Kettering Town FC

Kettering Town 2 Gateshead 4 - Football Conference

Kettering is a town in Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about 81 miles from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough. Originally named Cytringan, Kyteringas and Keteiringan in the 10th century, the name Kettering is now taken to mean 'the place (or territory) of Ketter's people (or kinsfolk). At the Doomsday survey in 1086, Kettering manor is listed as held by the Abbey of Peterborough. Kettering is dominated by the crocketed spire of about 180 ft of the Parish church of SS Peter and Paul. Little is known of the origins of the church, its first known priest becoming rector in 1219-20. The charter for Kettering's market was granted to the Bishop of Peterborough by Henry III in 1227. In June 1607 at the nearby village of Newton, the Newton Rebellion broke out, causing a brief uprising known as the Midland Revolt, which involved several nearby villages. Protesting at land enclosures at Newton and Pytchley by local landlords the Treshams, on 8 June a pitched battle took place between Levellers - many from Kettering, Corby and particularly Weldon, - and local gentry and their servants (local militias having refused the call to arms). Approximately 40-50 local men are said to have been killed and the ringleaders hanged, drawn and quartered. The Newton rebellion represents one of the last times that the English peasantry and the gentry were in open conflict. By the 17th century the town was a centre for woollen cloth. The present town grew up in the 19th century with the development of the boot and shoe industry, for which Northamptonshire as a whole became famous. Many large homes in both the Headlands and Rockingham Road were built for factory owners while terraced streets provided accommodation for the workers. The industry has markedly declined since the 1970s. 

Rockingham Road

Kettering Town FC was originally formed in 1872, turning professional in 1891. The club graduated through twelve different leagues from 1892 until they became founding members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979. Many honours have found their way to Rockingham Road, winning the Midland Football League title in 1896 and 1900. The Southern League Championship was won on three occasions by the club, in 1928 and 1957 under Tommy Lawton and in 1973 under the guidance of Ron Atkinson. In the 1930s the club won the East Midlands League and in 1948 the Poppies became Birmingham League Champions. During the 1970s, Kettering Town sought election to the Football League, coming five votes short of election in 1974. The club finished runners-up in the Football Conference in 1981, 1989, 1994 and 1998. The GMAC Cup was won in 1987. 

Rockingham Road

This Pieman travelled by train from London St Pancras to Kettering station. From there it takes around twenty five minutes to walk to the stadium. Visitors Gateshead took the point courtesy of a 4-2 victory in an entertaining encounter.

Attendance: 1776