Saturday, September 30, 2017

The last days of Kettering Town's Rockingham Road ground


Before the heyday of Rushden & Diamonds the great football hope of the Northamptonshire boot-and-shoe country was Kettering Town.

Twice in the 1990s they finished runners up in the Conference. If I recall correctly, both times they were well clear at Christmas and looked set for promotion to the Football League.

Since they were relegated at the end of the 2000-1 season the club's story has been one of footballing and financial decline. It was not helped by its appointment of Paul Gascoigne as manager in 2005. He lasted 39 days before being sacked.

Kettering Town's home in its glory days was Rockingham Road, which was within walking distance of the centre of the town.

In 2011 they moved to Nene Park, previously the home of Rushden & Diamonds. The following year they had to leave Irtlingborough to play in Corby, and today they play at a ground in Burton Latimer.

The local council has long had its eye on the Rockingham Road ground as a site for housing, and the bulldozers are due to move in before the end of the year.

So today I went there to see what remains.











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