final whistle."

The side at Barrow contained six of Ling's own signings, and he said he was pleased with the changes he has made to the squad.

"You look at the season as a whole and we knew there would be changes at some stage. If I'm honest I didn't think we'd look at it much until the summer, but it hasn't worked out like that," he said.

"We had to move few people in and a few out. It's not easy because you can't always get the people out you want to, and some people who you wouldn't want to go do leave, such as Tonkin or Chrissy Holroyd, who both went for financial reasons.

"I've started to change things round, and I've said I want to be judged in the long term. So I'm more comfortable with the squad now but the job isn't done yet, so we need to finish things off this season before we build for next year," he said.

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