Tivvy +20

At Patgod we do love a good anniversary. A date to relive old memories, reminisce about past glories and for a few moments go back in time. Is this how it begins?  One day you’re having what you think is a normal chat about how things once were, the next you’re dribbling incoherently and laughing at random things. From certain examples among our fan base, this can take effect surprisingly early in life.

Anyway, what triggered this particular musing is a chance coincidence.  For reasons entirely unconnected with football I find myself in a corner of the south west just a few miles from Tiverton.  That set me thinking, 2002? Then with a jolt I realised it was exactly 20 years ago to the very day! 27^th April (I have a good memory for dates, if not much else).  What a day that was.  Well worth reliving, on the off chance anyone reading this who was there hasn’t thought about it for at least a week.

The early millennium Poppy was positively spoiled with last day of the season cliffhangers. In 2001 we had to win while another team didn’t to avoid the drop, twelve months later it was the same equation but with the opposite outcome – hence despite the distance to the Devon border, at least 1,500 of us converged on Tiverton’s little ground (back then we could afford to be condescending) for what no one expected to be an unruffled tension-free afternoon.

I can only really remember three things about the game itself. Steve Ooh Aah Lenagh fired us into an early lead, they equalised, we scored a second. Maybe not in that order. Ok a fourth thing. In the early days of mobile phones, some fans were connected to events at Folkestone, where a Tamworth win would deny us the title. The game down there see-sawed rather more. As the minutes ticked down we heard that, with the score tied at 3-3, Folkestone had saved a penalty.

The clock reached 90 minutes. Back then that was pretty much it. Games finished at 4.46.  As the ref blew we were over the fence, then moments later there was an explosion of joy on the pitch as the news magically arrived from Folkestone. We have jolly well done it, many congratulations, is the family friendly version of what I said to Wayne Diuk.    

The rest was messy. There were people on the dressing room roof, they thought it was all over. Kettering were back. After about an hour of partying and singing we finally dispersed, to start to contemplate a triumphant return to our rightful level in the non League game. Where we have spent precisely 5 of the last 20 years.  

  Doesn't look much after all these years, but was packed with red 20 years ago today

Pitching In

We know that the pitch at Latimer Park leaves much to be desired.  And if we somehow hadn't realised it's shortcomings, opposition managers are lining-up to point out the bleeding obvious during their pre and post match interviews.

We know that a lack of rain for 24 hours renders the surface bone-dry and bobbly.  We also know that a 5 minute shower can flood the pitch to a depth of several feet.

We know.  We know.  We know.

We also know that many clubs a lot lower in the footballing pyramid have pitches far better than ours.  Some have been prepared to host reserves or ladies teams from higher placed clubs.  Others have the latest artificial surfaces, 100% flat and bobble-free.  We've all seen footage of one-man-and-his-dog outfits with state of the art 4G pitches and wondered how on earth they could afford such an outlay.

Why them and not us?

My knowledge of pitch maintenance and costs is as lacking as the next terrace expert.  But could our pitch not be dug down a couple of feet, filled with "good soil" rolled flat and hey presto!  A perfect surface.  Or be dug-up and replaced with a spanking new 4G?

Sure, the cost would be enormous, but that's what we have Owners, Chairman and Board members for.  Right?

But exactly how desperate are we punters to have the pitch sorted once and for all?  What if Ritchie offered to shell out for the Latimer Park's surface to be made the envy of non-league.  No expense spared.  A billiard table in Burton.  The only catch would be that, given the outlay, we would be making Latimer Park our permanent home.  

Flog the pointless, unreachable Frenchies Field back to the Council.  Stop pretending once and for all that this impossible "return to Kettering" would happen.  Not that this distant field is especially more "Kettering" than Latimer Park.  Both sites are just over 3 miles from Kettering town centre.  One has a football ground on it.  The other has fox sh*t on it.

Do we commit ourselves to the home we have now?  Or keep imagining Frenchies Field might happen?  Which way do we jump?  

Do we really expect Ritchie's bottomless wallet to furnish us with a Wembley level playing facility at Latimer Park while also magically creating Rockingham Road MK 2 in a field with zero access which is only just borderline part of Kettering?

We're not privy to Ritchie's thinking.  We have no idea if he is as concerned with the "Burton-bobble" as opposition managers and the rest of us seem to be.  But what would we say were Ritchie to make us the hypothetical choice outlined above...?  It would be an interesting conversation to be sure!

A curious little one

Who'd have thought it.  As of Easter Sunday our second highest home and away League gates have both been against Gloucester City.  Fancy that.

Not much of a stat, but definitely an, "Ooh, er" moment....

Another week, another double!

Always the last to know...!

It would appear that Kettering Town FC is a 2-BLOG club!  I'm not quite sure how it has taken me so long to notice that there was a second Poppies blog floating out there in the firmament.  Probably because I wasn't open to the possibility that someone else would bother wasting their valuable time typing piffle about the Poppies. 

You can link to "Up the Poppies" here

The only downside I can see is that "Patgod2" has been a little quiet these past 12-months even though they still seem active on other social media platforms.  This highlights the shame about not having another viable Poppies blog-fanzine - we at Patgod don't get to read a Poppies blog!

Anyway, a link has been added to the "People who write about the Poppies" section of PATGOD so you can take a look.  There are numerous links here worth a look.  Or, they would be if they were all still in existence.  And in the case of "Tinhat's Unofficial Site" this is a tragedy as that website was a brilliantly comprehensive Poppies-centric website.  Run from the States there were many times in our recent history when it was far better and more up to date than the club's official website.  

Some websites have entirely bitten the dust.  Including the Travel Club site, now missed if only for the collection of images of Eli holding his false teeth.  Some, regrettably, seem to have simply ceased trading - such as the The Tin Hat Podcast and Poppies Real Ale Tasting Society.  Who knows, perhaps they will start up again?  Just as soon as a love for nattering about the Poppies or drinking beer can be rekindled in our collective bosom....

In the meantime we'll plough on.  Partly to keep the Poppies fanzine flag flying, but probably more because we really don't have anything more worthwhile to do.

Entirely random Poppies image
from the archives to mark our finally
not being the current Champions of the
Southern League Midland Division.

Meanwhile, over the Lincolnshire border.....