Farnborough 0-1 Kettering

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Conference bottom club Kettering ended a run of four successive defeats when they battled to a morale-boosting 1-0 victory at in-form Farnborough.

It was only their second win of the season and first away from home, and they did it with 10 men after striker Michael McKenzie's 75th-minute dismissal.

Richard Butcher scored the all-important goal in the 57th minute, running on to Simon Parker's pass and beating Tony Pennock in the Farnborough goal with a right-foot shot.

The Poppies had to survive plenty of pressure in a scrappy game, but they held out and boss Carl Shutt will have been delighted that they recorded a clean sheet after leaking eight goals in their last two matches.

Farnborough created enough chances to unlock the Kettering defence but Ken Charlery had a shot blocked from close range and Barry Laker and Nathan Bunce headed over the crossbar.

Long-range efforts from Butcher and Craig Norman, both going wide, were as close as Kettering went in the first half but Butcher drilled a dangerous shot which Pennock saved just before the breakthrough.

The Poppies then held on after McKenzie was sent off for a foul on Bunce which brought him his second booking.

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Farnborough: Pennock, Warner, Bunce, Laker, Gregory, Watson, Carroll, Holloway, Green, Lenny Piper, Charlery. Subs: Lee, Osborn, Chris Piper, Taggart, Annon.

Kettering: Kelly, Matthews, Howarth, Norman, Curtis, Butcher, Diuk, Murphy, Inman, Parker, McKenzie. Subs: Ward, Dancy, Piercewright, Boyle-Chong, Shutt.

Referee: N Perkin (Gravesend).