Brady Affirms Northampton’s ‘Full Respect’ for Kettering

Jon Brady, who has managed Northampton Town since May 2021, assured that his team would treat non-league local rivals Kettering Town with the same deference afforded to any League One adversary. The two teams are scheduled to face each other in the FA Cup first round this Saturday at Sixfields, with the match broadcast live on BBC TV at 17:30 GMT. Brady previously played for Kettering, contributing to their promotion from National League North in 2008. Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, he stated: “We’ve done all our prep on them and when you are top of the league [as they are] you are obviously doing something right, no matter what league it is. They’ve got players of note, one or two that have played at the very top [level] and it will be a tough challenge.” He further elaborated: “When I managed in [non-league] step three, you might have struggled to get a video of us and you’d have to get someone to go and see them live, but now everyone’s games are videoed and we take the pre-game prep like we would any League One opposition and fully respect them.” Northampton has been eliminated in the first round for the past four seasons, and Brady expressed his desire for his squad to end this streak, notwithstanding their recent 2-1 defeat to Lincoln City in League One on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of interest for everyone in the county. It would be fantastic for the club to have a great run but that’s certainly not a given against the opposition we face,” he commented. He added: “They’ll want a run as well and, like always, we’ve got to be at our very best to make sure we can try to get into the next round.” The two clubs have previously competed in the FA Cup on two occasions, with Northampton securing a 3-0 home victory in 1961 and a 1-0 away win at Kettering in 1989. However, after enduring several challenging years, Kettering is experiencing a resurgence, currently leading the Southern League Premier Central Division by one point. Brady remarked: “I had real fond times there, we won a league and did very well at the time when Mark Cooper was manager. Kettering have had many ups and downs and we’ll probably see a lot of familiar faces at the weekend that have been a foundation in keeping the club going.” He concluded: “In our county, there’s a lot of people that really invest in the local community and the local clubs.” Among Kettering’s notable players is former Celtic and Norwich City forward Gary Hooper, who recently joined Latimer Park and registered his inaugural goal in a 2-0 league victory against Stourbridge. Hooper has found the net in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, and Champions League, but at 36 years old, he conceded: “I don’t think my body can do full-time [football] any more.” Hooper signed with Kettering after approximately eight months away from football, following a period with Barnet that concluded in December 2023. He informed BBC Radio Northampton: “I had a nice little break but came in to train with Kettering and enjoyed it.” He continued: “Me and the gaffer [Richard Lavery] and [football director] Fabian [Forde] had a good chat, they said ‘see how you get on with the travelling’. I’ve done non-league before with Grays Athletic but that was a long time ago.” Hooper further stated: “Coming off the bench the other day, I was trying to settle the game and it was a great ball from Powelly [Aaron Powell] in to me, took on the defender and finished. I think everyone is enjoying me being here.” He concluded: “We’re playing good football, winning games, six unbeaten, we’re in the FA Cup and there’s only one way it’s going. The club are doing everything right and it shows out on the pitch.” If Kettering achieves an unexpected victory against Northampton, it would mark the first occasion the Poppies have advanced to the second round since 2010, when they compelled a replay against Leeds United before ultimately losing the subsequent match 5-1.