Moulton welcome Kettering Town to Brunting Road on Saturday, 19 July for the 1st Round of the Northamptonshire Hillier Senior Cup, which will be Moulton’s first competitive game at Step 5.

’The Poppies’ play at Step 3 of the National League System, in the Southern League Premier Division Central. The club were founded in 1872 and a couple of their claims to fame are being the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in 1976 and having scored more goals in the FA Cup than any other club. It was in 1975 that Northern Irish international Derek Dougan was appointed player-manager and business manager, and he negotiated a four figure shirt sponsorship with Kettering Tyres. Their total of 923 goals (confirmed by Kettering Historian) in the FA Cup is the highest ever, despite the club never making it past the fourth round of the competition. They first reached that stage in 1988/89 and matched it in 2008/09, when they were knocked out by Fulham. The biggest win in the club’s history came in the Cup in 1909 as they hammered Higham YMCI 16-0.

Kettering’s league history goes way back to 1872 but in more recent times, League reorganisation saw Kettering placed in the Premier Division Central for the 2018–19 season. The club went on to win the division, earning promotion to the National League North. In 2022–23 they finished fourth-from-bottom of the National League North and were relegated back to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League. In 2024–25 they beat county rivals Northampton Town 2–1 in the first round of the FA Cup, before losing 2–1 to Doncaster Rovers in the second round. The season saw them finish second in the league, going on to beat Harborough Town on penalties in the play-off semi-finals before losing 4–2 to AFC Telford United in the final.

Although this is Moulton’s first game in the Hillier Senior Cup, Kettering are regular winners having won it a total of 30 times since their first win back in the 1883/84 season. Their are to numerous famous names who have played for Kettering Town in the past to mention, but we have one of our own, Andy “Trigger’ Hall who played for them over two spells.

Other games in the Hillier Senior Cup:
Thurs 17 July AFC Rushden & Diamonds v ON Chenecks (Chenecks win 3-0)
Sat 2 Aug Wellingborough Town Peterborough Sports
Tues 5 Aug Corby v Bugbrooke St Michaels
Tues 19 Aug Sileby Rangers v Brackley Town.
Northampton Town U23, Peterborough United U23 & Daventry Town all received a bye in the 1st round.