Six years ago to the day, ten footballers representing Kettering Town FC slunk off the pitch at Non Park after a 7-0 defeat to Bashley in front of just over 300 people. It was less a game of football than a 90 minute open-air wake for the football club we loved. To all intents and purposes that was it for the Poppies. There was lots of gallows humour, and more than a few tears. Not only did we think it was all over, it FELT that it was all over. Curiously, I don't recall any anger or resentment - I guess we were past recriminations by then.
Six years later we are top of the same division we were about to be thrown out of, and a move back to Kettering is on the agenda. Had this position been offered to any of the 304 in attendance at 4.45pm on Saturday 6th October 2012 every single person would have taken it in a heartbeat.
You know where you were on 6th October 2012, and how you felt. This is how we felt at the time, and why, in the years that followed we've never quite treated everything Poppies related as a matter of life and death. Because we were that close to losing everything.
I was there and it was a sad sad time. Never thought that the club would ever come back. Thanks to a lot of effort and hard work we now stand with our heads held high. Many thanks to all
ReplyDeleteCan only echo the above.
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