Kettering owner's delight in causing FA Cup shock

George Akhtar and Fabian Forde became Kettering Town's new co-owners earlier this year

The owner of non-league Kettering Town said the shock FA Cup win over near-neighbours Northampton Town was "historic for the club and the region".

The Poppies, who play in the seventh tier of English football, came from behind to beat the League One Cobblers 2-1 at Sixfields Stadium.

Victory for Kettering also meant they reached the second round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since 2010.

George Akhtar, who took ownership of Kettering earlier this year, said he "could not put the result into words".

Northampton had taken an early lead in the tie when Poppies captain Connor Johnson unluckily diverted a Tariqe Fosu shot into his own net.

But Kettering-born teenager Luca Miller scored a stunning equaliser before Nile Ranger headed the winning goal early in extra time.

"In the first half we showed our nerve," said Akhtar. "In the second half, we were clearly the better team and we deserved that [result].

"The unity and the harmony [around the club] has just been unbelievable. Not many teams are going to fancy [playing] us [in the next round]."

George Akhtar said Kettering were deserving winners at Sixfields

Footballer director Fabian Forde said: "I'm quite an optimistic person, but I couldn't have dreamed of this. I'm on cloud nine.

"We came here and said we want to show what we're made of. We didn't play them off the park, but we held our own and played the percentages.

"We showed we are a team to be reckoned with. The fans are amazing... they were immense today."

The Poppies will find out their second-round opponents on Sunday

For winning the tie, the visitors claimed £45,000 from the FA's prize fund.

Prior to Saturday's shock, Northampton and Kettering had met twice previously in the FA Cup with the most recent a 1-0 victory for the Cobblers at Rockingham Road in 1989.

Poppies fan and photographer Peter Short said: "That's the biggest win in Kettering Town's history.

"They looked comfortable. Kettering believed more and they [Northampton] looked like the non-league team for a while.

"If you're going to jump on a bandwagon, this is the one to back. It's fun. Kettering aren't 'hoof it long', there's skill and talent. I'm so delighted."

The draw for the second round of the FA Cup is scheduled to take place at about 19:45 GMT, during the BBC's FA Cup highlights programme on BBC Two.