Jon Dunham reflects on a Poppies season to savour
For the second year in a row, Kettering Town fans are looking back on one of the most incredible seasons in the club's history.
Twelve months after moving back up to non-League football's top flight as runaway Blue Square North champions, the Poppies have already established themselves in the Blue Square Premier.
The fact that they would survive in their first season back was never really in doubt. But no-one would have expected such an impressive effort from Mark Cooper's men.
Tell us what you think of the Poppies season
Indeed, it wasn't until the 11th game of the campaign that they suffered their first defeat and that was against eventual champions Burton Albion while Nigel Clough was still their manager.
That opening spell saw wins over Cambridge United and York City and, just a month after suffering their first loss, the Poppies did the unthinkable and moved to the top of the table after a 1-0 home win against Kidderminster Harriers.
It's fair to say the league campaign tailed off towards the end of the season as a play-off place drifted away.
One reason for that, however, was the number of games the club was having to fit in after the fixtures piled up following an unbelievable run in the FA Cup.
The Poppies enjoyed the sort of run clubs at this level can only dream of as they saw off Burton at home to earn a home tie with Lincoln City in the first round.
The Imps were eventually beaten on an unforgettable evening at Sincil Bank as Iyseden Christie headed a last-minute winner in the replay.
Notts County were the next to fall – again after a replay – at the A-Line Arena and fellow non-Leaguers Eastwood Town followed suit in the third round.
That set up a home clash with Premier League side Fulham and Kettering rose to the biggest occasion in the club's history as they pushed Roy Hodgson's men all the way.
They were just five minutes from a replay at Craven Cottage before eventually succumbing to a 4-2 defeat.
So a season to remember for so many reasons.
Can they better it? I suppose only time will tell.
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Weather for Kettering
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
