Kettering Town are set to face Doncaster Rovers in the Emirates FA Cup second round on Sunday, and the competition’s iconic trophy has visited the club in the build-up.
The Poppies were formed over 150 years ago in 1872, and they have had a rich history with the cup ever since their first tie in the competition on 6 October 1888.
They have reached the First Round on over 50 occasions, and made it to the Fourth Round in the 1988-89 and 2008-09 seasons where they were knocked out by Charlton and Fulham.
Their achievements in the Emirates FA Cup have resulted in scoring 922 goals, which is a record for the competition, and eleven more than the closest rivals in Tottenham Hotspur.
The 921st and 922nd of those were scored during the stunning win over local rivals Northampton Town – who play four levels above them – earlier this month in the First Round.
The side play in the Southern League Premier Central Division, which is the seventh level of the English football pyramid, and they will be hoping to cause another upset tomorrow.
Many club personnel, players, fans and locals visited Latimer Park ahead of the tie to have their photos taken with the famous silverware and participate in a fan forum.
“This whole cup run is for the fans," said George Akhtar, Kettering Town’s owner.
"We don’t want this to be a flash in the pan. This is what we want the ambition of the club to be, season in, and season out. A club like Kettering Town should be in at least the first round every season, and that’s the mindset we need to have. We have a wonderful fan base, and I want them to stick with us beyond tomorrow’s game.
“We’ve generated a bit of money from this cup run, and we will be sitting down to see where we can spend it in the best way. There’s a few things that we need to do such as build a new stand, but the big one for us would be an astroturf pitch as that would be a lasting legacy and secure the future of the club.”
Kettering Town versus Doncaster Rovers will be available to watch at 12pm GMT tomorrow on BBC Two and iPlayer, and details for the remaining second round ties can be seen here.
