 | |||
| Full name | Kettering Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Poppies | ||
| Founded | 1872 | ||
| Ground | Latimer Park,Burton Latimer | ||
| Capacity | 3,029 (606 seated)[1] | ||
| Owner | Nadim Akhtar | ||
| Chairman | Nadim Akhtar | ||
| Manager | Liam McDonald | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | ||
| 2024–25 | Southern League Premier Division Central, 2nd of 22 | ||
| Website | ketteringtownfc.com | ||
Kettering Town Football Club is afootball club based inBurton Latimer,Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of theSouthern League Premier Division Central and play at Latimer Park. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in 1976, and have scored more goals in the FA Cup than any other club.[2]
The club was established in 1872 under the name Kettering Football Club.[3] They joined theMidland League in 1892 and were champions of the league in 1895–96,[4] a season which also saw them beat twoFootball League clubs in theFA Cup; a 2–1 win overLoughborough in the third qualifying round was followed by a 2–1 win atLeicester Fosse in the fourth qualifying round before they lost 2–1 atNewton Heath in the first round.[5] The club then also entered a team into the newUnited League, which they left in 1899.[5] After winning the Midland League again in 1899–1900,[4] the club applied forelection to the Football League. However, they received only two votes and failed to gain entry to the League.[6] Instead, the club joined Division One of theSouthern League. In the1900–01 FA Cup they reached the second round, beating Football League opponentsBurton Swifts andChesterfield before losing 5–0 atMiddlesbrough.[5]
After finishing bottom of Division One of theSouthern League in1903–04,[5] Kettering dropped into theNorthamptonshire League, where the reserve team had been playing.[7] They won the league at the first attempt and were runners-up in the next three seasons. In 1909 the club rejoined the Southern League, playing in Division Two B, but also continued to enter the first team into the Northamptonshire League for another season; they went on to finish the 1909–10 season as runners-up in both leagues.[7][5] League reorganisation saw them placed in Division Two of the Southern League for thefollowing season.
In 1912 Kettering left the Southern League again, transferring to theCentral Alliance.[8] They played in the Alliance until returning to the Southern League in 1923, where they were placed in the Eastern Division.[5] In 1924 the club were renamed Kettering Town after becoming a limited company.[9] They were runners-up in the Eastern Division in1924–25, and after finishing fourth in1926–27 the club applied for Football League membership again, receiving only one vote.[10] They were Eastern Division champions thefollowing season and went on to win the overall Southern League championship, beatingBristol City Reserves 5–0 in a play-off.[11] Another attempt at Football League membership saw them receive only three votes.[12] After retaining the Eastern Division title in1928–29 the club lost the championship play-off 4–2 toPlymouth Argyle Reserves. In the subsequent Football League elections they received only one vote.[12]
In 1930 the club joined theBirmingham & District League,[11] taking the place of their reserve team.[13] However, after a single season the club dropped back into the Northamptonshire League.[7] They were Northamptonshire League runners-up in 1932–33, after which they left to join theCentral Combination.[14] The club rejoined the Northamptonshire League, now named theUnited Counties League, in 1935 and were runners-up in their first season back in the league.[15] They went on to win the league in 1938–39.[15] In 1946 the club rejoined the Birmingham & District League and were league champions in1947–48 and runners-up thefollowing season.[11] In 1950 they rejoined the Southern League.
Kettering were Southern League champions in1956–57, after which they applied for Football League membership again, failing to receive a single vote.[16] Despite only finishing eighth thefollowing season the club received one vote in the Football League elections,[16] a result that was to be repeated every year until 1961.[17] In 1958 the Southern League was restructured, with Kettering placed in the North West Division. They were North West Division runners-up in1958–59, earning a place in the Premier Division as the league was restructured again in 1959. However, they finished bottom of the Premier Division thefollowing season and were relegated to Division One.[11] The club won Division One at thefirst attempt and were promoted back to the Premier Division.[11] Another attempt at Football League membership in 1962 saw the club fail to receive a vote.[17]
At the end of the1963–64 season Kettering were relegated to Division One again. Further unsuccessful attempts were made at Football League membership in 1967 and 1969, but they failed to win a vote on either occasion.[9] After four seasons in the Division One, they were runners-up in1967–68, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. In the1968–69 FA Cup the club reached the third round, knocking out non-League clubsWaterlooville andDartford before losing 2–1 toBristol Rovers in a third round replay.[11] They were relegated in1970–71, this time to Division One North. However, the club won Division One North thefollowing season and went onto win the Premier Division title in1972–73.[11] Following their league title, they applied for Football League membership, this time receiving 12 votes, still well below the 26 received byDarlington, the lowest ranked successful club.[18] The following season saw them receive 16 votes, finishing as the highest-ranked non-League club and only five votes behind Fourth DivisionWorkington.[18] In 1975 the club received 20 votes, again the top-ranked non-League club, but this time eight votes behindWorkington.[18] Another application in 1976 saw them fall behindYeovil Town.
