The lost ground that was town's 'Angel of the North'

Rockingham Road was demolished in 2017 to make way for housing, six years after Kettering Town's final game at the stadium

A first Northamptonshire derby between Northampton Town and Kettering Town in almost 35 years will be played out at Sixfields Stadium before a national television audience on Saturday.

Kettering hosted the 1989 meeting between the sides, but their historic former home at Rockingham Road is no more. BBC News charts the story of a lost stadium that was once its town's "Angel of the North".

Kettering's historic home

Rockingham Road was at capacity for FA Cup ties with Fulham and Leeds United in the late 2000s

Opened in 1897, Rockingham Road will forever be the spiritual home of the Poppies.

It was the archetypal non-league ground, hemmed into a residential area just outside the town centre and at the very heart of its community. It was adored by home fans and intimidating for visitors.

Its main stand featured a towering roof that amplified the noise of a capacity support of up to 6,264 at the time of its closing.

In 1976, history was made at the ground as Kettering became the first British club to play with a sponsor on their shirts in a game against Bath City.

Ron Atkinson and Paul Gascoigne were among the club's managers in the Rockingham Road era, with the latter infamously lasting only 39 days in the role.

And despite Kettering never having reached the EFL, their rich history in the FA Cup saw the stadium host English football giants like Leeds United and Fulham.

Former England player Paul Gascoigne was recruited as Poppies boss in 2005, but his spell in charge was short-lived

The Poppies lifted their last league title of the Rockingham Road era in 2008 as they won what is now known as National League North

Nomadic years

In 2011, the Poppies' 114-year spell at the ground affectionately referred to by fans as "Rocky Road" came to an end.

Their final league game at the ground on 30 April, a 3-1 win over Southport in what is now known as the National League, was watched by a crowd of 1,403. Those at the game were unaware it was goodbye.

The club sold its freehold to the ground in the 1980s and with negotiations over the extension of its lease stalling, then-owner Imraan Ladak announced a shock move 10 miles away to Nene Park in Irthlingborough. It proved disastrous.

After leaving Rockingham Road in 2011, Kettering moved into Nene Park, the former home of Northamptonshire rivals Rushden & Diamonds

In their first season at the former home of Rushden and Diamonds, they finished bottom of the table and were forced to drop down two divisions because of debts totalling £1.2m.

But there was little respite for them in the Southern League as players went unpaid and the Poppies fielded just 10 players in a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Bashley.

They narrowly avoided going out of business and after a brief ground share with nearby Corby Town, they moved to Latimer Park in Burton Latimer, which they have shared with Burton Park Wanderers since.

A return to Kettering?

There is little left to indicate where Rockingham Road once stood

Ritchie Jeune, who oversaw the move to Latimer Park, bought Ladak's stake in 2013 and harboured ambitions of bringing the club back to the town that bears its name.

But dreams of a romantic return to Rockingham Road ended in 2015 when the club failed to secure the purchase of the site in a closed bidding process.

As Rockingham Road fell into disrepair, the club twice tried to get their old home listed as an "asset of community value" before it was ultimately acquired by a developer for a housing project.

A project to build about 49 houses is in progress where Rockingham Road once stood

George Akhtar became the club's co-owner earlier this year

Efforts to secure a new home in Kettering have been unsuccessful, although hope remains for the future.

George Akhtar and Fabian Forde bought the club from Mr Jeune earlier this year and, last month, Mr Akhtar said the owners were "in discussions" about the possibility of a new site in Kettering, but added he remained "very realistic" that Latimer Park may still be their home for years to come.

'Proper non-league'

Kettering fan Peter Short said Latimer Park could not replace Rockingham Road

Visiting Rockingham Road now, there is little to point to where a historic stadium once stood.

Gone are the stands, turnstiles and other relics of a footballing past. Today, the Brittania Park housing estate occupies the space instead.

Kettering fan and photographer Peter Short said the ground's four floodlights were a local landmark and were sadly missed.

Mr Short said the floodlights at Rockingham Road were visible from miles away and served as "Kettering's answer to the Angel of the North"

"You could see them for miles on the way into Kettering train station," said 39-year-old Mr Short.

"They were like our Angel of the North. To me, those floodlights meant Kettering.

"Not to be cliche, but it was a proper non-league ground. The main stand was phenomenal. Opposite, the Brittania Road stand was a nasty terrace, which intimidated away fans and the banter was incredible.

"I always stood on the exact same paving slab for every game. It's something a whole generation of fans will never understand. Latimer Park is great, but even if you built four beautiful stands there... it will never replace Rockingham Road."

'A sign of the times'

Memories of Rockingham Road will be stirred again this weekend as the Poppies prepare for their biggest FA Cup tie in years against "friendly" local rivals Northampton.

It will be only the third-ever competitive meeting between the sides, with the Cobblers having won both previous ties.

Kevin Shoemake, who played as goalkeeper for Kettering in the 1989 match, said the demise of Rockingham Road was "a sad reflection of the game".

Speaking where the ground once stood, he said: "To see what it is now is a huge shock and quite surprising. It was home and I have very fond memories of great games and atmospheres."

Kevin Shoemake (left) and Dean Thomas (right) played in the 1989 FA Cup match between Kettering and Northampton and said the demise of Rockingham Road was "a sign of the times"

Dean Thomas, who scored the winning goal past Shoemake said: "It was such an iconic non-league stadium with great managers, crowds and players and now it’s no more. Times really have moved on.

"I live locally, and you drive past and the first thing you do is look at one of the old grounds you played at... and now it’s a housing estate. It’s a sign of the times."

You can watch Northampton Town v Kettering Town live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two from 17:15 GMT on Saturday, with kick-off at 17:30. The match will also be live on BBC Radio Northampton and BBC Sounds.

Kettering hold the unique record for being the team to have scored the most goals in FA Cup history