The Poppycast

On this episode, we welcome Kettering Town Legend Paul Cooke onto the Pod. Cookie has been following the Poppies since 1983 and has become a legend in his own right, fulfilling a number of roles at the club over the years, most recently as the iconic matchday commentator at Poppies Media.We talk to Paul about his efforts in documenting all things KTFC through his "Poppies Companion" book, and he regales us with many stories of years gone by. He really is a great listen!

There's significant interest in buying Kettering Town, coming from a consortium fronted by ex-Poppy Brad Piercewright. But should George Akhtar sell? Jamie, Craig and Shorty talk it over, and we're also joined by Danny Jordan to talk about his work in building a website and fan app for the Kettering Town Supporters Association, which is a new fan-run idea.

The podcast has a muted celebration of turning 1 year old in this episode - thankyou to everyone who has listened to us over the past 12 months!For the second time in a year, the guys confront playoff disappointment as Kettering crash out 1-3 at Real Bedford. The journey to get back into contention was one to be proud of however, and Jamie, Niall and Craig talk it through with a sprinkle of optimism for next season.

On this episode we welcome long-time Kettering Town commentator Ed Palmer into the booth. How did he get into commentating? What are his influences? And what does life away from the microphone now involve?Plus we have the small issue of Kettering winning 8 (Yes Eight) games since our last episode, in a meteoric rise that has seen us right in the playoff mix again. We rightly heap the praise upon Liam McDonald, his players, staff and the Club in general.Can we go one step further this year??!

On this episode, Jamie is joined by James Loader who is now based in Auckland, New Zealand. James is a long-time Poppies supporter from the Rockingham Road days, and we talk about his favourite memories following the club Home and Away.We unpick the playoff picture - how many points has been historically required in previous seasons, and do we think the Poppies can get there? The games are coming thick and fast now, so we will no doubt have plenty of match content to bring you in future episodes! Thankyou for listening - Up The Poppies!

This week, Craig and Jamie live out our younger-selves' dreams by interviewing Jean Paul Marna - a true Kettering Town Legend with 247 Appearances and 76 Goals for the Poppies.JP answers all the good questions, about winning the Conference North, about the songs that the fans sing for him, and about his continuing love for Kettering Town. In the present day, the Poppies have 2 away wins on the bounce as our lingering hopes of the playoffs live on!

Two superb guests join us for this week's pod! Peter Short of flip-flop fame and everyone's favourite Aussie, June Whitehouse, joined us to talk KTFC. Shorty tells us what it's like to be behind the lens on a matchday and regales us with tales of doing every job under the sun at Rockingham Road, and June spoke to Niall about following the poppies from the other side of the world and getting up at 01:30 to tune into Poppies Media on YouTube.As ever, thankyou for your support - if you'd like to join us for an episode then you would be most welcome! Up The Poppies!

A special episode this week - Poppies owner George Akhtar spares us an evening out of his very busy schedule to talk all things Kettering. You have sent in some great (and difficult!) questions through Facebook and our anonymous question box, which George was very happy to answer.We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we'll see you in 2026!Up The Poppies!

Kettering have just beaten Stourbridge 5-0 in Liam McDonald's first home win. This follows a tough run of away defeats, so in this episode Jamie, Kaine and Craig bring us (as the title suggests) some reasons to be cheerful!Plus, we recap our tremendous visit to the hospitality suite at Club 1872, which we cannot praise enough! Make sure you check it out if you haven't already done so!Up The Poppies!

On Episode 11, Niall, Craig and Jamie come to terms with Kettering's alarming slump in form, and the recent outgoings of key players Nile Ranger, Leon Lobjoit and Jamar Loza.Just at the pod is coming to an end, Breaking News is received that manager Simon Hollyhead has left the club...talk about timing!! Hear our reaction to the latest news in the whirlwind that is KTFC!

This episode comes as the Poppies have a game-free weekend, having exited the FA Cup in recent weeks. We run over your thoughts about Simon Hollyhead's first 10 games in charge (thanks for all of your comments - the good and the bad!), and recap recent results.The quiz this week was a fun one - how well did you do whilst listening? Let us know! We also want your suggestions for next guest onto the Pod. Drop us a comment on this episode or on our Facebook page.Up The Poppies!

