The players weren't playing for Hammell but they were good players. Even under Hammell the margins were slim. Most weeks Kettlewell had 8 or 9 outfield players of a good standard which will get you to midtable in this league.
Kettlewell chose to prioritise Paton over Cornelius and commit funds to Obika before the window even opened. He's the one who will pay the price because it's either win or get sacked now and we don't have a win in us.