In 1975 Northern Irish internationalDerek Dougan was appointed player-manager and business manager. He negotiated a four figure shirt sponsorship with Kettering Tyres, which was the first such deal in England.[19] After its use in the Southern League Premier Division match againstBath City on 24 January 1976 the FA demanded that the club remove the sponsor's logo threatening a fine of £1000, and were not impressed when Dougan initially attempted to circumvent the FA's demands by shortening the branding 'Kettering Tyres' to simply 'Kettering T', claiming the T stood for "Town".[19][20][21] The logo was removed, though in June 1977 the FA decreed that a 2.5 square inch logo would be permitted in the future provided it was not "detrimental to the image of the game".[19]
In1976–77 Kettering reached the third round of the FA Cup again, beating Football League clubOxford United in the first round and non-LeagueTooting & Mitcham in the second round, before losing 3–2 at home toColchester United in the third.[11] The following season saw them reach the final of theFA Trophy, where they lost 2–0 toStafford Rangers atWembley. The club applied for the final time in 1979 after finishing as runners-up in the Southern League's Premier Division, by which time only two non-League clubs were allowed to enter the ballot, but they finished last behindNorthern Premier League runners-upAltrincham.[22] In 1979 the club were founder members of theAlliance Premier League, a single national division at the top of the non-League pyramid. They were runners-up in1980–81 and again in1988–89, a season which saw them reach the fourth round of theFA Cup; after beating Dartford in the first round, they defeated Football League opposition Bristol Rovers in the second round andHalifax Town in the third, before losing 2–1 at First DivisionCharlton Athletic in the fourth round.[11]
Kettering were Conference runners-up again in1993–94 and1998–99.[11] In 1999–2000 the club reached the final of the FA Trophy for a second time, losing 3–2 toKingstonian in one of the last matches played at the old Wembley Stadium. They were relegated to the Southern League Premier Division at the end of the2000–01 season, but won the division thefollowing season, earning promotion back to the Football Conference. However, they finished bottom of the Conference in2002–03 and were relegated again, this time of the Premier Division of theIsthmian League. A ninth-place finish in2003–04 saw the club placed in the newConference North for the2004–05 season. A fourth-place finish led to them qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they beatDroylsden 2–1 in the semi-finals before losing 3–2 to Altrincham in the final. In2006–07 the club were Conference North runners-up, but lost to 4–2 on aggregateFarsley Celtic in the play-off semi-finals. Thefollowing season saw them win the Conference North, earning promotion to the Conference National.[11]
In the2008–09 FA Cup Kettering reached the fourth round for a second time; after beatingLincoln City 2–1 in a first round replay andNotts County by the same score in a second round replay, the club defeatedEastwood Town in the third round. In the fourth they were drawn at home to Premier League clubFulham, where they lost 4–2.[11] After losing theirRockingham Road ground in 2011, the club went into administration during the2011–12 season, finishing bottom of the Conference National and were demoted two divisions to the Premier Division of the Southern League. They finished bottom of the Southern League Premier Division thefollowing season and were relegated to Division One Central. A third-place finish in the division in2013–14 saw them qualify for the play-offs, but after beatingDaventry Town 1–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–2 toSlough Town in the final. In2014–15 the club won the Division One Central title, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[11] Following a fourth-place finish in the Premier Division in2017–18, they lost 3–1 toSlough Town in the play-off semi-finals.
League reorganisation saw Kettering placed in the Premier Division Central for the2018–19 season. The club went on to win the division, earning promotion to theNational League North. In2022–23 they finished fourth-from-bottom of the National League North and were relegated back to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League. In 2024–25 they beat county rivalsNorthampton Town 2–1 in the first round of the FA Cup, before losing 2–1 toDoncaster Rovers in the second round.[23][24] The season saw themfinish second in the league, going on to beatHarborough Town on penalties in the play-off semi-finals before losing 4–2 toAFC Telford United in the final.
Kettering reserves joined theLeicestershire Senior League in 1894,[25] where they played for two seasons before joining Division One of the Northamptonshire League in 1896, winning it at the first attempt. They won the league again the following season, but were replaced by first team in 1904 and dropped into Division Two.[7] When the first team left the league in 1910, the reserves took their place in Division One.[7] In 1929–30 the reserves played in both the Northamptonshire League and the Birmingham & District League,[13] with the first team replacing the reserves in the latter the following season.[11] They finished bottom of Division One of the Northamptonshire League in 1930–31 and were relegated to Division Two as the first team rejoined the Northamptonshire League.[7] The reserves were Division Two champions in 1932–33, and the following season saw them playing in the league's single division as the first team had left.[7]
The reserves left the renamed United Counties League in 1935 when they were replaced by the first team.[15] In 1945 they rejoined the Leicestershire Senior League,[25] where they played for two seasons, also entering the United Counties League in 1946 after the first team left.[15] In 1956 the reserves began playing in Division One South of the Central Alliance,[26] while still playing in the United Counties League. They left the United Counties League in 1960 and the Central Alliance in 1961, when they rejoined the United Counties League.[15][26] However, they left the United Counties League after a single season, instead joining theMetropolitan League, where they played for two seasons.[27] In 1966 the reserves returned to the United Counties League.[15] They left the league again in 1972, joining the Leicestershire Senior League in 1975. However, they withdrew from the league during the 1976–77 season.[28]
The club initially played at North Park, before moving to Green Lane and thenRockingham Road in 1897.[3] In 2011 the club moved toNene Park inIrthlingborough,[29] but were forced to move to Steel Park inCorby in 2012.[30] They moved toBurton Park Wanderers' Latimer Park inBurton Latimer the following year.[31]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Liam McDonald |
| Assistant Manager | Elijah Bada |
| Assistant Coach | Terry Thompson |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Paul White |
| Physiotherapist | Michael Hunter |
| Kit Managers | Malcolm Lewer, Dan Willis & Aaron Lewer |
| Club Doctor | Dr. Clive Shackleton |
| Head of Academy | Josh McGoldrick |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Nadim 'George' Akhtar |
| Director | Nadiya Akhtar |
| Director | Naheed Shears |
| Director | Mick Coe |
| Director | Doug Brown |
| Director | Rob McGreavey |
| Director | Tom Isaacs |
| Director | Paula Conde-Sharpe |
| Director | Paul Bailey |
| Director | Ross Patrick |
| Director | Yousef Miah |
| Director | Fabian Forde |
52°22′0.476″N0°41′21.595″W / 52.36679889°N 0.68933194°W /52.36679889; -0.68933194
