Who Are... Kettering Town FC?
Interesting times it has been for one of non-league's stalwart teams. Kettering Town rejoin the Blue Square Premier after a prolonged absence following relegation a handful of years ago. In that time, the club have seen Paul Gascoigne come and go in the space of about 40 days as manager, but the club now seem to be on an upward curve. And it will give Stevenage Borough the chance to reacquaint old rivalries with the side from along the A14 which will hopefully draw some big attendances to meetings both home and away.

On the occasions in which the two sides have crossed paths before, sparks have flown. On one hand, Stevenage romped past Kettering under the guidance of Richard Hill as part of a six-game winning start to the 1999/00 season, while it was the Poppies who exacted revenge on a dingy Boxing Day in 2002 with a 1-0 win at Rockingham Road that sent Boro' crashing to the bottom of the table and that saw the sacking of Boro' boss Wayne Turner. Yet it was Kettering who were to slide out of the Conference that year as the Hertfordshire side rallied to safety under Graham Westley. How things come around eh?

Now back in the top flight of non-league football, a few things have changed since Kettering last competed against the likes of York, Northwich and Forest Green. There are a whole raft of ex-League clubs to contend with, driving the standard up year on year, and it is something that the Poppies had to adapt to. Finishing a commendable 8th in the 2008/9 campaign, Kettering proved to be worthy opponents for many, yet fell away when it mattered most. The 2009/10 campaign was about the same, amid slight off-field rumblings.