The boys are back in town! Niall, Kaine and Jamie discuss the Poppies' early season fixtures and form after 13 points from 6 games sees us sitting in 4th place.We recap on the games which have been coming thick and fast since our last episode, and look forward to the Spalding, Quorn and Bishop Stortford fixtures.

This week we've welcomed Craig Parker on to talk about Kettering's 100% record as the season kicks off. We have a brilliant walk down memory lane as Craig and Jamie reminisce fondly about their time following the Poppies at Rockingham Road and Latimer Park, before turning our attention to the recent impressive wins over Royston and Leiston.With some huge games coming up against Real Bedford and Harborough Town, can we see the good times continuing?!As ever, thanks for your comments and feedback, they're really pivotal to making the podcast! Please let us know your thoughts about Hollyhead-ball and anything you'd like to see on a future episode.Up The Poppies!

The summer has come and gone, and Kettering Town are facing up to another mammoth season in the Southern Prem. The squad has taken shape and we assess the new faces in, and predict how we think they will fare this campaign.On this episode, we are joined by Latimer Park stadium announcer, Lee Wright, who shares some great stories of his time at the club in different roles.Finally, Lee bravely takes on the "90 second quiz", which is a new feature we're going to be putting to any guests on the show.Thankyou for your engagement and your feedback, we make this show as a bit of fun and welcome all messages and involvement! Get in touch if you want to be come on for a chat or want to air your views!Up The Poppies.

We're back after a few weeks off with a catchup around the big story that Simon Hollyhead is the new manager at Kettering Town. Have we warmed to the news in the time since it broke?We also share our thoughts on whether we agree with recent player incomings and outgoings (Luca we miss you...), and discuss the new kit release and the upcoming pre-season fixtures. Thanks for your ongoing support - Up The Poppies!

After a tumultuous week, Kettering Town are on the hunt for a new manager and a new squad. Jamie, Niall and Kaine unpick the Richard Lavery situation, and thanks to the voice messages sent in we have a chat about where the new manager in may be coming from.Our special guest this week is returning goalkeeper Paul White, who had plenty to say on his decision to come back to KTFC. We also end with a 5-a-side draft using the 24/25 season squad - let us know who drafted the best team!

The guys are back after a short enforced break due to illness, and on this episode we talk over the playoff final defeat and discuss where it went wrong.We get back on the horse and reflect fondly on a season of much positivity in our end of season review.Plus there's another quiz and a look at the season ticket prices for next campaign.Thankyou for your support - Up the Poppies!

What a game that was! We've given it a few days to calm down, and now we're here to discuss the 120+ minutes of drama, and look forward to the Playoff Final against Telford.Thanks for your support and feedback again, it's greatly appreciated. Fingers crossed for one more win!Up The Poppies!P.S - we've recorded this on Saturday afternoon as the ticket situation unfolded. So we felt it wouldn't be fair to comment on the issue so soon and not in full possession of the facts. We're gutted to see so many people disappointed to miss out.

So Kettering couldn't quite get over the line on the final day, and a playoff tie with Harborough Town awaits this week. With the quick turnaround, we hopped on to discuss our thoughts on the Banbury performance and look forward to Wednesday's semi-final.We are also delighted to have the company of Steve Lenagh, a man who has been there and done it on the final day! He talks us through his early career, his time with the Poppies and of course: How did he score THAT goal at Tiverton?! (What a terrific guest he was too!)Up The Poppies!(P.S, we're aware of a bit of distortion from Jamie's microphone. We're still pretty new to this so we'll get there!)

The first Poppycast (hopefully of many!) sees Jamie, Niall and Kaine talk over the Biggleswade and Royston wins for KTFC this weekend. We also cast our eye over the final weekend and talk about the prospect of the playoffs. There's a "Mystery Poppy" quiz thrown in and we also discuss our player of the season.If you'd like to give us any suggestions or feedback, feel free to get in touch on the KTFC Chat on Facebook! Let us know if you got the last "Mystery Poppy"!