ROCKINGHAM ROAD is bringing a whole new meaning to the term ‘home ground’.
That’s because Kettering Town’s former stadium has been demolished and turned into 49 houses since they moved out.
The stadium was the home of The Poppies for some 114 YEARS, stretching from 1987 until 2011.
At its peak it offered up space for 6,264 fans with fans of historic non-league outfit Kettering regularly packing the stands to the rafters.
The stadium, affectionately nicknamed “Rocky Road” hosted FA Cup ties against footballing giants such as Leeds United and Fulham over the years.
While it was also the first stadium of iconic manager Ron Atkinson, who began his coaching career at Kettering in 1971.
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Paul Gascoigne also spent some time as gaffer of Kettering at the historic ground, albeit lasting just 39 days during his stint at the club in 2005.
But those memories came to an end in 2011 when Kettering moved to a new ground over 10 miles away.
After a period of financial uncertainty, Kettering found their newest home in 2013, Latimer Park – which they still share with Burton Park Wanderers to this day.
But there had been hopes to move back into their beloved Rockingham Road, hopes that were dashed by demolition trucks and a new housing estate.
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In 2015 the club failed in an attempt to buy the stadium back in a closed bidding process, before twice trying to have it listed as an “asset of community value”.
The ground lay dormant for years before being acquired by a developer for a housing project.
At the time, Kettering explained they couldn’t match the price being paid by the developers.
A statement read: “Attempting to match or beat the unrealistic price tag put on Rockingham Road would have done nothing to secure the club’s future.”
Their resignation to the sale meant that the ground was knocked down in 2017, leaving dirt and rubble in its place.
Now the turnstiles and floodlights are slowly being replaced by new-build houses as work continues to build a multi-million pound estate.
Houses are already on the market for the unfinished estate for in excess of £250,000.
And there are expected to be 49 houses where the ground once stood upon the completion of the project.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
